Sunday Bird Droppings: The Orioles provided another reminder that it’s not 2021 any more

Hello, friends.

The Orioles! In case you needed a reminder that there’s something different about this team compared to the ones we’ve seen in the very recent past, the O’s provided it last night, coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in a game where $324 million man Gerrit Cole started for New York, to win 6-3. It is almost unbelievable that this happened - except if you’ve been watching the O’s since the start of June.

The team is now back to .500 at 47-47. Last year’s Orioles had a 47-102 record at one point. Four years ago, the team finished with a 47-115 record. The usual suspects expected another 100+ loss season here and it just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. This team isn’t good yet, but they’re something other than bad. Check out John Beers’s recap of the game for the lovely totals.

With last night’s win, the Orioles are 12-5 in the month of July. They only need to win one more game out of the next eight in order to have a winning month - which would be the second straight winning month in one season for the first time since April and May of 2016. It has been a long time since we saw such good play over multiple months. And other than Adley Rutschman, the great prospects who’ve been getting us excited aren’t even here yet!

Imagine what happens when there’s a real starting rotation around here, or when the last holes in the lineup get patched up with either or both of GUNNAR HENDERSON and Jordan Westburg! That’s a dream for another day. Maybe one of those guys will walk through the clubhouse doors before the end of 2022, but we know - or at least I think I know - Mike Elias isn’t going to rush anybody up here.

The Orioles will finish off this first series of the second half in this afternoon’s extreme heat with a 1:35 start time for the finale with the Yankees. Mustache-wielder and brief former Oriole Nestor Cortes Jr. pitches for New York, with Dean Kremer set to go for the Orioles. A win would give the O’s a series win and an above-.500 record through 95 games, which would be pretty freaking awesome.

By the way, in case you’re curious, the Orioles enter play today 3.5 games out of a wild card spot with three teams to pass. If the Orioles win, then any losses by the Red Sox (vs. Blue Jays), Guardians (vs. White Sox), or Mariners (vs. Astros) would help out. An Orioles win plus a Red Sox loss would put the O’s into fourth place in the AL East, half a game ahead of Boston.

Around the blogO’sphere

The case for and against trading each of the Orioles’ top trade candidates (The Baltimore Sun)
Splitting the first two games of the second half of the season probably hasn’t done much to decisively move the needle one way or another. I’m rooting for “Trade nobody except for maybe Anthony Santander and let it roll with internal options.”

Notes on the rotation, plus López on his All-Star experience (School of Roch)
Although many people have convinced themselves that D.L. Hall’s arrival on the Orioles is imminent, the Orioles are just going forward with the same five guys they have before. Maybe they’ll change it after one turn through, or maybe they’ll keep the Hall-wanters waiting.

Orioles at the midpoint: What to monitor in the second half of the season (The Athletic)
Dan Connolly’s list has more than five things. I always appreciate when someone refuses to give in to the five things industrial complex. I’m most interested in seeing about the trade deadline and the call-ups. It would be nice to get a pleasant surprise prospect arrival.

O’s draft picks Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian talk about joining the Orioles (Steve Melewski)
Fabian said, “It’s going to be cool to play with them and have the opportunity to win a World Series.” Which is a pretty good way to get Orioles fans to start out liking him, I’d have to say.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2018, the Orioles traded Zack Britton to the Yankees for Cody Carroll, Josh Rogers, and Dillon Tate. Tate has a 3.95 ERA in four seasons with the Orioles, and his 2022 campaign is his best yet.

There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2012 six-game pitcher Miguel Socolovich, and 1954-55 pitcher Duane Pillette.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: novelist Alexandre Dumas (1802), pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart (1897), watermelon smasher Gallagher (1946), actress Lynda Carter (1951), basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone (1963), should-be baseball Hall of Famer Barry Bonds (1964), and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez (1969).

On this day in history...

In 1701, a trading post was founded at the French Fort Pontchartrain on the north bank of the Detroit River. This later grew into the city of Detroit.

In 1847, a 17-month journey for Brigham Young and his followers was halted in the Salt Lake Valley, leading to the founding of Salt Lake City.

In 1911, Yale lecturer Hiram Bingham led an expedition that brought him to Machu Picchu, then believed to be the lost city of the Incas. Later evidence suggests it had been re-discovered during the 1800s, but Bingham’s expedition resulted in enduring international awareness.

In 1983, George Brett’s game-winning home run against the Yankees was nullified due to Brett supposedly having too much pine tar on his bat. The Royals protested this outcome and the protest was upheld; they later won the game when it resumed the next month, 5-4, with Brett’s two-out, two-run home run making the difference.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 24. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!