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Hello, friends.
We wake up this morning with the Orioles still in first place in the American League East. After stomping Boston, 12-5, on Wednesday night, the O's are actually in sole possession of first right now, a game ahead of the Rays in the standings. That's pretty good!
The Orioles are even 2-0 in Ubaldo Jimenez starts despite his not being very good in either of those starts. Of course, it helps that they hit five home runs against Stephen Wright last night. If you haven't read Stacey's recap yet, read it here - and make double sure to vote in the Most Birdland Player poll. It was more frustrating than it needed to be, but hey, a win is a win.
Next up is Toronto. They have been in a bad way over the first week and a half of the season. Would you believe that the Blue Jays have only won one game so far this year? In the unlikely event that it means they're going to be bad this year, that's good news, but I tend to think they're going to turn it around and I will spend most of the weekend worrying that this series against the Orioles will be the time where they get things going in a better direction for them.
Around the blogO'sphere
Tillman to start Monday night at Double-A Bowie - School of Roch
The Chris Tillman minor league rehab experience is coming. If it all goes well, Tillman will be back as soon as May 2. Fingers crossed.
After offseason talk of a bigger role, Orioles' Kim finding opportunities limited - Baltimore Sun
This is very frustrating to a particular segment of Orioles fans, including the fact that Hyun Soo Kim didn't play last night in favor of Trey Mancini... but Mancini hit two dingers, so, it worked out.
Five stats that stand out about Orioles starter Dylan Bundy and his strong start - Baltimore Sun
So far, Dylan Bundy has been the only good Orioles starter. Is there anything good to glean from these two starts? The Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli thinks so.
Brad Brach on Turning a Corner in Baltimore | FanGraphs Baseball
Brach shares some thoughts with Fangraphs' David Laurila about when and how things started to turn around for him in an Orioles uniform.
Buck Showalter said he wasn't teasing Red Sox | MLB.com
After seeming to tweak the whiny Red Sox's noses about the flu on Tuesday, Buck insisted he wasn't intending to do that on Wednesday. We know the truth.
Orioles offense breaks out in 12-5 win (with quotes) - Roch Kubatko
If you want the post-game big blocks of words from Showalter and Mancini, MASN's Roch Kubatko has got you covered.
Birthdays and anniversaries
On this day in 1914, the inaugural game of the short-lived "third major league," the Federal League, was played between the Baltimore Terrapins and the Buffalo Buffeds. The Terrapins won, 3-2. Also on this day in 1954, the Baltimore Orioles played their first game, losing 3-0 to the Detroit Tigers.
One lone former Oriole has a birthday today. It's Steve Pearce, the once and future Oriole, who turns 34 years old today. We'll be seeing him tonight in Toronto.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Gunpowder Plotter Guy Fawkes (1570), President Thomas Jefferson (1743), F.W. Woolworth Company founder Frank W. Woolworth (1852), Scrabble creater Alfred Mosher Butts (1899), chess master Garry Kasparov (1963), actress Caroline Rhea (1964), and Staind frontman Aaron Lewis (1972).
On this day in history...
In 1204, the Byzantine Empire's rule was briefly interrupted when soldiers of the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople. The city was recaptured in 1261.
In 1861, Fort Sumter surrendered to Confederate forces.
In 1943, the Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington DC, the day being chosen because it was the 200th anniversary of President Jefferson's birth.
In 1953, the CIA Director of his day, Allen Dulles (like the airport), launched Project MKUltra, which was an attempted CIA mind control program.
In 1970, Apollo 13 suffered the oxygen tank explosion that seriously damaged the spacecraft and led to the tense days of trying to bring them back to Earth safely.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on April 13 - or at least, until something happens later when the Orioles venture into America's hat. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!