Saturday Bird Droppings: Opening Camden Yards with a win

Good morning, Birdland!

Beating the Yankees is fun all times of the year, but doing it on Opening Day in front of a sellout crowd is even sweeter. There were some tense moments, and at times it seemed like disaster was around the corner. But then...the Orioles just took care of business. Ramón Urías had a clutch RBI double, and then started a huge double play the following inning. Bryan Baker got out of trouble. And Félix Bautista tip toed around Aaron Judge in the ninth. It was amazing!

Perhaps this is me putting weight where there really is none, but this felt like an important Opening Day for the franchise. For the first time since 2018 (lol!) the Orioles are entering the year with legitimate postseason ambition. After winning 83 games a season ago and entering the year with a handful of big-time prospects ready to contribute, there is reason to believe in Baltimore

The energy at the Yard on Friday reflected those vibes. Yes, there was still a healthy swath of Yankee fans in attendance, as is always the case when they are in town, but their support seemed rather muted. It never stopped sounding like an Orioles’ home game. And the players on the field seemed to feed off that energy, coming back late and holding onto a slim lead against the vaunted Bombers.

The season is only a week old, and this Orioles team certainly has flaws, some of which will need to be addressed with outside help before the year is out. But it still feels like something special could be brewing. Maybe the pageantry of Opening Day is clouding my view, or maybe not.

The O’s can win their second series in a row with a victory tonight. First pitch comes from newbie Cole Irvin at 7:05.

Links

How a ‘human fountain show’ became the inspiration for the Orioles’ new sprinkler celebration | The Baltimore Sun
A real quote from a very important article about your favorite baseball team: “I can’t keep a consistent stream.”

Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
All sorts of quotes from Brandon Hyde on Opening Day and leading the league in stolen bases, which apparently has nothing to do with the new rules. OK, skip, whatever you say!

‘This is what Baltimore should be’: Busy night brings thousands downtown | WBAL
It is cool that a number of a notable musical acts are coming to Baltimore this year. Far too often is the city skipped with locals needing to travel to D.C. or Philadelphia to see their favorite bands.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Jeremy Hellickson turns 36 today. The righty tossed 51.2 innings for the 2017 Orioles after coming over from the Phillies in efforts to support an ill-fated playoff push.
• Brian Burres is 42 today. From 2006 through 2008, the southpaw pitched in 79 games for the Birds, boucning between the bullpen and the rotation.
• Jeremy Guthrie celebrates his 44th today. A fixture in the Orioles rotation from 2007 through 2011, the starter was picked to toe the rubber on Opening Day three times while donning black and orange.
• Charlie Maxwell is 96. The outfield had a four-game pitstop in Baltimore during the 1955 season before moving on to Detroit.
• The late Dick Luebke (b. 1935, d. 1974) was born on this day. His 10-game stint with the 1962 Orioles was all the time got in the bigs.

This day in O’s history

1954 - The Orioles purchase pitcher Dave Kolso from the New York Giants

2019 - Chris Davis goes 0-for-5 in an Orioles 12-4 win over the Athletics. This increases his streak of hitless at-bats to 49, a new record for futility.