L. J. Hoes, 2010 Topps Pro Debut #373

L. J. Hoes is not having much success in Houston this year, but he did have an enjoyable game last night. The 24-year-old outfielder, traded from the O's to the Astros last summer for Bud Norris, is batting .178/.235/.308 in 40 games in 2014. However, "Little Jerome" started in left field last night as the 'Stros visited Oakland. He went hitless in his first four trips to the plate, but delivered a solo home run off of Fernando Abad with one out in the 12th inning to account for the winning run in a 3-2 Houston victory. As luck would have it, yesterday was Hoes' mother's birthday. The outfielder spoke to his mom before the game, and revealed that Gale Hoes had told him to hit a homer for her. She clearly expected the best from her son, who hadn't gone deep since May 13, and that's just what she got. Such a good kid.

Ryan Berry, 2010 Topps Pro Debut #432

I've been stockpiling Amazon gift certificates and rewards points for a while, and I finally went on a baseball card shopping spree this week. Everything arrived in the mail on Friday, so I'll be showing off the goods for the next few posts. I filled out my 1959 Topps set a bit more (only 169 cards left to go!), got a couple pesky 1975 Topps needs in Thurman Munson and the Gary Carter rookie card, and the rest were Orioles needs. I picked up the 2010 Topps Pro Debut team set, since that's one of those oddball things that I'd rather just cross off in one fell swoop. Ryan Berry is no longer in the O's organization, but after seeing this card he holds a special place in my heart. With that long shaggy hair and those big glasses, he looks like Ogilvie from the Bad News Bears, all grown up. Actually, though, the Birds drafted him in the ninth round of the 2009 draft out of Rice University. He's put up a 3.26 ERA in three seasons in the minors, topping out with a single game at AA Bowie last year. It appears that the Birds released him in the offseason, which is a shame. We'll always have this card, at least.