The Birds wrapped up their homestand with a loss on Sunday, but it was still a productive (and long overdue) return to good ol’ OPaCY, as the team went 5-2 against the Braves & Tigers. Unfortunately, another clunker from Ubaldo Jimenez doomed any chances of a 6-1 streak, but overall the Birds have won seven of nine as they now head out west for nine games in 10 days in Oakland, Anaheim, & Seattle. Kind of a big road trip.
Let’s hit some links.
Chris Tillman’s Got a Brand New Bag, or At Least a New Sinker
Chris Tillman is suddenly ace-like again, after a terrible start to 2015. He nearly threw a Maddux on Wednesday against Atlanta, but unfortunately rolled his ankle in the ninth inning and will have his next start pushed back. Alex Conway of Camden Chat has noticed that Tillman is suddenly throwing a sinker a whole lot of the time, and that coincides with his return to success.
Gausman’s Importance Never Higher to O’s
Speaking of good pitchers, Kevin Gausman tossed another 7.0 innings on Saturday night, giving up just four hits & two runs while walking one and striking out six. In his last three home starts, he’s totaled 21.0 IP, allowing only two earned runs in that span. In his weekly MASN guest column, our own Andrew Stetka says that Gausman will be critical for any postseason hopes the Birds may be clinging to.
D.J. Stewart Slowly Adjusting to Pro Ball
Let’s hop on down to the farm for a minute to check on this year’s top draft pick, D.J. Stewart. Early returns were less than encouraging, as Stewart had failed to see his college slugging numbers carry over to Aberdeen. He’s had five multi-hit games since July 20 though, and looks to be pulling things together. Baseball Essential’s Gershon Rabinowitz has a nice overall profile on Stewart, including high school & college numbers & quotes from Stewart’s coach at Florida State.
The Trade Deadline & the Orioles
While it was certainly a busy trade deadline for the Orioles, as they swapped Zach Davies for Gerardo Parra & Tommy Hunter for Junior Lake, how much did they really accomplish? Jon Bernhardt takes a look over at Baltimore Sports & Life.
One of the most nerve-wracking things about taking any trip is being afraid that you’ll forget something. Fortunately for the O’s, Jake English of Bird’s Eye View has put together a checklist for them to make sure they take everything they need to the West Coast with them. How helpful!
