Independence Day Orioles Bird Droppings: The rotation provides the fireworks

Hello, friends.

Another day has dawned with the Orioles in fourth place in the American League East. They are still closer to third place than they are to last place, so hey, that’s something they can hang their hats on, right?

The Orioles find themselves in this place because they keep getting their butts kicked, of course. If you weren’t watching yesterday, you were probably one of the lucky ones. You can read my recap of the not-so-lovely totals here.

Will there be more fireworks in Milwaukee on Independence Day? If there are, hopefully it’s Orioles hitters making them, rather than Orioles pitchers causing them. Wade Miley was not any good yesterday, as he has not been any good for the entire last month. The Orioles now have only a single starting pitcher with an ERA under 5, and none with an ERA under 4.

Ubaldo Jimenez awaits in the 4:10 contest this afternoon. Enjoy this holiday responsibly.

Around the blogO’sphere

Brewers baserunner outruns and outwits the Orioles in stunning rundown | For The Win
This happened in yesterday’s game and took it from run-of-the-mill failure to the kind of embarrassing failure all-too-familiar from the franchise’s darker years.

Orioles’ Zach Britton ends rehab assignment with scoreless 9th, is expected to be activated Wednesday (Baltimore Sun)
Everything seems like it’s going well with Britton. That won’t solve all of the Orioles problems, or their biggest ones, but it will solve something - if he’s capable of pitching like he did last season.

Machado on potential All-Star Schoop: ‘He’s one of the best second basemen in the game’ (Baltimore Baseball)
I’m not going to get enough of stories about Jonathan Schoop’s teammates being excited that he is an All-Star.

Notes and quotes with Dan Duquette, Kevin Gausman and more - Steve Melewski
Dan Duquette’s second half strategy appears to remain “hope that the various struggling Orioles start playing better.”

Birthdays and anniversaries

One lone former Oriole has a Fourth of July birthday: 1956 four-gamer Babe Birrer, who passed away in 2013.

Is today your birthday! Happy birthday to you! What’s it like to share a birthday with the United States of America? Along with this country, your birthday buddies for today include: Geographer and surveyor George Everest (1790), novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804), circus founder James Anthony Bailey (1847), President Calvin Coolidge (1872), machine maker Rube Goldberg (1883), and Ultima creator Richard Garriott (1961).

On this day in history...

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people.

In 1826, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both passed away 50 years to the day after signing the Declaration of Independence. Adams’s last words are said to be, “Jefferson lives!” Although in fact, Jefferson passed away earlier the same morning.

In 1863, the Confederate garrison at Vicksburg surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant. Elsewhere, the Army of Northern Virginia retreated from the battlefield following the Battle of Gettysburg.

In 1886, France offered the Statue of Liberty to the United States.

In 1918, the family of Russian Tsar Nicholas II - along with Nicholas himself - were killed by the Bolsheviks.

In 1960, the current 50-state American flag design officially came into use, though it was nearly a full year after Hawaii was admitted after the 50th state.

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act into law.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on Independence Day - or at least, until something happens later, which it certainly will, because there’s a retractable roof in Milwaukee so not even rain can wash that game away. Have a safe holiday. Go Orioles!