Wednesday Bird Droppings: Taking care of business in Toronto

Good morning, Birdland!

Beating the Blue Jays and AL Cy Young candidate Alek Manoah is just too easy for these Orioles. They did it again on Tuesday, topping the Jays 4-2 and clinching another series win. The victory is their fifth straight against the Blue Jays.

Every win they can rack up against their division foe is crucial as tiebreakers could come into the picture as the wild card race tightens. That is an area where the O’s have themselves in a bit of a bind. They have already lost the head-to-head tiebreakers with the Rays, Twins, and Mariners. They still need to lock up those advantages against the Blue Jays, Guardians, and White Sox, if possible. Things are close, and they don’t show any signs of breaking up.

Last night was the third time the Orioles have seen Manoah this season. Over 16.2 total innings, the O’s have scored seven earned runs off of the Blue Jays’ ace, which works out to a 3.78 ERA. That is not exactly an eye popping number, but the big righty has a 2.71 ERA on the season. Somehow the Orioles have made him look closer to pedestrian.

The O’s are 3-3 so far on this AL East road trip, which included that weird one-gamer in Boston. They wrap it up with a matinee against the Blue Jays today. Clinching a winning road series would be huge ahead of a lengthy home stand (although one of the games is the Little League Classic, which is counted as an Orioles home game).

Links

Here’s the Orioles’ new Top 30 Prospects list | MLB.com
Jackson Holliday has been brought into the fold, and he slots right behind Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez. That seems fair for a talented teenager with just a few pro at-bats to his name. Could he be the next Orioles prospect to make a pitstop at number one on this list prior to a debut? We can dream on it for now.

Amid ‘solid’ but unspectacular season, Cedric Mullins still making impact on Orioles | The Baltimore Sun
I think we all knew that Mullins’ 2021 season was going to be hard to replicate. He’s been closer to a league average hitter this year, and even worse against lefties. But that comes paired with top-tier defense, so he still deserves a spot in the lineup most days. The Orioles are clearly in search of an upgrade at the leadoff spot on days that a southpaw starts. For now, a red hot Ryan McKenna has fit the bill.

Orioles win another series and prove more people wrong | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles have been the best team in the AL East for quite a while now. It doesn’t get any less amazing as each day passes. This team was supposed to lose 90+ games. They don’t have a single starting pitcher that a casual baseball fan would recognize. Heck, outside of Rutschman they may not have a player on the roster that even fairly engaged baseball fans would know. It’s so fun!

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Chris Waters turns 42. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 16 total MLB games, all of which came with the Orioles between 2008 and ‘09.
• Boog Powell is 81 today. An Orioles legend, Powell spent 14 seasons in Baltimore from 1961 through ‘74. He was a four-time all-star, two-time World Series champion, 1970 AL MVP, and a team Hall of Famer. To younger fans, he may be best known as the guy with the barbecue joint on Eutaw Street.
• John Buzhardt was born on this day in 1936 (d. 2008). The pitcher tossed 11.2 innings for the ‘67 Birds.
• The late Vern Bickford (d. 1960) was born on this day in 1920. He pitched in one game for the 1954 O’s.

This day in O’s history

1963 - O’s pitcher Dick Hall delivers a perfect inning of relief, making it 28 consecutive batters that he has gotten out since July 24th, a run that has spanned five different outings.

1989 - Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,208th straight game, passing Steve Garvey for the third-longest streak in MLB history.

2009 - Baltimore sends first baseman Aubrey Huff to the Tigers in exchange for minor leaguer Brett Jacobson.