Starting tonight, the O’s are scheduled for 30 games in the next 31 days with just one off day in June. This is going to be a grind.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
I hope the Orioles had a nice, relaxing off day yesterday. Because they’re not going to be seeing many more of those for a long time.
Starting tonight, the O’s embark on a brutal stretch of 30 games in 31 days, starting with 17 straight through June 16, then a single day off — one, lone, solitary day off — followed by 13 more contests to finish the month. And they won’t exactly be playing any patsy opponents, either. Their next 11 games are against the Rays and Blue Jays, who, while both currently under .500, are more talented than their record indicates. Then the O’s face two of the three best teams in the National League, the Braves and Phillies, with the latter currently holding the best record in all of baseball.
After the off day, the Orioles’ next stretch features matchups against the AL’s two best teams, the Yankees and Guardians, as well as last year’s two ALCS representatives, the Astros and defending champion Rangers (underachieving as both may be). There are no series in the entire month that should be considered easy victories. There are no, say, White Sox or Angels to beat up on, and precious few opportunities for the Orioles to take a breather and get their bearings.
The June schedule is not for the faint of heart. But there’s no rest for the weary. The Orioles will face their toughest challenge yet in proving that they’re one of MLB’s most elite teams.
Links
Westburg keeps impressing with rapid development in majors – School of Roch
Jordan Westburg gets my vote as most surprising Oriole. I expected him to be a solid but unspectacular role player, and instead he’s been the most valuable Oriole not named Gunnar Henderson. It’s been said before, but the O’s have really crushed it with their homegrown position players.
Midday mailbag: Does Orioles’ clubhouse chemistry matter? – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Not to say that clubhouse chemistry doesn’t matter, but would anyone be talking about it if the Orioles were a losing team? I think having a 35-19 record goes a long way toward making the clubhouse a happy place.
After a very rough start, Austin Hays keeps working to turn it around – Steve Melewski
My general impression of Austin Hays is that he’s always playing through some kind of injury that’s affecting his performance, whether he discloses it publicly or not. It might have behooved the Orioles to give him a longer rehab stint after his last IL trip, but I suppose there’s no going back now.
Former Met Jorge López clarifies ill-fated interview comments, calls himself ‘the worst teammate’ – The Athletic
This whole Jorge López situation makes me sad. I hope he lands on his feet somewhere. And before you ask, no, I don’t want the Orioles to sign him. But still.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Only 38 players in MLB history were born on May 31, which seems like a surprisingly low number (by contrast, 65 major leaguers were born on my birthday, Sept. 10, not to brag or anything). Two of those 38 were Orioles, including lefty relief ace and Orioles Hall of Famer Tippy Martinez, who turns 74 today, and outfielder Joe Orsulak (62).
On this date in 2008, Red Sox slugger Manny Ramírez (one day after his birthday) crushed his 500th career home run with a seventh-inning shot off Chad Bradford in Baltimore. The Camden Yards attendance that night was 48,281 and, as I remember it, roughly 40,000 of them were Red Sox fans, judging by the long and loud ovation they gave Ramírez after his milestone dinger. I don’t miss those days.
Random Orioles game of the day
On May 31, 1961, the Orioles fell to the last-place White Sox in Chicago, 9-4. The O’s were out of this game pretty much from the get-go, as starter Chuck Estrada was tagged for five runs in just 2.2 innings before reliever Wes Stock coughed up another four. Meanwhile, veteran lefty Frank Baumann (no relation to Mike) worked a complete game for the White Sox, scattering 10 hits. Outfielder Jackie Brandt’s three hits and two RBIs were among the few highlights for the Orioles.