After a day off, the Orioles are back in action, and they need to keep winning series.
Good Morning, Birdland,
Another series starts tonight as the O’s play host to the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. The Florida team defies explanation. They have been outscored by 60 runs this year, giving them an expected win-loss record of 63-76. Instead, they sit at 69-70, fourth in the AL East but still with a mathematical chance of making the playoffs.
Even worse, the Rays are coming off of a series win against the Twins, and they are putting Shane Baz on the bump tonight. The 25-year-old’s season was delayed due to to injury, but he has been quite good since being activated. He owns a 3.49 ERA over 49 innings.
To be fair to the Orioles, they are coming off of back-to-back series wins. Granted, those series were against the Rockies and the White Sox, and it would have been great to get a pair of sweeps instead, but we take what we can get at this juncture.
If you care, the Yankees are in Chicago to play the Cubs this weekend. Both of those teams are desperate, but dare I say the Cubs have been more dangerous recently, and they REALLY need to win games. Hopefully that translates onto the field.
But first things first. The Orioles need to take care of business. They are 8-2 against the Rays in 2024, including taking two out of three from them in mid-August. Winning two more games this weekend would be perfect fine. So, let’s do that (at least!).
Links
5 things we learned from the Orioles’ week, including importance of Zach Eflin and Cedric Mullins returning to form | The Baltimore Sun
It continues to be insane how good Zach Eflin’s performances have been in an Orioles’ uniform. Even coming off of the injury, he didn’t miss a beat. Should he sustain that level, the O’s will be in a fine position come October.
Does a rough second half matter in October? Some World Series hopefuls might want to look away | The Athletic
Do you think it’s better to win games close to the postseason, or lose games? If you said “win games,” congrats, you have common sense and are entirely correct. Thankfully, the Orioles have finally gotten back above .500 in the season’s second half. So, maybe that bit of history will tilt their way.
Injuries & Moves: Kremer (forearm) cleared to start series opener vs. Rays | MLB.com
Some good injury news for a change! Dean Kremer will start tonight, a nice boost for an Orioles’ pitching staff that can’t really deal with another injury to a starter. He had taken a line drive off the forearm on Saturday in Denver, and there was concern that something serious had taken place. Fortunately, it was only swelling and Kremer is good to go.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Donnie Hart turns 34 today. The lefty spent parts of three seasons in the Orioles bullpen from 2016 through ‘18.
- Derrek Lee turns 49. The 15-year MLB vet came to Baltimore late in his career, spending part of the 2011 season with the O’s before being dealt to the Pirates at the deadline.
- Roy Smith celebrates his 63rd. He was part of the O’s pitching staff during the 1991 season.
- The late Jim Fridley (b. 1924, d. 2003) was born on this day. His days with the Orioles were contained to that 1954 season
This day in O’s history
1974 – The Orioles take both halves of a double-header, beating Cleveland 2-0 and 1-0 behind stellar pitching from Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar. The wins are the fourth and fifth straight shutouts for the Orioles. It also marks 54 consecutive scoreless innings, an AL record.
1995 – Cal Ripken breaks the consecutive games streak set by Lou Gehrig 56 years earlier. Ripken takes an iconic lap around Camden Yards in the middle of the fifth inning and receives a 22-minute standing ovation. Ripken goes 2-for-4 in the game with a home run and the O’s beat the Angels 4-2.
1996 – Eddie Murray becomes the 15th MLB player to hit 500 career home runs. He homers off Felipe Lira in the 7th inning of an O’s 5-4 loss to the Tigers. Murray is also only one of three players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.
2012 – The Orioles hit six home runs to beat the Yankees 10-6, three of which come in the eighth inning. The win puts the O’s and Yanks into a tie for the AL East lead.