Saturday Bird Droppings: The first team effort win of the year

Good morning, Birdland!

Would you look at that? It turns out that the Orioles are capable of winning without their pitching staff being next to perfect. Their 5-3 win over the Angels on Friday night was the first time this season they got into the win column while allowing more than one run. It would be cool to make that a more frequent occurence.

Bruce Zimmermann gets more impressive by the outing. Although he did finally allow an earned run, he also went a season-long six innings and struck out six in the process, half of which were Shohei Ohtani’s three K’s.

Jorge López is starting to look like the real deal at the end of games. He brings the fire, both with his arsenal and his charisma. The converted starter earned his third save and struck out two in the process. Until further notice, there is no question who this team’s closer will be.

And we have to mention Robinson Chirinos driving in three runs on his two base hits. Soak it up while you can, this could be the peak of the Chirinos era in Baltimore. More importantly, it was good to see him back in the lineup for the first time since he left the third game in Oakland after being hit by a pitch.

We have another late night ahead of us as the Orioles play at 9 p.m., looking to snatch their first road series win of the season. Thankfully, that will put an end to the west coast start times until late June, when they make a trip out to Seattle.

Links

MLB managers under scrutiny — The names whose contracts add pressure to this season | The Athletic
Brandon Hyde gets mentioned here due to the number of losses piling up under his watch and the suspicion that 2022 is the final guaranteed year on his contract, although there is believed to be an option for 2023. But they do point out that the talent he has been given to manage has always been lacking. One can imagine that most conclusions will be made after the club promotes their big name youngsters later this summer.

Orioles extend 1992 ticket prices through May 8 games | WBAL TV
This is a good promotion, and I am of the opinion that the Orioles should do more good promotions, and less bad promotions. Controversial, I know. But it’s the only way I know.

13 stats that stand out from the Orioles’ first 13 games | The Baltimore Sun
Fun with numbers! But it basically boils down to the same thing you had been seeing with your eyes prior to Friday night. The Orioles pitching staff has been legitimately good, one of the best staffs in the game, while the lineup has been unlucky, and therefore bad as a result. Eventually, both of things should fall back into realistic parameters. But I will be holding out hope that some level of the pitching staff’s competence sticks around.

Orioles, still in a rebuild, think they can win without spending | The Washington Post
I feel like this type of article misses the mark just a bit. It discusses how the Orioles have refused to make any huge free agent splashes or sign “stars” under Elias. I mean, sure, but most teams don’t do that until they are ready to win. Any competitive team has a core made up of homegrown players that they then supplement with trades and signings. I think Elias should have done more to make the big league Orioles a watchable product over the last few years, but that criticism doesn’t include a complaint about them not signing a Cy Young candidate on the open market.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Sean Henn is 41. The left-handed pitcher appeared in six games for the 2009 Orioles and was plucked off waivers by the Blue Jays during the following offseason.
• The late Buddy Peterson (d. 2006) was born on this day in 1925. He wrapped up his brief MLB career with a seven-game stint in Baltimore during the 1957 season.

This day in O’s history

1994 - Orioles closer Lee Smith earns his ninth save of the season in what is just Baltimore’s 16th game, making him the fastest to that number in MLB history.

2006 - Miguel Tejada ties a record by registering four hits while no one else on the Orioles can muster one. That puts Tejada even with Kid Elberfield and Billy Williams for most hits in a game without a hit from a teammate. The Orioles lose 7-1 to the Yankees.