Sunday Bird Droppings: The Orioles try to avoid a sweep after two bad, stupid games

Hello, friends.

The fun times in Birdland have abruptly come to a halt. Friday’s and Saturday’s losses were a demoralizing pair, combining the pitching disaster on one night with a game full of stupid stuff happening the next day. It’s the stupid that almost annoys me more than the stinking.

Saturday’s game featured multiple outs on the bases that were completely beyond explanation, in addition to Jorge Mateo just weirdly missing a ground ball that turned into a two-run single. These things added up to make the ninth inning attempt at a comeback just too little, too late. And don’t even get me started on the fact that James McCann was the one representing the tying run and the final out. Is that really the best we can do, Orioles?

When all was said and done on Saturday, it was a 5-3 loss. Check out Tyler Young’s recap for the not-so-lovely totals.

With the Saturday loss, the Orioles no longer have the feather in their cap of the second-best record in baseball. They’ve been passed by their current opponent, the Rangers. The O’s can quickly retake that position if they are able to win the series finale that begins at 1:35 this afternoon. They’ll just, you know, have to play better than they’ve done in either of the games so far - pitching better and hitting better in tandem. Don’t make stupid mistakes on the bases either.

The Texas starting pitcher who was expected to get the assignment when this series began will not be pitching after all. Dane Dunning is on the paternity list, so it’s a short notice substitute. If this news fills you with dread, you know you’ve got years of being an Orioles fan under your belt. Kyle Bradish, who did not pitch particularly well against the Yankees last time out, will try to do better against this potent Rangers offense.

Around the blogO’sphere

Orioles debut City Connect uniforms (Uni Watch)
The uniform enthusiasts weighed in on a variety of things to do with the Friday night debut of City Connect. It’s too bad that since the Orioles lost the two games wearing the jerseys, they must all be burned and never worn again.

Austin Voth as Grayson Rodriguez replacement? (The Athletic)
No. Next!

Hyde on Rodriguez: “Just want to give him a little bit of a reset” (School of Roch)
So far, no one in the organization is sounding any public alarm about Rodriguez. Hyde specifically addressed whether there’s any impact from last year’s lat strain on what’s been seen from Rodriguez this year and said that he doesn’t believe there is.

Grayson Rodriguez’s demotion hurts in the near term, but it says nothing about his bright future (The Baltimore Banner)
I would like for this headline to be accurate, but my lived experience as an Orioles fan does not allow me to believe in it.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 1968, owners of American League teams agreed to create divisions for the league for the following season. The initial Orioles rivals in the East were the Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Senators, and then-Indians.

There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2004-08 pitcher Daniel Cabrera, and 1954-55 pitcher Bob Kuzava. In 2017, Kuzava passed away at the age of 93.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: British prime minister William Pitt the Younger (1759), gold medal Olympian Jim Thorpe (1888), James Bond creator Ian Fleming (1908), Creedence Clearwater Revival musician John Fogerty (1945), singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue (1968), and wrestler Seth Rollins (1986).

On this day in history...

In 621, future Tang dynasty emperor Li Shimin led an outnumbered force that defeated a rebel army in Hulao Pass, ending a civil war and securing the Tang as the successor to the Sui dynasty.

In 1754, future president George Washington, then a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia colonial militia, fought the first engagement of the French and Indian war by defeating a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen. In the present day, this is Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

In 1905, the Japanese navy scored a massive and shocking victory in the Battle of Tsushima, a part of the Russo-Japanese War in which Admiral Heihachiro’s fleet defeated the Russian Baltic Fleet.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on May 28. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!