Tuesday Bird Droppings: The Orioles are all sick or broken (slight exaggeration)

Hello, friends.

I find myself asking once again, after last night's Orioles loss to the Yankees, why do the Orioles hitters hate scoring runs for Kevin Gausman? The answer is surely not that it is some intentional thing because they dislike him, but as they flopped their way through a game started by a Yankees pitcher, Ivan Nova, who was both homer-prone and entered the game with a 5+ ERA, I just had to wonder, what the heck, you know?

If you haven't read it yet, make sure to check out our recap of the game. And while you're at it, here's Ryan Flaherty getting caught on the MASN cameras saying something you can't say on television. This may be the greatest GIF in the history of mankind.

Lots to be anxious about in the links today, so sorry in advance - and the links don't even get into the fact that top/only pitching prospect Hunter Harvey is headed to pay a visit to Dr. James Andrews.

Around the blogO'sphere

Hyun Soo Kim unsure if he can avoid disabled list - School of Roch
Well, that sounds like bad news.

Wieters has foot X-rayed following 2-1 loss - School of Roch
...oh. That's also bad news. I'm going to be mad if a Yankees pitcher again takes out a key Orioles player in a potential playoff season. Alright, let's talk about other stuff.

Baltimore Orioles, So Consistent, Crave Another Measure of Success (New York Times)
With the Orioles swinging into New York, but not like Spider-Man, although that would be awesome, the paper of record deigns to notice their existence.

2016 Trade Value: #11 to #20 | FanGraphs Baseball
Former ESPNer Bill Simmons introduced the concept of the trade value rankings to the sports blog world. Fangraphs has refined it for baseball players - and in this range of the rankings, an Orioles player finally appears.

Rage against the machines: MLB stars don't want to see robot umps | MLB | Sporting News
They talked to a bunch of All-Stars in San Diego about robot umpire strike zones - interesting quotes from the two O's All-Stars here on their feelings about it.

Orioles reportedly had third-highest local TV ratings through All-Star break - Baltimore Sun
Turns out that people actually watch the Orioles on MASN. This is not news, of course. The article only lists top 5 and bottom 5, so no word on where Walgreens rests, other than "below the Orioles." Losers.

Stats suggest 'Bad Ubaldo' might also be 'Bad Luck Ubaldo' in 2016 - BaltimoreBaseball.com
If you're out there wanting to argue that a big problem Ubaldo Jimenez has faced in the 2016 season is bad luck, do yourself a favor and stop.

11U Clarksville Orioles Win World Series | ClarksvilleNow.com
As you may know, it is the ongoing editorial position of this blog to celebrate the successes of all Orioles teams, everywhere, in any sport, whenever they come to our attention. Here, some young Orioles from Clarksville, TN are winners. Congratulations to them!

And finally, a piece of advice to people of all ages:

Ex-Cardinals executive Christopher Correa gets 46-month sentence for hacking Astros - Houston Chronicle
Don't commit federal crimes. Don't commit other crimes either.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 1994, the Orioles were going to play the Mariners, but tiles fell from the ceiling two hours before first pitch and the game was postponed indefinitely due to the risk of further damage. Due to the strike later that season, the game never did get made up.

There are two former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: David Segui, who... well, you know. And also 1956-59 second baseman Billy Gardner, who turns 89 years old today. Happy birthday, Mr. Gardner!

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: inventor of pistols Samuel Colt (1814), notorious accused (but not convicted) maybe-axe-murderer Lizzie Borden (1860), microwave oven inventor Percy Spencer (1894), Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins (1952), boxer and Mayor of Kiev Vitaly Klitschko (1971), the current First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon (1971), and actor Benedict Cumberbatch (1976).

On this day in history...

In 711, the Umayyad army of Tariq bin Ziyad defeated the reigning Visigoths in the Battle of Guadalete. I mention this because of all the sentences I ever read in high school Spanish, I recall this the best: "Los moros invadieron a España en 711."

In 1553, the nine day reign of Lady Jane Grey came to an end as "Bloody" Mary I gained support for the English throne instead.

In 1903, Maurice Garin was the winner of the first edition of the Tour de France. Defending champion Chris Froome leads the current running of the tour - the 103rd in its existence - by one minute and 47 seconds with four decisive stages in the Alps still to come.

In 1963, test pilot Joe Walker flew a North American X-15 to a then-record altitude of 347,800 feet. Because he exceeded 100 kilometers in altitude, this flight is considered a human spaceflight.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on July 19 - or at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Tuesday. Go Orioles!