Brian Matusz, 2012 Topps Mini #84

If you need to know how far Brian Matusz has fallen, just look at yesterday's transactions. The Orioles traded the former number four overall draft pick to the last-place Braves along with a competitive balance draft pick, netting two minor league pitchers in return. Atlanta immediately designated Matusz for assignment, so they effectively paid the O's the $3 million left on the lefty's contract just to get the extra draft pick.

Brian has been something of a whipping boy for Baltimore fans, including yours truly. I may or may not have dubbed him "Sad Giraffe". But although he never lived up to his initial potential, Matusz did start off promisingly enough: 15-14 with a 4.37 ERA (97 ERA+) and 7.4 K/9 IP in 40 starts in 2009-10. Then, from late 2012 through 2015, he was a decent lefty specialist. Brian also famously held David Ortiz to four hits and one walk in 30 plate appearances, while striking him out 13 times, for a batting line of .138/.167/.241. But something about Matusz allowing 18 base runners in six innings across seven appearances this year caused Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette to lose faith in him, and now he's a free agent. Hopefully he lands on his feet elsewhere.

Matt Wieters, 2013 Panini Pinnacle #59

Can we talk about what Matt Wieters did on his 30th birthday Saturday night? Things looked pretty dire for the Orioles offensively all night, as Angels starter Matt Shoemaker and his 8.49 ERA shut them down into the eighth inning on just three hits. The O's whiffed 12 times against Shoemaker, didn't draw any walks, and put nobody on base until Wieters doubled with two outs in the fifth inning. It looked like Kevin Gausman would be saddled with a hard-luck loss after the O's righty gave up a two-out single to Yunel Escobar in the home half of the seventh for the game's only run. Angels closer Joe Smith quickly notched two outs in the top of the ninth, but the Birds clung to life as Chris Davis grounded a single through the middle of the infield and Mark Trumbo drew a full-count walk. That brought Wieters to the plate, and he jumped on the second pitch he saw from Smith. Earl Weaver Special, Orioles take a 3-1 lead, and that would be the final score despite an unusually wild performance by Zach Britton in the bottom of the ninth. It's always a special thrill to pull out a victory at the last possible moment.

Vintage Fridays: Benny Ayala, 1980 Topps #262

Things you might like to know about Benny Ayala:

-His birth name is Benigno.

-He made his major league debut on August 27, 1974 with the New York Mets, and hit a home run against Astros pitcher Tom Griffin in his first career at-bat. He was the first player in Mets history - and the first native of Puerto Rico - to perform that feat.

-Benny never played more than 76 games in one season, and topped out at 191 plate appearances, reaching both milestones in 1980 with the Orioles. That year he posted a 127 OPS+ on the strength of a .265/.335/.500 batting line, as he popped 10 homers and drove in 33 runs in a limited role.

-He batted only twice in the 1983 postseason, and drove in a run in each plate appearance: in the Game Four clincher in the ALCS, he had a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the tenth inning to bring home the Orioles' third and final run. Ayala also batted for Jim Palmer in the top of the seventh inning in Game Three of the World Series, and delivered a game-tying single against Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. He also scored the eventual winning run on an error by Phillies shortstop Ivan de Jesus.

-In recent years, Benny has focused on helping his fellow Puerto Rican ex-big leaguers as part of the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT). He helps former players to acquire pensions, health insurance, instructional jobs, and more.

Brooks Robinson, 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes #178

You know what they say: you only turn 79 once.

What, you've never heard that one? Oh. Well, anyway, happy birthday, Brooksie! It's been a pleasure to have you in our lives for another year. Thank you for helping to make Baltimore the town that it is.

Jon Knott, 2007 Topps Chrome Xfractor #282

This is an Xfractor, which translates to "shiny cubes amounting to a whole lot of nothing". Imagine forking out your money for a pack of Topps Chrome, pulling one of these parallels (one per three packs), and realizing that it's a 28-year-old journeyman rookie. It seems like ancient history now, but I swear I can remember there being some buzz around Jon Knott in the spring of 2007. That tells you all that you need to know about those bad old days. Knott was a corner outfielder who signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent in 2001 after hitting 51 home runs in four years at Mississippi State University. He had cups of coffee in San Diego in 2004 and 2006, and in the latter year led the AAA Pacific Coast League with 32 homers and 113 RBI for the Portland Beavers. It was his third go-around in the league, of course. The Padres let Jon walk as a free agent that offseason, so his stock wasn't exactly high. After signing with the Orioles, Knott batted .289/.341/.579 in 41 Grapefruit League plate appearances. He had three short stints in Baltimore throughout that season, and started with a bang, bashing a pinch-hit three-run homer in his O's debut on April 17, 2007. That earned him a start in left field the next day, and he had two singles and a walk in four trips to the plate, scoring twice. But then he was sent back to AAA Norfolk until late June. He played only five games spanning his next two callups, going 0-for-10 with three walks and a sac fly. That concluded his big league career, as Knott spent 2008 in AAA with the Twins and Phillies and bounced around three professional leagues in 2009 (Atlantic, Mexican, and Pacific Coast) before calling it a career. But hey, that is one shiny card.

