Welcome, Camden Chatters! Today marks the start of the Orioles’ six-game road trip on the West Coast, with Grayson Rodriguez taking the mound against George Kirby at 9:40 p.m. The All-Star voting has entered its second phase, and two of our favorite Orioles, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, have a commanding lead in their respective categories. Henderson leads Bobby Witt, Jr with 67% of the vote, while Rutschman has an even bigger lead over Salvador Perez with 72%. Ryan O’Hearn is in a tight race for the DH spot, trailing Yordan Alvarez by just 2%, and Anthony Santander is in contention for one of the two available outfield spots, currently sitting at 26%.
In other news, Ryan Mountcastle (43%) and Jordan Westburg (41%) are in a longshot position but there’s still time to vote before the deadline. This year’s All-Star game has generated excitement among Orioles fans, with so many players in the mix.
If you’re interested in the team’s strategy, Rich Dubroff from BaltimoreBaseball.com has been addressing fan questions, including a debate about who should bat leadoff, Cedric Mullins or Jorge Mateo.
In birthday news, Pedro Araújo turns 31 today, having played in 20 games with the 2018 Orioles and one in 2019. Pete Burnside, who had an eight-year major league career, including six games with the Orioles in 1963, was born on this day in 1930.
On this day in 1975, Don Baylor homered in each of his first three plate appearances in a 13-5 win over the Tigers. The Orioles traded Pedro Strop and Jake Arrieta to the Cubs for Scott Feldman on this day in 2013, a move that didn’t turn out well for the team.
Finally, one year ago today, the Orioles and Twins engaged in a pitchers’ duel between Sonny Gray and Cole Irvin. The game ended with an 1-0 win for the Orioles, thanks to an RBI single by Aaron Hicks and a bases-loaded HBP by Jordan Westburg, followed by a 22nd save by Félix Bautista. We miss him.
