In Orioles news: pitchers keep rehabbing, free agent speculation, and a former pitcher passes away.
Good Morning, Birdland!
That baseball game last night was pretty cool! It came down to the exact scenario that every baseball-loving kid reenacts in their backyard growing up. And the homer was hit by a somewhat-hobbled Freddie Freeman. It may not usurp Kirk Gibson’s legendary walk-off bomb in Game 1 in terms of Dodgers lore, but it’s in the realm.
The win sets the Dodgers up quite well moving forward. On a day where Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was very good, the hosting Dodgers were able to persevere and win anyway. Now they send their top healthy pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to the mound with a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series.
Nothing is guaranteed, of course. If the Yankees can pull off a win tonight, then they will feel as if they have a leg up, stealing a game on the road and then heading to the Bronx for three games with a chance to control the series.
A lot of eyes will be on Aaron Judge as his postseason struggles have continued. He is now slashing .167/.304/.361 in the 2024 playoffs with 16 strikeouts, seven walks, and three extra-base hits. It’s a narrative that has followed Judge throughout his career, and he didn’t do much to dispel it in the series opener. Further proof that no one is safe from the ire of a fan base, regardless of regular season performances.
The World Series continues tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET on FOX.
Links
More possible Orioles spring training storylines | Roch Kubatko
Injuries and their recovery will be a big talking point in Sarasota. The Orioles have a ton of pitchers in the midst of recovery. That includes longer term rehabs like Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, as well as some quicker turnarounds, like Grayson Rodriguez. Hopefully this creates a scenario where the pitching staff gets deeper and more healthy as the season goes on.
Could Orioles re-sign Burnes and Santander? | Baltimore Baseball
Of course they could. Will they? Eh, probably not. It just seems antithetical to Mike Elias’ preferred path of team building. The guy has said before that giving free agent pitchers long-term, high-cost deals is super risky. And Santander will be a bat-only slugger on the wrong side of 30. My guess is they find pitching help elsewhere and give Heston Kjerstad more outfield innings.
Rudy May Passes Away | MLB Trade Rumors
May spent 16 seasons on a Major League roster. That included a two-year run in Baltimore from 1976-77. As an Oriole May had a 3.68 ERA over 404 total innings. May was 80 years old.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Dwight Smith Jr. is 32 today. The outfielder spent 2019 and 2020 with the Orioles, posting an 85 wRC+ across the two seasons. He also represented the O’s during the pandemic-induced MLB The Show Player’s League that took place early in 2020.
- Danny Coulombe celebrates his 35th birthday. A journeyman reliever, the lefty has turned into one of the most dependable arms in the Orioles bullpen over the last two seasons.
- Wayne Garland turns 74. From 1973 through ‘76 he was a swingman on the Orioles pitching staff. In total he tossed 426.2 innings for the Birds and accumulated a 3.00 ERA.
This day in history
Baseball Reference indicates that nothing particularly interesting has ever happened to the Orioles on October 26. So, here are a few things that have happened beyond Birdland:
1863 – The Football Association (England’s governing body of association football) is founded.
1936 – The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
1958 – The first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 is made by Pan American Airways from New York City to Paris.