Kevin Gregg, 2012 Topps #326

On September 14, 2012, the Orioles lost to the Athletics, 3-2. That left them with an 81-63 record, and the quest for their first winning season since 1997 was delayed for another day. Though they were tied with the Yankees for first place in the American League East, the O's were still fighting for their postseason lives. That day, the team made a wise and long-overdue move, cutting ties with failed closer Kevin Gregg. With that meathead in their rear view mirror, the Birds finished strong at 12-6 and clinched a wild card. They upended the defending AL champion Rangers in the playoffs before losing a closely-contested ALDS to New York, and haven't had another losing season in the ensuing years. There was an AL East crown and an ALCS berth in 2014, and the O's are again on top as they near the quarter mark of the 2016 season. I'm sure they owe most of this good fortune to their divorce from that meathead Gregg. After all, correlation equals causation, right?

Leo Gomez, 1991 Fleer Ultra #16

Before Leo Gomez settled on his customary uniform number 10, he wore #11 briefly with the Orioles. In an awkward segue, 11 is also the number of chemotherapy treatments that my wife Janet has remaining. Two days ago, she had her first treatment of the second round of chemo drugs - Taxol, in this case. So far, the side effects are significantly less harsh than they were with the first combo of A-C meds (Adriamycin and Cytoxan). So hopefully she won't face too many additional hardships as we prepare for the birth of our child and those intensive early weeks of parenthood. There has been one excellent piece of news in the meantime: at Janet's pre-chemo checkup on Friday, the physician's assistant couldn't find any traces of the tumor in her breast by touch. We are winning this fight.

It's been about two and a half months since Janet was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and I'm still trying to take stock of everything. I poured out a great deal of my thoughts in a post over at Janet's blog, and if you'd like to read that sort of thing, you can do so here. Thanks once again for your support, prayers, and positive thoughts and words.

Jonathan Schoop, 2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects Purple Refractor #BPCP100

The Orioles have won seven straight games for the second time this season, after managing two seven-game streaks total in the previous 16 seasons. Does that mean anything? Probably not, but it's fun. I was at tonight's game, and you can't ask for much more than seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball from Mike Wright, topped off with four O's home runs over the last three innings. Jonathan Schoop went deep twice, including his second career grand slam. Somebody pinch me.

Vintage Fridays: Stu Miller, 1963 Topps #286

 

It's been a good couple of nights in Birdland. Last night Janet and I treated our unborn child (six more weeks!) to its second O's game. A rare RAIN-FREE game, to boot! After Ubaldo Jimenez did his best to send us screaming toward the exit, somehow allowing "just" five runs on 14 base runners in five-plus innings, the Orioles reacquainted themselves with the ever-adventurous Detroit bullpen. A two-run spurt in the bottom of the sixth set the stage for a fantastic five-run seventh. The Birds swatted five singles in the span of six batters, with Pedro Alvarez's single squirting under Miguel Cabrera's first baseman's mitt and into right field to score Adam Jones with the tying run. Jonathan Schoop followed with the coup de grace, a line drive into the right field corner for his first career triple, plating Chris Davis and Alvarez with the go-ahead runs. From there, it was the tried-and-true formula of O'Day in the eighth and Britton in the ninth, 7-5 final. Baby B is 2-0.

Tonight the Orioles made it six wins in a row with a 1-0 squeaker, and they're a season-best 10 games over .500 at 22-12. Chris Tillman continued his strong recent work with seven innings of five-hit, two-walk, seven-strikeout ball, and Adam Jones made a tough-luck loser out of Justin Verlander by crushing a solo homer into the Baltimore bullpen in the sixth inning. It was Adam's 200th career home run. When Tillman departed, O'Day and Britton again put up their customary zeroes in innings eight and nine. Zach's flawless ninth earned him his tenth save of the year and number 83 of his career, tying everybody's darling Jorge Julio for fifth-most in team history. Up next on the leaderboard is Stu Miller with 99, and Tippy Martinez isn't much farther ahead at 105.

