Sunday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles finally got win #50

Hello, friends.

The Orioles have done it. They have won their 50th game. It only took them 155 games played to get there. That’s a sad thing to say, but it’s worth remembering that we’ve seen worse. In 2018, the Orioles did not even make it to 50 wins. They only won 47. The 2021 edition sits at 50 with seven games left to be played. Maybe they can make it to like, 52.

Last night’s 3-2 win over the Rangers is what gave the Orioles #50. Check out Harrison’s recap of the game for the lovely totals. It’s nice to see the O’s able to pick up a couple of wins against a crummy team in Texas who, frankly, would probably be worse than the O’s are in the standings if they had to play in the AL East. This Rangers team has a very sad offense and it’s shown in two of three games of this series.

Fret not, all you draft pick nihilists out there. The Arizona Diamondbacks also won yesterday to get their record to 50-105 by beating the Dodgers. Both the O’s and Diamondbacks are off on Monday. Arizona finishes with three at the Giants and three at home against the Rockies. Colorado is 25-52 on the road. The schedule seems to favor the Orioles getting the top pick next year, but we’ll see how the games actually play out. It is coming down to the end.

For today, at least, the edge probably goes to Arizona to maybe gain ground, since they’re still playing the Dodgers while the O’s get Texas, who’s in line for the #3 pick next year. The Rangers offense is so bad they’ve even made Orioles pitchers look good in two of three games of this series.

The finale is scheduled for 1:05 this afternoon. John Means is set to take the mound for the Orioles, with Dane Dunning getting the ball for Texas.

Around the blogO’sphere

Cedric Mullins’s 30-30 season is the most surprising breakthrough in Orioles history (The Athletic)
Dan Connolly has had some periodic bad takes ever since the hiring process that led to Mike Elias becoming GM of the Orioles. This one is spot on, though.

Brandon Hyde on Tyler Wells to the IL, other notes (Steve Melewski)
The news from yesterday is that the O’s briefly-tenured closer is dealing with shoulder inflammation, so his season is over. He ends the year with a 4.11 ERA, which isn’t that interesting for a reliever, but the 0.912 WHIP is pretty dang good.

Orioles rookie pitchers leaving strong final impressions in bids for 2022 rotation spots (The Baltimore Sun)
September has gone better than earlier months did for some of the 2021 O’s pitching prospects to get time in Baltimore.

Brandon Hyde will return to the Orioles in 2022. Who else will be back? (Press Box Online)
This article predicts there will be a lot of familiar faces returning to the 2022 Orioles roster, noting that the only players not already under team control for 2022 are Matt Harvey and Fernando Abad.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1971, Jim Palmer picked up his 20th win of the season with a complete game shutout of Cleveland. He was the fourth member of the staff to win 20 games, a feat that has not been equaled in the 50 years since.

There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1988 reliever Doug Sisk, and 1975-76 catcher Doug Duncan.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: gardener Johnny Appleseed (1774), poet T.S. Eliot (1888), and actress Olivia Newton-John (1948).

On this day in history...

In 1905, Albert Einstein published his paper that introduced the theory of relativity.

In 1918, the Allies launched the Meuse-Argonne Offensive against the Germans. The battle lasted until war’s end, 47 days later. With 1.2 million American soldiers involved, it’s the largest battle in American military history. Meuse-Argonne also claimed the second-most lives of any campaign, with the 26,277 American fatalities below only World War II’s Battle of Normandy.

In 1969, the final album recorded by The Beatles, Abbey Road, was released.

In 1983, Soviet Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov’s equipment reported an incoming nuclear missile. Petrov correctly identified an error rather than launching a retaliatory strike.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on September 26. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!