Thursday Bird Droppings: The Orioles look to rebound and grab a series victory

Hello, friends.

Well, that one last night isn’t going on the season highlight reel. Although a couple of late-inning two-out rallies did bring the tying and even winning runs to the plate, the Orioles never really felt like they had a chance on Wednesday night as they lost to the Jays, 3-1. Check out my recap of the game for the not-so-lovely totals. At least Jose Berríos won’t be pitching again today.

Last night’s loss thwarted the Orioles effort to reach 19 games over .500 for the first time since the 2014 season. They’re back down to 17 games over .500 at 42-25, with a chance to get back to 18 games over for the first time since two days ago if they can triumph in the series finale against the Blue Jays starting this afternoon at 1:05. With fewer AL East games on the schedule this year, every one is more crucial than ever for potential tiebreakers down the road. It will be good if the O’s can get a better offensive effort and take the series.

Maybe they’ll even manage to squeeze in at least one more roster move before the finale. The Orioles were busy over the last couple of days, adding Mark Kolozsvary one day and removing him the next, as well as calling up infield prospect Joey Ortiz and journeyman reliever Reed Garrett yesterday. Never-quite-prospect Noah Denoyer was also designated for assignment back on Tuesday.

Hopefully working in the Orioles’ favor for the series finale is the pitching matchup. The best O’s starter up to this point, Tyler Wells, will be in action. The Orioles hitters will be squaring off against Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who’s been battered by home runs this season. Wells is also a homer-prone pitcher, if not quite as severely as Kikuchi to date. If trends are followed, there will be dingers today. We’ll see if the O’s come out on top when batters are done circling the bases.

Around the blogO’sphere

As the Orioles keep winning, how might they approach the trade deadline? (The Baltimore Banner)
Jon Meoli tackles the question that’s going to be on all of our minds between now and when the deadline passes. I’m expecting it to get crazy, because I’m going to be on vacation in the days leading up to the deadline, and it would just be typical if something actually happens and I miss it.

Orioles place Voth on injured list and bring up Garrett (School of Roch)
Roch delivered the rundown of yesterday’s second roster move. If you’re tired of seeing Austin Voth, it’s good news for you, because it turns out he’s got right forearm soreness. Manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that his level of concern was “very low.” Snarky rejoinders come to mind.

Joey Ortiz on his return to the Orioles (Steve Melewski)
Jortz is back! He did not play last night. Maybe he will play today. If so, hopefully he does well.

Each team’s best draft pick from last year (MLB Pipeline)
Hard as it is to believe, the Orioles prospect to make it onto this list is Jackson Holliday. I know, I know, it’s a real upset.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

You have to go all the way back to the 2015 season to find the most recent Orioles victory on this date. Wei-Yin Chen pitched eight innings of a 4-0 win over the Phillies, with Matt Wieters hitting a three-run home run to provide most of the offense for the O’s. The win improved that team’s record to 32-31.

Of all the players to ever play for the Orioles, not a single one has ever been born on this day. It is the birthday of two Baseball Hall of Fame players: Wade Boggs (1958) and Billy Williams (1938).

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: famous portrait subject Lisa del Giocondo (1479), musician Waylon Jennings (1937), future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker (1949), actress Helen Hunt (1963), actress Courteney Cox (1964), rapper Ice Cube (1969), and wrestler Bayley (1989).

On this day in history...

In 1215, England’s King John put his seal on Magna Carta, an agreement granting rights to nobles that remains symbolically important for the idea of liberty today, though John himself never really honored it and the pope of the time annulled it.

In 1752, according to tradition, Benjamin Franklin carried out the experiment proving that lightning is electricity.

In 1864, Arlington National Cemetery was established as 200 acres seized from the estate of traitor general Robert E. Lee were set aside as a military cemetery. Now 639 acres, there are nearly 400,000 American service members buried there.

In 1977, Spain held its first-ever democratic elections, which were made possible by the death of the dictator Franco two years prior.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 15. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!