Monday Bird Droppings: And now we wait for the Division Series

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! Sometimes it still feels like we’re in a dream, doesn’t it? Your Baltimore Orioles are currently in the midst of their five-day stretch of no baseball before playing the winner of the Wild Card series between the Rays and Rangers on Saturday.

Yes, you read that correctly. After being comfortably ensconced in the second wild-card spot for some time, the Toronto Blue Jays fell into the third spot with their loss to the Rays yesterday. So instead of playing the Rays as they had been in line to do, the Blue Jays will travel to Minnesota to take on the Twins. Despite winning the AL Central, the Twins are the weakest team in the AL postseason, so it could work out well for the Blue Jays.

And what about the Rangers? The AL West had been a wild ride for much of the season and the final day was no exception. The Rangers went into the final week with a 2.5-game lead but lost three out of four to the Mariners to end the season. The Astros, meanwhile, swept the Diamondbacks. The end result was yet another division win by the Astros.

The Rangers went into yesterday poised to get the same bye as the Orioles and now they have to go on the road to play the Rays in the WC round.

Speaking of the Orioles, their task for this week is to stay healthy and sharp for when their opponent comes to town on Saturday. They finished the regular season yesterday with a lackluster effort resulting in a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox. I was at the game and enjoyed the last low-stress game of the season. The weather was perfect and the crowd was large but it seemed like neither team had much motivation.

As my husband said, it felt like the Orioles had senioritis. In their minds, they had already moved on. I sure hope that’s the case and they come out on Saturday looking like the strong team we have seen so often this year.

I can’t believe the Orioles are going to the postseason!

Links

Kyle Bradish K's five | 10/01/2023 | Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles didn't play their best baseball yesterday. But Kyle Bradish looked ready for the playoffs in his two innings pitched. You can see his five strikeouts here.

With regular season done, Orioles turn focus to playoffs - The Baltimore Banner
It's happening! But first we all have to get through a long five-day wait. Workouts and simulated games will help them stay ready.

Memorial for Brooks Robinson - WBAL TV
The Orioles are holding a public memorial for Brooks Robinson tomorrow at 10 a.m. If you cannot attend, you can watch either on the WBAL channel on TV or livestream from WBALTV.com.

Domino Sugar sign’s new look to support Orioles - The Baltimore Banner
The iconic Domino Sugar sign will display just the O and S for as long as the Orioles are in the postseason.

Four Orioles prospects make Baseball America Minor League All Star Teams
You might have heard that the Orioles have a great minor-league system. Baseball America has named Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, and Coby Mayo to their All Star team.

‘Yeah, this guy is different’: When the Orioles knew Gunnar Henderson was special - Baltimore Sun
When did YOU know that Gunnar was something special? Orioles players and coaches give their opinions on the exciting rookie.

Jackson Holliday out to make Orioles’ 2024 opening day roster after year of awards: ‘That’s the goal’
I sure hope he makes it!

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share a birthday with current Oriole Aaron Hicks, who is turning 34 years old today. Hicks has seen his career come back to life since joining the Orioles midseason. In 236 plate appearances across 65 games, Hicks has a batting line of .275/.381/.425. He’s lost a step defensively since his younger days, but even so, I am forced to admit that my disdain over his signing was completely wrong.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles José Morban (44) and Victor Santos (47).

On this day in 2012, the Orioles defeated the Rays 1-0 thanks to a home run from Chris Davis, the sixth straight game in which he had hit one. It was truly a hard-luck loss for Rays’ starter James Shields, who pitched a complete game and struck out 15 batters.

In 2014, the Orioles defeated the Detroit Tigers 12-3 in game one of the ALDS. Nelson Cruz and J.J. Hardy homered against Max Scherzer and the Orioles scored eight times in the eighth inning. Chris Tillman got the win.