Hello friends.

The Orioles…? I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to say about them because I went to bed before Wednesday night’s game was over and this will be posted before I wake up, so if you’re checking Bird Droppings at 7am to see if the O’s won last night, sorry to disappoint. One bit of good news from Wednesday, regardless of what did or didn’t happen to the O’s, is that the Yankees lost.

Further good news is that the Twins and Royals also lost, which slightly reduces the chance of one of the lower wild-card teams leapfrogging the Orioles for the WC1 spot. All of these teams are running out of time to make the pass. It’s not impossible, but there’s a solid margin with 28 games left in favor of the O’s. This is especially true of the O’s making the postseason at all, though the Red Sox did win on Wednesday, so that calculus hasn’t changed.

There was some roster shuffling yesterday that the Orioles likely believe will help their chances of improving or at least maintaining their playoff position. The team claimed outfielder Forrest Wall off waivers from the Marlins. Wall, 28, was originally drafted by the Rockies in 2014 and only made his MLB debut last year with the Braves. Those early games went very well for Wall, but weren’t enough to convince Atlanta to keep him.

In parts of five different seasons at Triple-A, Wall has hit a combined .269/.355/.385. That’s a solid OBP to consider as a backup outfielder for a September call-up. Wall is a left-handed hitter who helps balance out the bench, and he has considerable experience at all three outfield positions.

One in, one out. The corresponding move here is that the Orioles designated Dillon Tate for assignment. Tate was a solid part of the 2022 bullpen, but he just didn’t bounce back from the injury that caused him to miss last year, making it seem like it was 2022 all over again.

Tate had a 4.59 ERA in 29 games, which gave him a -0.3 bWAR. He struck out zero. He’s 30 years old now, and the O’s can’t wait for him to turn it around. They need reliable relievers now. If Tate gets sent to the great DFA in the sky and claimed by another team, Dean Kremer would be the last player in the organization from the 2018 Dan Duquette sale.

Birdland has another late night in store tonight, as the Orioles wrap up their series against the Dodgers with a scheduled start time of 10:10 Eastern. Cade Povich will pitch for the O’s, with Bobby Miller pitching for LA. Miller has a 7.49 ERA in nine starts, so… you know.

For those who want to watch the scoreboard today, there’s not much of interest to follow regarding the Orioles’ bliss. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins are all out. If you really feel the need to watch the Twins play the Astros, you can do so starting at 8:10. I won’t be watching, but I might watch a few times on Gameday.

Around the blogO’sphere

Brandon Young is on the verge of being sent to the Major League by the Orioles (Orioles.com)
The undrafted free agent from 2020 may be the next pitching prospect to get a chance. I hope it doesn’t have to happen this year! There are some interesting tidbits in there, including that Young only retired his flip phone and finally got a smartphone this year.

Orioles claim Forrest Wall off waivers, sign Nick Anderson to minor league deal (School of Roche)
Roch talks more about yesterday’s roster move and a minor league contract that could soon impact the bullpen at the MLB level.

No one is more excited about the Oasis reunion than Orioles commentator Kevin Brown (The Baltimore Banner)
It’s an enduring pleasure for me to have an unabashed nerd in the Orioles broadcast booth. I don’t know enough Oasis lyrics to include one in this item.

Orioles Birthdays and Anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2002-06 infielder Eddie Rogers, 1973-81 infielder Doug DeCinces, 1957-61 catcher Frank Zupo and 1960-62 outfielder Dave Nicholson. Nicholson passed away last year at the age of 83.

Is it your birthday today? Happy Birthday! Your birthday friends today are: philosopher John Locke (1632), actress Ingrid Bergman (1915), actor Richard Attenborough (1923), King of Pop Michael Jackson (1958), actress Lea Michele (1986) and One Direction singer Liam Payne (1993).

On this day in history…

In 1498, explorer Vasco da Gama set sail from Calicut, India to return to Portugal. Da Gama’s expedition was the first European to reach India from the sea.

In 1756, the Seven Years’ War began when Frederick the Great led a Prussian army into Saxony.

In 1952, John Cage’s composition 4’33” – which is known for having no sound at all, apart from the ambient noise in the room – premiered in New York.

In 1966, the Beatles performed a concert at Candlestick Park. This turned out to be their last concert for paying fans.

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And so it is at Birdland on August 29th. Happy Thursday. Go O’s!