Sunday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are going to play two

Hello, friends.

The Baltimore Orioles are not in last place in the American League East! While the O’s have been idle for two days due to rain across the area, the last place Boston Red Sox have played a pair of games against the White Sox and lost both of them. That leaves Boston at 10-18, while the O’s are at 10-16, a full game ahead of last place.

I am going to enjoy that for as long as it lasts. It could change in the course of today, since the Orioles are going to play a doubleheader against the Royals to make up for the Friday rainout and the Red Sox will finish up the White Sox series. If the Orioles are swept and Boston avoids a sweep, the O’s will be back in last promptly.

All of the moms of Birdland who are now getting two games for the price of one along with the floral hat giveaway are going to be a little chilly today. They may even still get rained on a bit, depending on how long it takes all of the rain to depart. The straight doubleheader is scheduled to get under way at 1:35, with a second game to follow about 30 minutes after the end of the first. Zack Greinke and Jordan Lyles are the game 1 starters, with Daniel Lynch and Bruce Zimmermann set to pitch the second game.

Saturday’s rainout will be made up on Monday starting at 12:05. I wonder whether the number of people in the stadium will exceed 1,000. As the Royals have an even worse record than the Orioles heading into this series, it will be nice if the O’s can not get swept today, and preferably if they can win two out of three in the series overall. That will probably depend on whether the offense can carry over some momentum from several days ago, when the air was warmer in Baltimore.

Since there hasn’t been any Orioles major league action for a couple of days, let’s briefly talk about the minors. Grayson Rodriguez pitched to Adley Rutschman yesterday! That’s about as exciting as the farm gets at the moment. Rodriguez threw 5.1 scoreless innings, with two hits and three walks allowed. He struck out five and picked off one runner. Rutschman had a 1-4 night.

Around the blogO’sphere

On first Mother’s Day in majors, Félix Bautista credits mom’s motivation for getting him here (The Baltimore Sun)
This is a day for sentimental player’s mom stories. There is at least one more.

Mother’s Day has special meaning for Joey Krehbiel (Baltimore Baseball)
Krehbiel’s mother passed away due to breast cancer in 2015.

Vespi leading bullpen pack at Triple-A eyeing call-up (School of Roch)
Nick Vespi, Cole Uvila, and Tim Naughton have pitched a combined 28 games for the Norfolk Tides and none has yet allowed an earned run. All have a WHIP of 0.86 or better. Underperforming Orioles relievers should probably rent, not buy.

Hall on Rutschman: “He’s a difference maker” (Steve Melewski)
Have I gotten tired of reading articles with quotes full of the Orioles top prospects praising each other? No, I haven’t. I don’t think I will.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1966, Frank Robinson became the first player, and remained forever the only player, to hit a ball that exited Memorial Stadium. In an 8-3 win over Cleveland, Robinson took Luis Tiant deep for an estimated 541-foot home run. It’s almost hard to credit a 541-foot homer, considering the longest home run of the Statcast era was measured at 505 feet.

The Orioles were most recently victorious on May 8 five years ago. The 2017 team beat the Nationals, 6-4, to improve to a 21-10 record. When I think about how that team finished the season, it’s difficult to remember they were actually good at the beginning. Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo, and Trey Mancini all homered for the O’s, supporting Kevin Gausman’s seven-inning, two-run outing. Brad Brach picked up his eighth save.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018-19 reliever Sean Gilmartin, 2004-05 pitcher John Maine, 2008-11 pitcher Alfredo Simon, and 1969-76 pitcher Mike Cuellar.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: 33rd president Harry S. Truman (1884), philosopher Friedrich Hayek (1899), nature narrator David Attenborough (1926), novelist Thomas Pynchon (1937), Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen (1953), and musician Enrique Iglesias (1975).

On this day in history...

In 1429, Joan of Arc succeeded in lifting the Siege of Orléans, recognized as a turning point in favor of France in the Hundred Years War, though it still raged on for another 24 years afterwards.

In 1846, future president Zachary Taylor led an American force to victory over the Mexicans in the Battle of Palo Alto, the first major battle of the Mexican-American War.

In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea between the American and Japanese navies ended after four days of fighting with the sinking of the USS Lexington. The battle was a Japanese victory in terms of tons of ships sunk, but in the long run proved to benefit the Americans because two of Japan’s carriers were taken out of action and unable to participate in the next month’s decisive Battle of Midway.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 8. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!