Wednesday Bird Droppings: On the doorstep of a playoff spot

Good morning, Birdland!

Was that the finest win of this Orioles’ season? It sure felt like it in the moment. The O’s took an early lead only to squander it, thanks in part to a pair of questionable plays from Rougned Odor. Then the rain came, and it’s like a switch flipped. The bullpen shut down the Blue Jays, the bats came alive, and Odor came up clutch for a 6-5 win.

The victory earned the Orioles their third series win of August, and it drew them within half a game of a wild card spot. Another win on Wednesday paired with a Rays loss in Milwaukee would put the Orioles into a playoff position. Simply incredible.

This is no longer a fluke or a fun story. The Orioles are in the thick of things, and they seem to only be getting better. The latest sign that they mean business? Félix Bautista has an entrance befitting an elite closer.

There is some fine tuning to be done there. The timing seems a bit off. The song is classic, but not sure it fits Bautista specifically. But at least they are trying! Teams should not be comfortable playing against the Orioles in Camden Yards. Things like this do have an impact, however slight it may be. And it certainly gets the juices flowing for the fans in attendance.

These Orioles continue to be fun, and it’s always good to remember that they are, in fact, a good baseball team.

Links

As Gunnar Henderson’s star rises and Orioles call-up awaits, baseball’s top prospect remains ‘same kid in the locker room’ | The Baltimore Sun
Every day that goes by makes it harder to deal with the fact that Gunnar Henderson remains in Triple-A while the Orioles fight for a playoff spot with a lineup that could greatly benefit from the top prospect’s presence.

New lawsuit: Orioles owner Peter Angelos’ son, Louis Angelos, has sold his father’s law firm. To himself. | The Baltimore Sun
Man, Thanksgiving is going to be so awkward at the Angelos household this year.

Mountcastle spends another night coming up big vs. Blue Jays | Roch Kubatko
It’s nice to have a player with a penchant for crushing a specific opponent rather than the other way around. The “Gleyber Torres owns the Orioles” storyline from a couple of years ago got tired very quickly. This feels better.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Dan Johnson turns 43. The infielder played in three games with the 2013 Orioles, going 0-for-5.
• Sal Fasano celebrates his 51st. The backstop spent the 2005 season as Javy Lopez’s understudy behind the plate.
• The late Bob Chakales (d. 2010) was born on this day in 1927. The right-handed pitcher tossed 89.1 innings for the Orioles in 1954.

This day in O’s history

1957 - Mickey Mantle becomes the first player to clear the center-field hedge at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.

1963 - Brooks Robinson is benched, snapping his streak of 463 straight games at third base.

1971 - Despite allowing Harmon Killebrew to hit both his 500th and 501st career home runs, Mike Cuellar and the Orioles beat the Twins 4-3.

1998 - The O’s send outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds to the Reds in exchange for utilityman Willie Greene.

2018 - The Orioles tie a record for the earliest elimination from division contention. With 46 games left on the schedule, the O’s are 46.5 games back in the AL East.