Friday Bird Droppings: It doesn’t get any easier for the Orioles

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Well, that didn’t take long. With just one week of the 2022 season behind us, the Orioles have the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Some things never change, eh?

The O’s were the last team in baseball to notch their first victory, which took them until their fourth game. And they’ll be the last team in baseball to notch their second victory, a feat accomplished by the other two previous holdouts, the Rangers and Marlins, last night.

Sadly, it could be a while before the Orioles even get that second win. They’ve already lost their first two series to a pair of 2021 playoff teams, the Rays and Brewers, and now a third such team — the Yankees — arrives in Baltimore tonight for a three-game set. And while the O’s did have modest success against the Bombers last year, going 8-11 in the season series, it’s hard to feel confident the Orioles won’t get swept.

After that, the O’s will jet off to the west coast for seven games against the torn-down Athletics and the perpetually disappointing Angels. You’d think the Orioles could bag a few wins in those series, but weird things tend to happen out west. Then it’s three games at Yankee Stadium followed by a return home against the Red Sox — another 2021 postseason club — to wrap up April.

With a daunting schedule ahead and an underwhelming roster of placeholders that’s now missing its best pitcher, we could be looking at an especially rough opening month for the Orioles. Please get here soon, Adley Rutschman.

Links

Orioles pitching options after John Means’ injury
Zachary Silver lists a few candidates to replace Means in the rotation, from prospects to mediocre journeymen. Spoiler: it ain’t gonna be a prospect.

O’s observations on the rotation, ‘pen, wall and more - Steve Melewski
In discussing the Orioles’ starting pitching options, Melewski begins with “It’s too soon for their rotation to be in crisis.” Is it though?

Because You Asked - Transformania - Roch Kubatko
In his latest mailbag, Kubatko notes that Rutschman’s injury progression isn’t exactly speeding along. I’m starting to feel like Mark Brown’s biggest concern for the season will turn out to be accurate.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles were born on this day, including Chris Tillman (34), who spent his entire 10-year career in Baltimore and was a key rotation piece for those contending 2012-2016 Birds. And 2009 first baseman Michael Aubrey turns 40.

A whole bunch of notable things have happened on April 15 in Orioles history. For starters, on this date in 1954 the O’s played their first home game in Baltimore as a major league franchise, beating the White Sox, 3-1. Bob Turley threw a complete game for the victory, while Clint Courtney and Vern Stephens hit the first two homers in Memorial Stadium history.

On this day in 1987, the Orioles were on the wrong end of a no-hitter tossed by Milwaukee’s Juan Nieves, the first ever thrown by an opponent at Memorial Stadium. Nieves walked five but struck out seven in the Brewers’ 7-0 win.

And on this date in 2000, O’s legend Cal Ripken Jr. reached an immortal milestone with his 3,000th career hit, making him the 24th member of the exclusive club. Cal collected the memorable hit with his third single of the game, a seventh-inning knock off future Oriole Hector Carrasco in an O’s 6-4 win in Minnesota. The crowd of 18,745 at the Metrodome gave Cal a long standing ovation, and the first player to greet him for the on-field celebration was longtime teammate and fellow Orioles legend Eddie Murray, then the Birds’ first-base coach. What a night.