Tuesday Bird Droppings: One last regular season homestand

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice restful off day and are ready to take on the final six games of the 2023 regular season.

Tonight the Orioles start a two-game series against the Washington Nationals and will follow that with four games against the Red Sox to end the season. If they can win three out of these final six games, they will win the division no matter what the Tampa Bay Rays do. That certainly seems doable, but if the Rays want to go ahead and lose a few so that the Orioles can wrap up the division even earlier, I am okay with that.

It’s no secret that this team needs a bit of rest. That’s just one reason why it would behoove them to win the division and not have to play in the Wild Card round. It’ll give the team a chance to rest and recover from their year-end bumps and bruises and the opportunity to line up the starting rotation just how they want it. They’re in the driver’s seat to make this happen, let’s hope they can lock it down.

If the Orioles can win three games, in addition to winning the division they’ll also become the first 100-win team in Camden Yards history. And there are just two series left to preserve their no-sweeps streak through the season.

Is anyone heading to Camden Yards for these final six games? Let us know in the comments! I will be at the final game on the season on Sunday and am keeping my fingers crossed that they have absolutely nothing to play for on that day.

Links

Is it time for playoff-bound Orioles to finally leave ‘Country Boy’ behind? | Baltimore Sun
If it were up to Mr. Paul Folkemer, the answer to this question would be yes.

Austin Hays set to receive 2023 Oriole Way Award in front of home fans | WBFF
He's not just good on the field. Austin Hays has done a lot for the community.

What’s at stake for the Orioles in their last homestand of the regular season - The Baltimore Banner
The divisional title and home-field advantage until the World Series, for one thing. But Baltimore also needs to keep arms fresh and find consistency on offense.

How much pitching does it take to win in October? And how do the Orioles’ stack up? - The Baltimore Banner
Jon Meoli attempts to answer the questions we're all asking. How much pitching do the Orioles need? And is what they have good enough?

Jackson Holliday named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year - MASN Sports
He's good, y'all.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies. Dave Duncan (78) was a catcher for the Orioles from 1975-76. And Doug Sisk (66) pitched in relief for the 1988 team.

On this day in 1962, Dave McNally made the first of 384 career starts for the Orioles. At just 19 years old, he pitched a two-hit shutout against the A’s.

In 1971, Jim Palmer became the fourth and final Orioles starter to notch his 20th win in the season.

In 1978, Mike Flanagan pitched 8.2 no-hit innings before surrendering a home run against Cleveland. The Orioles won, 3-1.

In 1994, the Orioles fired manager Johnny Oates. Oates managed the Orioles from 1991-1994 and led them to a 291-270 record and had three winning seasons out of four. Due to the strike, the last Orioles game in 1994 was on August 10th.

In 2011, the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 6-3 to help the Rays tie the Red Sox in the wild card. The Rays had trailed the Red Sox by nine games on September 2nd. And we all know what happened between the Orioles and Red Sox just two games later.

In 2012, the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 12-2 and hit seven home runs as a team. Chris Davis and Manny Machado hit two home runs apiece. The other three were hit by Nate McLouth, Mark Reynolds, and Jim Thome.