Monday Bird Droppings; The final 10 days of the season

Sep 26, 2022 - 11:00 AM

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Happy Monday, Camden Chatters!

Isn’t it always the way what seemed ahead of time would be an acceptable outcome comes to pass, only for it to happen in such a way that it really stinks?

Take this weekend’s series against the Astros. As good as that team is, if I had known that the Orioles would come out with a 2-2 split, that wouldn’t seem like a terrible outcome. Obviously I’d hope for more, but splitting against the best team in the American League isn’t so bad. Then it happened, and frankly it kinda sucked.

First the Orioles turned out two absolute pitching gems from Kyle Bradish and Dean Kremer. It was incredible! Just two baseball games that were a joy to watch. Suddenly the Orioles were up 2-0 in the four-game series, the bullpen was well rested, and the Orioles had two chances to win the series.

That’s when it all went down the tubes. Saturday’s game was an absolutely brutal back-and-forth game filled with missed opportunities and a terrible showing from the bullpen. Plus the game lasted four hours!

Yesterday’s game feature a late-inning comeback only to see it fail in extra innings. It was also a game that felt winnable. There were so many questions in those late innings. Why didn’t Odor get to second on his game-tying hit off the scoreboard? Why didn’t he get to third base on the single from Kyle Stowers? In extra innings, with Ryan McKenna on second as the Manfred Man, why didn’t he get to third on a bloop hit from Austin Hays?

As satisfying as those first two wins were, that’s how frustrating were the losses. But still, thinking back on those starts by Bradish and Kremer does get me excited for the future.

With their 3-4 homestand behind them, the Orioles head on the road to kick off the final week and a half in the season. They’ll play four games in Boston and three in New York before coming home to play the Blue Jays in their final series of the year.

The Orioles aren’t mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but being four games back with 10 to go is pretty much a done deal. But they do still have a very good shot at finishing the season over .500. They just need to go 3-7 to end the season to finish with 82 wins. The final 10 will be tough but I think they’ll do it.

Links

Wells "heartbroken" that he can't keep pitching for Orioles in 2022 - MASN Sports
I understand why they rushed Tyler Wells back from rehab, but maybe it wasn't the greatest idea.

Orioles prospect Connor Norby showcasing his power - Baltimore Sun
This is a few days old but it never hurts to read about the ascendence of prospect Connor Norby. As some might say, "It's Norbin' time!"

Breaking down Kyle Bradish's start against the Astros - Baltimore Sports and Life
Here is my breakdown: It was good. Really good. If you want more than that, check out this article.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies. Doug Sisk (65) pitched in relief for the 1988 team, racking up 52 appearances and 94.1 innings pitched. Dave Duncan (77) finished his 11-season career with two years with the Oriole from 1975-76.

On this day in 1971, Jim Palmer became the fourth pitcher in the Orioles’ rotation to tally 20 wins. There is currently one 20-game winner in the majors this season: Kyle Wright of the Braves.

On this day in 1978, Mike Flanagan took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He got the first two outs but then gave up a home run. The Orioles still won, 3-1.

In 1994, the Orioles fired Johnny Oates.

In 2011, an Orioles victory over the Red Sox and a Rays victory over the Yankees allowed the Rays to catch the Red Sox in the wild card race, having made up nine games since September 2nd. And as we all know, it only got better from there.

In 2012, the Orioles hit seven home runs in a 12-2 victory over the Blue Jays. Manny Machado and Chris Davis each went deep twice. Jim Thome, Mark Reynolds, and Nate McLouth also homered. I was at this game! Fun fact, I was in attendance for all three of Jim Thome’s Oriole home runs. And two of them were in Cleveland!