Saturday Bird Droppings: Shake off the worst loss of the season

Good morning, Birdland!

Well, we were straight up not having a good time last night. Kyle Gibson was a dud, as was Keegan Akin later on. The lineup compiled just three hits and one walk, which amounted to one total at-bat with a runner in scoring position (they went 0-for-1). The only consolation was Anthony Santander’s solo homer and a few good outings from various members of the bullpen, including Josh Lester.

Yes, it was one of those games where a player that is paid to hit instead has to pitch. That’s rarely a sign that things are going OK. Although the Orioles do have a somewhat recent history of position players finding surprising success on the mound. There was Chris Davis at Fenway Park in 2012, and then Stevie Wilkerson getting a save against the Angels in 2019. Lester won’t join those two in the history books, but he did work a scoreless inning and record a strikeout. You know he’s going to talk about that in his own life for a long time to come.

The weather for today looks similar to yesterday. There’s a chance of rain at any moment, but it looks like we should avoid a downpour and get this game in. Whether or not the 4:05 first pitch happens on time is unclear though.

Links

Astros Acquire Spenser Watkins From Orioles | MLB Trade Rumors
Watkins will no longer provide pitching depth in the Orioles organization. Instead, he heads to Houston’s Triple-A affiliate, one step away from pitching important innings for another AL contender. Good for him!

Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
A quick roundup of facts and figures for the Orioles, including more praise for Austin Hays. It does seem possible that Hays gets an invite to the All-Star Game alongside Adley Rutschman and Félix Bautista. Some may clamor for Yennier Cano or Tyler Wells, which is fair, but the trio listed first just feel more likely.

Luggage, laundry and a chaotic lifestyle: Orioles shuttle players adjusting to challenging role | The Baltimore Sun
The taxi squad element of modern teams does seem like it would make for an absurd lifestyle. At least the renegotiated CBA did limit how many times a player can be called up and sent down in a given year. These players deserve an opportunity to catch on somewhere if their current club only views them as organizational depth.

Gibson records shortest outing as an Oriole while offense stalls | Orioles.com
Yeah, it was a bummer of a game. But I agree with Brandon Hyde’s sentiment: “That was pretty ugly...let it go and come back tomorrow ready to play.” It’s a long homestand to go.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• The late Doug Jones (b. 1957, d. 2021) was born on this day. He spent the 1995 season in the Orioles bullpen, appearing in 52 games that year.

This day in O’s history

It’s been a slow date in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, instead, here are a few things that have occurred beyond Birdland.

1947 - The first widely report UFO sighting is made by Kenneth Arnold near Mount Rainer, Washington.

1982 - All four engines on British Airways Flight 009 fail when it flies into a cloud of volcanic ash following an eruption by Mount Galunggung. Fortunately, the plane was able to glide and later restart their engines to execute a safe landing in Jakarta.

2010 - John Isner and Nicolas Mahut play the longest match in professional tennis history.