Saturday Bird Droppings: Orioles open series with a bang

Good morning, Birdland!

Correlation does not equal causation, but it does feel pretty good to see the Orioles offense come alive the moment the team promotes one of their more promising hitting prospects in Kyle Stowers.

Brandon Hyde inserted Stowers right into the middle of the order, and it went great! The right fielder had two hits, scored a run, and was consistently hitting the ball hard all night. He should be starting in one of the outfield spots everyday for the foreseeable future.

A successful promotion for Stowers also brings to mind how good this Orioles team could be by the time September rolls around. They could have D.L. Hall as an option out of the bullpen, and they should have Gunnar Henderson in their lineup as the everyday third baseman. Those two upgrades may only net the Orioles an extra win or two in the final month of the season, but in a Wild Card race as tight as this one that could be the difference in a playoff spot and a spot on the couch.

Stowers and Henderson should also serve to improve the team’s everyday defense. With Stowers able to play either corner, Anthony Santander can instead just DH and keep his glove far, far away. Henderson could take over the hot corner and allow Ramon Urías to share second base with Rougned Odor and/or Terrin Vavra in some capacity.

Oh the possibilities! Maybe the Orioles can actually pull this thing off after all.

We are looking forward to some late afternoon baseball today. Kyle Bradish tosses the first pitch at 4:05 from Camden Yards.

Links

Tomatoes in the bullpen: At Camden Yards, an Orioles tradition comes alive again | The Baltimore Sun
This is a neat bit of Orioles history that I had no knowledge of until folks started talking about the new tomato plant a few weeks ago.

5 HRs, 15 runs: O’s give fans ‘their money’s worth’ | Orioles.com
The Orioles have such a fun lineup, and sometimes it has nights like they did on Friday. And other days they fall apart and offer next to nothing. The ingredients for an offensive juggernaut are there. They just need a little reshaping in the offseason.

Ryan Ripken gives props to Orioles prospects | MASN Sports
There has been a strong push from the younger Ripken in the last couple of months to insert himself into the Baltimore sports landscape. He is tweeting out Orioles and Ravens opinions, and hopping on local radio to share those thoughts. As a person that has not willingly listed to the biggest local sports station in quite some time, a new voice there would be welcome.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Gene Kingsale turns 46. The outfielder played five seasons with the Orioles (1996, 1998-2001). In total he played in just 71 games for the Birds and accumulated -1.1 bWAR.
• The late George Zuverink (d. 2014) was born on this day in 1924. He was a right-handed pitcher for the O’s from 1955 through ‘59, earning a 3.07 ERA over 197 total appearances, mostly as a reliever.

This day in O’s history

1964 - Boog Powell fractures his wrist when collided with an outfield fence. He would be unavailable until September 5th.