Hello, friends.
What a difference a day makes, huh? Doom and gloom can only survive for so long in the aftermath of another awesome Orioles walkoff. Did you miss the game? Make sure to check out Alex's recap from last night, and if you didn't catch Henry Urrutia's post-game interview on MASN, you'll want to give that a look, too.
The Orioles remain a half game behind the Angels, who've won three out of four games against the thoroughly useless White Sox. That's for the second wild card spot, who at this moment will have a date in Toronto against the entire country of Canada. Next up for the O's are the staggering Twins. Win some games, O's. They would still need to go 28-16 from this point to end up with 89 wins - what 89 wins gets you, who knows, but it seems like a vaguely attainable goal, if they play well enough.
Around the blogO'sphere
Henry Urrutia homers in ninth as the Orioles walk off winners over the Mets, 5-4 (Washington Post)
The Washington Post has a recap of last night's Orioles game on their website and there's not a dang thing the people who comment on their website can do about it. Yeah, the story's just the same one written by the Baltimore Sun beat writer, but who's counting?
Why the Orioles couldn't crack Jacob deGrom - Baltimore Sun
Dipping back a day, here's the currently-active elder stateman of the Baltimore Sun sports section, Peter Schmuck, on why the Orioles were unable to beat Jacob deGrom. Hint: It has a lot to do with why they got no-hit recently.
Joe Giglio "Orioles Will Be In It Until The End" " CBS Baltimore
I have no idea who Joe Giglio is, but he joined the Scott Garceau Show recently to proclaim that he thinks the Orioles will be in this thing to the end. Well, thanks, Joe. Here's hoping you're right.
Looking Ahead At Possible Orioles September Call-ups (Press Box)
Friend of Camden Chat (and husband of Stacey) Paul Folkemer writes on Press Box about who might join the O's in September. Many of the names are the ones you expect. Paul also considers Ariel Miranda and Trey Mancini as long-shots. Those would be surprising moves.
As Mets monitor pitch counts, they are counted out by Orioles | Newsday
The Mets are limiting the innings of starter Matt Harvey, which, if you believe this Newsday writer, set in motion a series of falling dominos that ended up with the Orioles storming back against a haggard Mets bullpen on Wednesday night.
Pregame: Pirates designate Pedro Florimon for assignment - Bucs Dugout
From our friends over on the Pirates blog, two things are going on. The first is that one-time fringe Orioles 40-man guy Pedro Florimon hit a walkoff triple on Tuesday night and then he got DFA'd on Wednesday.
The second is that Travis Snider returned to Pittsburgh on a minor league deal. Stephen Tarpley has a 2.18 ERA for the low-A West Virginia Power. Steven Brault has made it up to Double-A, where he has a 2.63 ERA for the Altoona Curve. What a waste of a trade.
Birthdays and anniversaries
On this fateful day in 2008, the Orioles signed Jonathan Schoop, then just 16 years old, as an amateur free agent out of Curacao.
Of all the people to ever play for the O's, one lone former Oriole has a birthday today: Eugene Kingsale, the speedy outfield prospect of his day, who made his way into a total of 71 games from 1996-2001.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Some of your birthday buddies who have since passed on from the mortal coil include Benjamin Harrison (1833), whom you may recall as the guy who interrupted Grover Cleveland's two terms; "The Call of Cthulhu" author H.P. Lovecraft (1890); and singer and South Park voice actor Isaac Hayes (1942).
It's also the birthday of boxing promoter Don King (1931), politician Ron Paul (1935); Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant (1948), weather man Al Roker (1954), and actress Amy Adams (1974).
A very special happy birthday to my dad.
On this day in history...
In 636, Khalid ibn al-Walid wrested Syria and Palestine away from the Byzantine Empire with a victory in the Battle of Yarmouk; this began a wave of Muslim conquests.
In 1707, the British failed to capture Pensacola, Florida, after an eight day siege. Little did they know they were better off without it.
In 1858, Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution in a London journal.
In 1882, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuted in Moscow. Somehow it remains the song you always hear on the Fourth of July in America, even though it was composed by a Russian to tell the story of a victory over the French...?
In 1940, Winston Churchill delivered the "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" speech about the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 20 - at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!