Thursday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles escaped from LA, sort of

Hello, friends.

Another day has dawned with the Orioles in fourth place in the American League East. They're now nine games back of the Red Sox in the division and it's barely even worth talking about that any more. In the wild card, the O's are now 2.5 games back of the Mariners, with five teams to pass.

Can the offense show up again? It's abandoned them in the last two games against Parker Bridwell and Troy Scribner, which is really not the ideal scenario. If you missed yesterday's game, you're probably happier. Check out my recap of the not-so-lovely totals.

Next up will be Oakland. You may recall that last year it was in Oakland where the Orioles offense abandoned them in August, so let's hope that this year's series against the Athletics doesn't turn into last year's series. If they lose three out of four games in the series like what happened last year, that will probably be all she wrote on their realistic hopes to get anywhere.

The offense is going to be challenged as long as both Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo are slumping and occupying the heart of the order. Davis... you know, it's depressing even thinking about him right now. Trumbo doesn't have a hit in his last five games, although there was a DL stint in the middle of that.

On the bright side, there's always the chance that the starting pitching will revert to being horrible enough that it doesn't really matter how many runs the Orioles are or aren't scoring.

Around the blogO'sphere

Wrapping up the disappointing loss in the series finale in Anaheim - Steve Melewski
Some quotes from Kevin Gausman on his outing, as well as updates from Buck Showalter on a couple of player health issues.

Not present in the above article are quotes from whichever O's veterans are being referred to by MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli in this tweet:

Players don't have to talk to the media, of course. But if they usually do and then suddenly they don't, that's maybe interesting and maybe also not a great sign.

Orioles to celebrate Players Weekend | MLB.com
Adam Jones will be going by the name "Pappo" in a couple of weekends from now. There is a story behind it that he shares here.

Left-hander Donnie Hart optioned to Triple-A, Mark Trumbo returns (Baltimore Sun)

It's been a short Orioles bench for a while, so when Trumbo came back from the DL, Hart's turn to be sent to the minors came up.

Among Orioles' recent 'Lost Boys,' the dumping of Bridwell may be biggest headscratcher (Baltimore Baseball)

O's mainstream writers have been reluctant to really touch any topic like this, but here's Dan Connolly trying to grab the bull by the horns.

White Sox acquire Steve Johnson from Orioles (CBS Chicago)

You may not have even known that Steve Johnson was with the O's organization this season. He was! And now he'll be trying to earn a spot with the White Sox.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2013 three-gamer Dan Johnson, 2005 catcher extraordinaire Sal Fasano, and the late Bob Chakales, swingman of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: President Herbert Hoover (1874), Monopoly creator Charles Darrow (1889), breakfast sausage magnate Jimmy Dean (1928), actor Antonio Banderas (1960), and reality TV personality Kylie Jenner (1997).

On this day in history...

In 1519, five ships led by Ferdinand Magellan set out from Seville in Spain on a mission to circumnavigate the globe. The mission would be successful, though Magellan did not survive it.

In 1675, the first stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory - like Greenwich Mean Time - was laid in London.

In 1792, a Parisian mob stormed the Tuileries Palace and arrested King Louis XVI. One year later, presumably unrelated, the Musee de Louvre opened.

In 1846, Congress chartered the Smithsonian Institute following a donation of $500,000 by James Smithson.

In 1977, David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, was arrested in Yonkers.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 10 - or at least, until something happens later, which it certainly will, since the Orioles are playing a baseball game. It just won't happen until much later, because the game is on the west coast. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!