Hello, friends.
How are you going to spend the off day? Summer is regrettably light on other sports to pay attention to. Maybe you can take a night off from baseball entirely. The only game of immediate interest to the Orioles in the standings will be played tonight between the Blue Jays and the Tigers. If the Jays win, they'll pull within two games of the American League East lead. If they lose, it'll be a three game lead for the O's over both the Jays and the Red Sox.
For all of the angst that the Seattle series brought on, the Orioles got out of the west coast swing with a 4-5 record on the trip. It's less than you'd want, but it could have been worse than it was, too. Rallying to win the final two games against the Dodgers - no slouch of a team - was significant. Especially with how crazy yesterday's 14 inning game was. Imagine if they'd lost and we (and they) had to stew over that loss for the whole off day? Yuck.
Make sure to check out my recap of the game and vote in the Most Birdland Player poll if you have not already done so.
The Orioles are now 49-35. When they won their 49th game last year, it was to pull up to .500 at 49-49. Even the division-winning Orioles of the 2014 season only won their 49th game to have a 49-40 record. They'll have to have a hot summer to keep pace with that awesome team, and admittedly that's hard to imagine until the starting rotation stabilizes, but it's interesting to see where they are compared to where they've been in past years nonetheless.
Around the blogO'sphere
Orioles notes: Ubaldo Jimenez or Mike Wright likely to start Friday against Angels - Baltimore Sun
Hey, sorry to kill those good vibes right away, but seriously, you needed to know. As my friend and fellow Camden Chatter Stacey put it to me last night, "I can't wait for Wright to start so he can talk after the game about how Mike Trout isn't that good."
Kim isn't cooling - School of Roch
There can never be too many stories which force the spring training Hyun Soo Kim haters to eat some crow. Not that anyone's likely to admit being one of the people who booed him on Opening Day at this point.
After long day, Orioles talk about 14-inning win over the Dodgers - Steve Melewski
"I was happy," said Jonathan Schoop of his game-winning hit. "I was going crazy, but I didn't want to show it. I was going crazy inside."
Sleeper and bust hitters for fantasy baseball 2016 using ZiPS projections - MLB
If you're playing fantasy baseball and not in a league full of Orioles fans, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo may be undervalued. The ZiPS projection system likes them for the remainder of the season.
Where Do the Orioles Go from Here? | FanGraphs Baseball
We're wondering the same thing as August Fagerstrom of Fangraphs. What CAN they do about this starting rotation situation? Possibly, nothing.
Minor League Podcast: Chance Sisco talks Futures Game, calling pitches and offensive success - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Depending on how things go, Sisco could end up being a catcher for the Orioles next season. The folks at Baltimore Baseball sat him down for about 30 minutes.
Hogan, Orioles minor-league affiliate team up on bobbleheads to raise cancer awareness - Baltimore Sun
There will be bobbleheads of the governor with hair and bobbleheads with no hair. The one that runs out first before Bowie's July 24 home game will be proclaimed the winner.
Birthdays and anniversaries
On this fateful day in 1995, the Orioles traded Scott Klingenbeck to the Twins in exchange for Scott Erickson. Erickson would go on to throw 200+ innings for the O's for each of the next four years, including for two Orioles playoff teams.
There is only one former Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 67th to Baltimore's own Tim Nordbrook, who appeared in 46 games for the 1974-75 Orioles.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Jacquard loom inventor Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752), Baseball Hall of Famer Satchel Paige (1906), science fiction author Robert Heinlein (1907), The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (1940), occasionally funny man Jim Gaffigan (1966), and figure skater Michelle Kwan (1980).
On this day in history...
In 1456, Joan of Arc was acquitted of heresy after a previous trial. Unfortunately for her, the last trial's guilty verdict led to her being burned at the stake.
In 1863, America initiated its first military draft. You could purchase an exemption for $300. This is about $5,455 in today's money.
In 1898, President McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution, which annexed Hawaii as a territory of the United States.
In 1928, on its creator's 48th birthday, sliced bread was sold for the first time in Chillicothe, Missouri. It remains regarded as one of mankin's greatest inventions.
In 1981, President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. Upon confirmation, she would become the first ever female justice on the court.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on July 7 - or at least, unless something happens later. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!