Tuesday Bird Droppings: The Orioles just keep winning edition

Hello, friends.

The temperature in Baltimore yesterday reached a hundred degrees. Just about the only thing that wasn't hot was the Orioles offense. They struggled against a soft-tossing lefty, as they tend to do, and still they managed to emerge victorious in extra innings on one of the least exciting walkoff plays you're ever going to see.

Make sure to check out Tyler's recap of the game and vote in the Most Birdland Player poll.

Maybe it wasn't pretty, but a win is a win, and even more importantly, it was an Orioles win that came on the same day as a Red Sox loss. The division lead has now increased to 2.5 games over Boston. Hyun Soo Kim will be back today. The Orioles rotation is actually like, starting to settle down, maybe? Am I allowed to believe that without immediately having my hopes crushed? I guess we'll find out.

Oh yeah, and the Orioles still have the best record in the American League and if they keep winning they'll be honing in on the best record in all of baseball. Not that it would mean much if they did have the best record at the end of July. There's no prize for that. But if you're good enough to have the best record in baseball at the end of July, you're good enough to do a number of other exciting things for the remainder of the season as well.

The trade deadline is now just six days away. Do you think the Orioles will make a trade between now and then?

Around the blogO'sphere

Showalter speaks after 3-2 10-inning win (updated) - School of Roch
Buck Showalter always has something to say after every game, but it's after the wins that you can hear him praise all the little things that his team did right, even in a game where it wasn't exactly pretty.

Adam Jones on the win, Yovani Gallardo on his outing - Steve Melewski
You know Adam Jones always has something to say. "Doesn't matter how you score. As long as you win, that's what matters." Ain't that the truth? They don't have to give it back.

Be prepared: Jimenez may start Thursday at Minnesota - BaltimoreBaseball.com
OK, you know it's bad when one of the beat writers is openly telling you that you have to be prepared for Jimenez starting. But if he can somehow ride the momentum from becoming a dad into becoming a decent starter again, that would be huge. All of Birdland will be rooting for him.

Foot injury healed, Orioles' Matt Wieters anticipates quick return to full-time catching workload - Baltimore Sun
The debate over whether or not this is a good thing will likely rage on. The wild pitches on his watch last night were frustrating and one of them proved costly.

Orioles sign former Nationals lefty Gorzelanny | CSN Mid-Atlantic
The Orioles continue their quest to find any kind of acceptable lefty specialist in the bullpen. Gorzelanny is on a minor league contract, but if he's up to snuff, don't be surprised if he shows up. Better than giving up a prospect for a lefty.

Orioles deadline primer: Birds will buy, but won't break bank for blockbuster - Baltimore Orioles- ESPN
Eddie Matz of ESPN with an extremely sensible take on the next several days. Don't get your hopes up for a big name, but don't be surprised if they try something, either.

By one analysis, Orioles have American League's top two Cy Young contenders - Baltimore Sun
This is a completely ridiculous headline at first glance. Hear them out, though. It's not as crazy as it sounds. Only sorta crazy.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2013 two-gamer Alex Burnett, 1962 short-timer Pete Ward, the late Lou Jackson (1964 O's), the late Norm Siebern (1964-65 O's), and the late Hoyt Wilhelm (1958-62 O's). Ward, who turns 79 years old today, and Wilhelm were both traded in the deal that brought Luis Aparicio to Baltimore.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: Pygmalion writer George Bernard Shaw (1856), archetype-recognizing psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875), film guy Stanley Kubrick (1928), The Rolling Stones co-founder Mick Jagger (1943), actress Helen Mirren (1945), and actor Kevin Spacey (1959).

On this day in history...

In 1775, the precursor to the modern United States Postal Service was created by the Second Continental Congress.

In 1908, the US Attorney General of his time, Charles Joseph Bonaparte, issued an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner. You know this office today as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We had a Bonaparte as Attorney General within 100 years of Napoleon? Crazy.

In 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 into law, which created the following: the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council. Big day for creating agencies in US history.

In 1971, Nicolette Milnes-Walker became the first woman to successfully sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on July 26 - or at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Tuesday. Go Orioles!