Sunday Bird Droppings: The Orioles have another seven-game winning streak

Hello, friends.

The Orioles! They’re really something, aren’t they? Last night’s game had all the hallmarks of being one of the losses that ends up sticking in your craw, with Kyle Gibson combining bad luck and not-so-great pitching to put the O’s in a big early deficit. They closed the gap almost immediately and eventually stormed ahead in the late innings with a clutch Anthony Santander hit. They knocked off the Marlins, 6-5. Check out Tyler Young’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.

Saturday night’s win was the seventh straight for the Orioles, tying their season high. No, really, this is the second one of the season! What’s cool about it is that the teams they’ve beaten - the Yankees, Twins, and Marlins - are all playoff contenders. It’s also cool that the Orioles have not lost a game since calling up prospect Colton Cowser.

Unfortunately, the Rays won both games of a doubleheader against the Royals on Saturday, so the O’s lost a half-game in the division to end up two games back. These teams are still tied in the loss column. The Orioles are seven games ahead of the closest non-wild card team, the Yankees. They are 21 games over .500 with 91 games played and are on pace to win 100 games this season.

Not all of the news from Saturday was good. Cedric Mullins came out of the game early after he appeared to aggravate something while running out what ended up being a foul ball. He was replaced almost immediately for a pinch runner, Cowser. The team announced during the game that Mullins was removed with right quad tightness. Manager Brandon Hyde did not have a further update after the game, telling reporters that the O’s would check on Mullins tomorrow and that Hyde hoped Mullins would be OK.

The Orioles will take aim at a sweep and an eighth straight win here on Sunday afternoon. Kyle Bradish is set to make the start for the Orioles. Miami, it appears, will be deploying a bullpen game, so hopefully the current version of the 2023 O’s can make some hay with that. The finale is set to get under way at 1:35. If there are to be any summer storms tomorrow, hopefully they are after the game is over with.

Around the blogO’sphere

Hyde on bench depth, plus a John Means update (School of Roch)
Hyde is going to enjoy the extra bench player from carrying only 12 pitchers for as long as it lasts. With how Kyle Gibson pitched last night, this may not be much longer, though it could have been worse since he did still get through 5.1 innings. As for Means, he’s started throwing bullpen sessions, but there’s still no timeline for an injury rehab assignment.

It’s been five years since the Orioles started rebuilding. Now we’ll get a sense of how fruitful the payoff can be. (The Baltimore Banner)
Jon Meoli’s question to be answered is whether the painful tanking process has left the Orioles with a team that can take it to the next level.

Adley Rutschman impressed at the Home Run Derby. But who would win a homer contest among just Orioles players? (The Baltimore Sun)
Having a Derby at Camden Yards right now would really be rude to all of the righty power hitters out there.

Jackson Holliday worked through some tough times in June to emerge at Double-A (Steve Melewski)
Two hits for Holliday in his first two Double-A game and three more in his second. He remains a fun prospect, very nearly on a daily basis.

Topic for some silly Sunday discussion: Is Cowser doing a nipple twist on Gunnar Henderson after Henderson’s game-tying home run last night some kind of team chemistry magic?

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

There is one lone former Oriole who was born on this day. Happy 87th birthday to 1966-67 reliever Eddie Fisher.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: journalist Ida B. Wells (1862), popcorn man Orville Redenbacher (1907), football coach Jimmy Johnson (1943), actor Will Ferrell (1967), and soccer star Carli Lloyd (1982).

On this day in history...

In 1054, the Eastern and Western Christian Churches formally entered into a schism as several priests of the East rejected a papal bull of excommunication. The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches remain split today.

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio collected a hit in his 56th consecutive game, the final game in a streak that remains a record today.

In 1969, the Apollo 11 mission launched from Earth with the eventually successful goal of the first manned lunar landing.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 16. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!