Hello, Camden Chatters.

If your favorite pastime in life is watching Orioles-Royals baseball games, boy, are you in pork heaven right now. After rains on Friday and Saturday wreaked havoc on the schedule, the two clubs are playing three games in 24 hours. Because the public demanded it, of course. We need our fix of Orioles-Royals.

The grind began with yesterday’s double-header which started at 1:35, with the Orioles’ defensive collapse costing them Game 1, as described by Alex, before a well-pitched second game saved a split for the Birds, which Drew recapped. And with COVID-induced seven-inning doubleheaders now a thing of the past, that meant 18 full innings of baseball that day.

But there’s no rest for the weary, as both teams will be back on the field for a 12:05 p.m. catch-up game this afternoon, each forfeiting their mutual day off to wrap up the series. Poor Carlos Hernandez, who saw his Friday start rained down, then his Saturday start, then was passed over for two different Royals starters on Sunday, will finally get his chance to pitch for Kansas City. Tyler Wells will be on the hump for Baltimore.

Don’t look now, but the Orioles 11-17 left the AL East basement thanks to the dismal Red Sox, whose loss yesterday dropped them to 10-19. Too bad, so sad. In fact, the Orioles are currently better than four other American League teams: the Sox, the aforementioned Royals (9-16), Tigers (8-19) and Athletics (10-18).

Don’t get me wrong – no one should be dancing in the streets on an 11-17 record. But it feels good, for as long as it lasts, that the Orioles aren’t the league’s main punching bag, for once. And with Adley Rutschman and other prospects soon on the way, there is perhaps a glimmer of optimism that better times are ahead.

Connections

Your Orioles Questions Answered, Part 1 – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff answers readers’ questions, including a few about some abandoned ex-Orioles. If you’re wondering what happened to Hunter Harvey, you’ll never believe it, but he’s currently on the disabled list.

Adley’s imminent arrival starts ‘big wave’ of young talent – MLB.com
Trey Mancini, Brandon Hyde and other Orioles are just as excited as we are to see the prospects coming. Let’s just hope the term “big wave” doesn’t become the new “cavalry”.

Orioles part ways with doubleheader with 4-2 win (Update) – School of Roch
Guys, is Bruce Zimmermann… any good? I feel like it’s good!

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday today? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this date: Utilities Jace Peterson (32), Tom Chism (68) and Ron Jackson (69).

May 9 was a very fortuitous day in Orioles history, with the club holding a stellar all-time record of 35-20 to that date, including nine straight wins from 2001-2009. The first game the O’s had never played on May 9, in their inaugural 1954 season, was an overtime win over Cleveland on Gil Coan’s RBI single that made a winner from Bob Turley, who pitched 10 innings without allowing an earned run.

In 1961, Jim Gentile became the first player in major league history to win back-to-back Grand Slams, hitting salamis in the first and second innings – first against Pedro Ramos, then Paul Giel – and recording nine RBIs in the Twins’ 13-5 rout.

In 1987, Eddie Murray also had an MLB first, homering both sides of home plate for the second game in a row. His outbursts, from left-hander Joel McKeon and right-hander Bob James, propelled the Orioles to a 15-6 blowout of the White Sox at Comiskey Park.

And on this day in 2017, the Orioles pulled off a spectacular comeback against the Nationals. Trailing 4-2 in the ninth after Max Scherzer’s brilliant eight innings, the O’s rallied against the bullpen, with back-to-back RBI hits by Jonathan Schoop and JJ Hardy tying the game with two outs in the ninth before Mark Trumbo won with a single in the 12th.