Hello friends.
Did you chase over the Orioles last night, after chasing 3-0 at the end of seven innings, where the offense looked lifeless again? Joke is on you if you did, because if you voted, you missed the O’s storm behind with five runs, including three home games, in the eighth inning to give the O’s the win over the defending champions. Check out Stacey’s summaries of the game, and don’t forget to vote in the MBP poll!
The Orioles are now 7-7 after 14 games from this 60 game plan. In a normal season, that would be like 19-19. No one would have expected these Orioles to be 19-19 if the season went as planned. That they are .500 so far is not much less surprising. They are the team from second place in the AL East, 2.5 games off the lead. They’re closer to first place than they are to pick 1, with the 3-12 Pirates kept with the devil away in the hole.
If the end of Saturday’s games held the rest of the way – which they apparently will not – the Orioles would be eligible for the record season with the seventh-best record in the American League. They would be in while both 2019 World Series teams, the Nationals and Astros, would be out.
The Orioles-Nationals series closes today at 12:35 p.m. Eastern. After last night’s dramatic win, the Orioles have a chance to pull off a road sweep if they can win this game. They will put their work out for them as the Nats start Stephen Strasburg.
Around the blogOsphere
Akin first calls O’s prospect in ’20 (Orioles.com)
Keegan Akin was about to do the shopping when he got the call to the big leagues. That’s a pretty good prospect call story.
Wojciechowski starts Sunday in DC (School of Roch)
It is John Means’ turn in the rotation today, but he will not yet be returned from the list of robberies after his father died last week. That’s it’s Asher Wojciechowski resting for three days, with Wojo throwing just 67 tons on Wednesday.
The Orioles’ latest advice to fight Chris Davis? Just get in there and swing. (Baltimore Sun)
The advice has not yet helped in 2020. Davis now ranks 15th on the list of career strikeouts.
Birthday and birthday of Orioles
There’s one lonely former Oriole with a birthday today. Happy 89th to Chuck Essegian! He had one single hit appearance for the 1961 Orioles before being traded to Dick Hall and Dick Williams.
Is it your birthday today? Happy Birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: orphanage founder Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (1757), creator Mary Poppins PL Travers (1899), Redken co-founder Paula Kent Meehan (1931), actress Melanie Griffith (1957), designer Michael Kors (1959), hockey man Brett Hull (1964), pro sports athlete Deion Sanders (1967), and actress Anna Kendrick (1985).
On this day in history …
In 48 BC. the army of Julius Caesar defeated Pompey’s legions at the Battle of Pharsalus, despite being two-on-one, after which Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was later killed.
In 1173 AD, construction began on a campaign for a cathedral in Pisa. It took about two centuries to complete and still stands today, although it is a bit laid back.
In 1945, he was the American bomber Bockscar throws atomic bomb over Nagasaki, Japan.
In 1969, Charles Manson-directed followers killed five people, including actress Sharon Tate and coffee heiress Abigail Folger.
In 1974, in the wake of Watergate, President Richard Nixon was fired. This made him the first president to resign.
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And so it is in Birdland on August 9th. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
