Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles still can't win two in a row

Hello, friends.

Another day has dawned with the Orioles in fourth place in the American League East. They are now 11.5 games behind the division-leading Red Sox, a fact I mentioned mostly for completion's sake rather than any expectation that they are going to still do something about that.

More significantly, the Orioles are now four games below .500 and 4.5 games out of the second wild card spot with 36 games still to play. They have to pass six different teams in order to claim the spot that's currently being held by the Twins.

It's getting close to a point where if the Orioles don't go on a six game winning streak in the very near future, they aren't going to be able to stay in, or climb back into, this thing. They haven't even won consecutive games since they had a three-game winning streak that ended on August 7. The O's have gone 5-9 since then and they're on the way to having August be a fourth consecutive losing month.

If you missed last night's game, that's lucky for you because it means you didn't have to see any of Bad Ubaldo Jimenez. Check out Randy's recap of the game for the not-so-lovely totals. The Orioles can still win this Oakland series if they pull off a win this afternoon. They haven't won a series since they finished that Royals sweep on August 2. This isn't pretty.

At least Dylan Bundy is pitching today. Hopefully that ends up being a good thing.

Around the blogO'sphere

Showalter acknowledges being loyal to veterans, but not to a fault (Baltimore Sun)

All of the things that you may occasionally not like about Buck are probably going to continue being there.

Jiménez can't get O's rolling in 6-4 loss (Asher optioned, quotes added) - School of Roch
Speaking of Buck, here's some of his reactions to last night's loss, along with quotes from Jimenez and Trey Mancini.

Athletics rookie Boog Powell meets Orioles legend of same name and enjoys some barbecue, of course (Baltimore Sun)

Boog Powell did, in fact, meet Boog Powell, and they even FaceTimed in a third, younger Boog Powell.

Dean Jones Report: A rough week for most of the Orioles' top dozen prospects (Baltimore Baseball)

Sounds about right, doesn't it? The news does remain good from Austin Hays and Alex Wells, at least.

As you may know, it is the editorial position of this blog to enjoy the success of all Orioles teams in any sport, at any level, so let's check in on a couple of high school Orioles.

Orioles sweep Carmel behind dominant seniors | Local Sports | flyergroup.com
This girls basketball team, the Orioles of Avon High School in Avon, Indiana, is off to a good start to their season.

2017 Augusta Orioles Football Preview | The Wichita Eagle
And here, the Augusta Orioles of Augusta, Kansas, are getting ready to get their football season started. May they find success.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 2002, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays, 11-7, to pull back to .500 at 63-63. Don't look at what happened in the rest of that season.

A whole bunch of former Orioles have birthdays today. They are: 2005's Alejandro Freire, 2001 short-timer Casey Blake, 2002 two-gamer Raul Casanova, 1995 infielder Jeff Manto, 1980-88 starter Mike Boddicker, 1965-66 reliever Ed Barnowski, and 1968 bullpen guy John Morris.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: friend of the American Revolution Louis XVI of France (1754), War of 1812 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785), actor, singer, and dancer Gene Kelly (1912), football's Rudy Ruettiger (1948), basketballer Kobe Bryant (1978), and Olympic gold medal swimmer Natalie Coughlin (1982).

On this day in history...

In 79, on the feast day of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, the volcano in Mount Vesuvius began to stir.

In 1305, Sir William Wallace was executed for treason in London.

In 1775, King George III appeared before the Court of St. James to deliver a Proclamation of Rebellion about the American colonies.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression treaty that also provided for the division of territory in Poland, the Baltic States, and other places between the two states.

In 1973, a botched bank robbery in Stockholm turned into a hostage crisis, during which time hostages began to sympathize with the captors. This is the origin of "Stockholm syndrome."

**

And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 23 - or at least, until something happens later, which it surely will, since the Orioles are playing the Athletics this afternoon. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!