Hello, friends.
Well, that turned into an interesting Orioles game last night, and not in a good way, although all is well that ends well. If you had to go to sleep before it was over, make sure to check out my recap of all that transpired as the Orioles beat the Mariners, 3-2. They've yet to win or lose consecutive games in August. Let's hope that streak breaks today.
Thanks to an Angels loss on Monday, the Orioles wake up two games back of the second wild card spot today. They sit 4.5 games back in the American League East, although they'd have to leapfrog both the Blue Jays (1.5 games back) and the Yankees in order to contemplate getting somewhere there. Not impossible, but not likely either. The O's competition for a playoff spot seems to be the Angels... which makes the two games they blew against them all the more frustrating.
But no sense crying about it, all they can do is go forward and win as many games as they can and hope it's enough.
Around the blogO'sphere
Baltimore Orioles still have hugs for Seattle Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz - Baltimore Sun
Nelson Cruz was only an Oriole for a year, but with fans and teammates alike he seems to have become the most beloved one year Oriole of all time.
Portland's GM says Pat Connaughton's hoped-for baseball career is 'not happening' | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo Sports
Remember last year's fourth round pick, Pat Connaughton, a tall lefty who was going back to Notre Dame to finish his senior season as a basketball player? Well... it seems like that's going to stick, at least if the Portland Trail Blazers GM has anything to say about it.
Wilson injury could complicate things for Orioles | Comcast SportsNet Baltimore
If you were imagining Tyler Wilson coming back to MLB to replace Miguel Gonzalez in the starting rotation, I have some bad news. He suffered the dreaded oblique injury and is headed to the minor league disabled list.
Yankees’ hitting woes will fade — but Blue Jays, Orioles won’t | New York Post
Some New York Post dude exudes confidence in an article that I'll leave it up to you whether or not you want to hate-click.
The Northampton Giants and MetLife Orioles won Blue Mountain League playoff games - The Morning Call
As you may know, it is the ongoing editorial stance of this blog to root for all Orioles teams at any level, anywhere. Here, a squad of amateurs in the vicinity of Allentown, PA has survived to a decisive fifth game of their semifinal series against a team called the Yankees. Go O's!
Philadelphia Phillies' Adam Loewen returns to MLB as pitcher - MLB - SI.com
I spent the summer of 2006 living in Ohio because I had to go see about a girl. When I returned home from that expedition at the end of the summer I was practically dying for 1090 AM to come in on my car radio in the hills of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. When it finally did, I was never so happy to hear someone talking about Ravens training camp. I was having Maryland withdraw.
For the first and only time in my life I actually made it onto sports talk radio as a random caller because I was so bored, dying to feel connected to Baltimore sports again, and I wanted to say that Cleveland football fans were losers. They put me right on the air. Yes, I used my cell phone while driving. We didn't know any better then, alright.
I bring all this up right now because after that sports talk show, the Orioles came on. As I meandered through the peaks and valleys of Western Maryland, the radio signal came and went and on this particular night, every time the sound came back, the Orioles had homered. Nick Markakis hit three home runs in the game (how is that even possible???) and Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson also homered - every time when I was at the top of the hill.
The starting pitcher of that game was a rookie Adam Loewen, who turned in what is easily the best game of his career: one run on four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts in eight innings. The Orioles were 6-3 winners that night and I was convinced the youth movement was coming. Loewen and Markakis, what could go wrong? It didn't work out with that girl either.
And I bring all THIS up because Loewen made his return to MLB last night, as a pitcher again, for the Phillies, of course. Cool story, although he gave up two runs in only 0.1 innings, so... I hope he gets another chance. When I think about Loewen I remember that night vividly. And now I promise I'll stop talking about myself.
Birthdays and anniversaries
Two former Orioles have birthdays on this day: Kurt Birkins from the 2006-07 O's turns 35, and John Mitchell, who pitched in 20 games for the 1990 Orioles, turns the big 50.
If today is your birthday, happy birthday! I am sorry to say that you don't have any interesting birthday buddies among the deceased, but you do have some living birthday buddies that include Ian McDiarmid, the actor who played Emperor Palpatine (1944); Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (1950); Hulk Hogan (1953); actress Viola Davis (1965); and current Thor actor Chris Hemsworth (1983).
On this day in history...
In 3114 BC, the Long Count calendar used by the Mayans began. It turned out the world did not end in 2012 AD after all.
In 490 AD, Theodoric the Great's Goths won a battle near Milan. Over 1,500 years later, humanity is still stuck with black lipstick as a result.
In 1918, the Battle of Amiens ended in a decisive Allied victory. This battle marked the end of trench warfare on the Western Front.
In 1929, Babe Ruth became the first player with 500 home runs. He hit #500 in Cleveland, still that town's greatest sports achievement.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 11 - at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Tuesday. Go Orioles!