Just as we all predicted, Mike Wright nearly matched Justin Verlander last night. He was in line to pick up the win when he left after five innings, but on a night where the starting pitching was surprisingly good and the team finally remembered how to use those pieces of wood in their hands, it was the bullpen that failed miserably. Mychal Givens coughed up the lead, but it was our two Rule V picks who really let things get out of hand.
The O’s are now 3-10 in Houston since 2015. They try to salvage one game of the series – and pick up their first win since Opening Day – this afternoon as Dylan Bundy takes on Dallas Keuchel at 2:10.
With four more strikeouts tonight, Chris Davis has now struck out 1,207 times as an Oriole. He is only 98 strikeouts away from tying Cal Ripken for the franchise record.
Davis has played 907 games as an Oriole, or 34.5% of Cal’s streak.
— Tim Anderson (@TimmyWade94) April 4, 2018
To the links.
Offseason in Review – Baltimore Orioles
MLB Trade Rumors runs down a comprehensive review of the O’s offseason. You can grade the team’s efforts in a poll at the bottom of the post. The grade I chose was leading the way at the time. See if you agree.
Revisiting the Orioles’ 0-21 Start, 30 Years Later
It’s nice that the O’s got that first win out of the way quickly, as those who remember 1988 are starting to get flashbacks. In the latest episode of Locked on O’s, Justin McGuire talks to Matt Taylor of Roar from 34 (who is blogging again, I think!) about that unique piece of Birds history.
Bird’s Eye View Episode 131 – Tell Me Something Good
I hijacked like 80% of this week’s Bird’s Eye View episode, and for that I apologize.
Could O’s Difficult April Schedule Guarantee a Manny Machado Trade?
The O’s April schedule is friggin’ brutal. It doesn’t help matters that they’re playing like hot buttered rear end during the start to it. Over at Baltimore Sports Report, Mike Long goes over some sobering research: Just six of 92 teams to play .400 or worse ball in April have made the postseason in the wild card era. The O’s have 28 games in April (plus two in March), so .400 would be 12-18. Let’s start winning some games, please. I don’t want to think about Manny being traded, now or in July.
Here’s something fun and silly to argue about to take your mind off the fact that the O’s can win a game. I think you’ll find plenty to gripe about with Jon Shepherd’s list here. Hey, at least he had Bull Durham and Major League pretty high up there (it aged just fine, Jon!) Hating on The Sandlot and Rookie of the Year? Clown ratings, bro. He seems to be more into documentaries and accurate portrayals of the game than he is into being entertained, as best I can tell. To each their own. Get off my cloud with “The Sandlot is bad,” though.