Tuesday Bird Droppings: One last showdown with the Yankees

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The Orioles, after a much-needed off day to lick their wounds from the brutal Blue Jays series, are back in action against another Wild Card contender tonight, hosting the New York Yankees for three games to conclude the season series.

The Birds, as has been noted by irate Yankee fans and media, have had a bit of success against the Yanks this year, certainly more than against their other division opponents. The Orioles are a respectable 7-9 versus New York, compared to an atrocious 1-18 against the Rays, 4-9 against the Red Sox, and 5-11 against the Blue Jays. If you’re looking for a reason why the Yankees slipped out of playoff position over the weekend, behind the Sox and Jays in the Wild Card race, their failure to rack up wins against the bottom-feeding Orioles is a major factor.

So, what say we extend the Yankees’ misery just a little longer? The Yanks are coming off a feel-good victory over the Twins yesterday, rallying back from a 5-0 deficit to win in extras, but nothing would deflate that momentum like another series loss to the Orioles. On paper, of course, it won’t be easy for the O’s to pull off. They’ve given up 44 runs in their last three games and their slapdash pitching staff is running on fumes. But they’ve played the Yankees tough all season. If they can do it three more times, the O’s can put New York behind the eight ball as they scramble to stay alive in the postseason race.

Links

Connolly’s Tap Room: Is this the worst season of Orioles baseball you’ve witnessed? – The Athletic
I anxiously await the day where this question won’t have to be asked every season for like four years in a row.

Minor Monday: Rutschman keeps focus on present - BaltimoreBaseball.com
I also anxiously await the day where the “Adley Rutschman is patiently awaiting his arrival to the majors” articles can be replaced with “Adley Rutschman is in the majors, and he’s awesome.” Or, you know, something to that effect.

Mancini: “Mentally ... a year unlike anything I’ve been through” - School of Roch
Poor Trey Mancini valiantly conquered cancer and incredibly returned to being a productive major leaguer, only to have to be saddled with this debacle of a team and season. He deserves so much better.

Overcoming adversity: Lamar Sparks gets it going with Aberdeen - Steve Melewski
Once-ballyhooed prospect Lamar Sparks is working his way back, physically and mentally, from being hit in the face with a fastball in 2019, and he’s made plenty of progress this year. He has a chance to be a feel-good story for the next contending Orioles team.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles were born on this day: Chad Bradford (47) and Delmon Young (36). Which means, by law, I’m required to post this clip.

It never gets old.

On this date in 1980, Eddie Murray blasted three solo home runs for the Orioles as part of a four-hit day. That included a game-tying homer in the ninth and a go-ahead shot in the 11th. Clutch! Unfortunately, the rest of the offense was a no-show, with the non-Murray hitters combining to go 3-for-38. Murray’s homers provided the only O’s runs in an eventual 4-3, 13-inning loss in Toronto.

In 1987, again in Toronto, Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak of 8,264 consecutive innings played, spanning 904 games, came to an end when his manager rested him in the eighth inning of an 18-3 blowout loss. What manager would have the gall to do such a thing, you ask? It was his own father, Cal Ripken Sr. All right, then I guess it’s okay.

And on this day in 2014, the Orioles pulled off a last-inning comeback to beat the Yankees at Camden Yards, 3-2. Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, the Orioles roped three doubles off David Robertson — a game-tying two-bagger by Steve Pearce and a game-winner from Kelly Johnson — for the walkoff. The O’s took three out of four games from the Yankees in that series, extending their AL East lead to 11.5 games. They would clinch the division crown two days later.