Oh! And the Red Sox FINALLY lost, 7-6 to the Astros. So the O's are alone in first place again. It's better than the alternative, I'll say that.

Adam Jones, 2013 Bowman Chrome Refractor #159

After the O's failed to defend their American League East crown in 2015, needing a hot finish just to break even at 81-81, I harbored some hope that the team would be able to siphon off some of the "even year mojo" that has famously allowed the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014 despite the team failing to even reach the postseason in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. Some sort of orange and black solidarity, you know?

32 games into 2016, the even year phenomenon has been a blessing for the Birds. They're in first place with a 20-12 record and a league-best 49 home runs, including the four they blasted in today's 9-2 laugher over the Twins. They're setting all sorts of fun team records, including a seven-game win streak to start the regular season, a first-ever extra-inning shutout win over the Yankees, and their active streak of three straight games featuring back-to-back home runs.

Speaking of touching 'em all, Adam Jones is finally showing signs of life after a slow and injury-marred start to the year. He blasted a towering homer for the second game in a row this afternoon, and went 6-for-10 in the abbreviated two-game set in Minnesota with four runs scored and five RBI. It's early enough in the season that he's boosted his triple slash (AVG/OBP/SLG) from .200/.269/.274 to .238/.298/.362 with a pair of strong showings. If he's righting the ship, Machado/Jones/Davis/Trumbo is a brutal gauntlet for opposing pitchers to navigate.

Kevin Gausman, 2014 Bowman #179

If you're counting on the Orioles being American League East contenders throughout the 2016 season (and if you're not, what fun are you?), then Kevin Gausman's performance is a big part of the equation. In the early going, the signs are promising. Tonight is Gausman's fourth start since coming off the disabled list, and he has allowed a total of five runs (four earned) on 13 hits in 23 innings. He's walked four hitters and struck out 20. Of course, the O's have given him bubkes in the way of run support: no runs in either his first start at Tampa Bay or his most recent start vs. the Yankees (though that one produced the team's first-ever extra-inning shutout win over New York). They scored a total of seven runs in his other previous start against the White Sox, including five while he was still in the game, but Darren O'Day picked a bad night to finally cough up some runs and Kevin got no decision. Tonight he settled in nicely after allowing a run on two first-inning hits, but...hold the phone, Manny Machado and Adam Jones went back-to-back while I was typing this up and now they've given their pitcher a 3-1 lead. I guess I just hadn't been complaining enough!

Mike Mussina, 1999 Upper Deck #48

Mike Mussina is acknowledging the crowd at Camden Yards with a wave, but he could just as easily be shielding his eyes from the sun. We'd nearly forgotten what sunlight looked like here in Baltimore; all last week, it was gray, chilly, and damp. Yesterday we finally had bright, clear skies, so naturally the O's flew up to Minneapolis for a three-game series with the Twins. Tonight's opener was rained out. Enough already!

Nick Markakis, 2004 Bowman Signs of the Future #SOF-NM

I hope that everybody had a great Mother's Day. I've been fortunate to have several excellent mother figures in my life, from my mother and my dearly departed grandmothers to my mother-in-law. Of course I have to add my wife Janet to that list, as we're about seven weeks away from welcoming our little one to the world. Watching her balance home life and work while throttling breast cancer and going through the usual aches and pains of pregnancy has left me in awe. My kid is going to have an uncommonly strong, bright, funny, and kind mom; as I've told Janet, I'm just going to be trying to follow her lead.

There's some very encouraging news on the health front, while we're talking about it. Janet has completed the first of her two courses of chemotherapy, and the tumor has already shrunk significantly. It started out with a circumference of 3.4 cm, roughly the size of a golf ball, I'd say. Now it's maybe the size of a blueberry, and even the oncologist was having a hard time locating it by touch! If you are interested in keeping closer tabs on our experiences throughout this challenging time, Janet has been keeping a blog (and even trusting me to contribute occasionally). So hop on over to Janet versus the Titmonster...and yes, I'm to blame for the name. No apologies.

Vintage Fridays: Bob Johnson, 1967 Topps #38

Whew, I'm back! I wasn't expecting to take a week off from blogging due to burning up a laptop charging cable, but if I've learned any lesson in recent months (over and over and over again), it's this: life is not tidy.

As an example, I give you this woebegone card specimen, featuring former Orioles sub Bob Johnson. Those yellowish bars criss-crossing the front of the card are from decades-old strips of tape, which I'd guess were used by another collector to affix the card to an album of some sort. Card enthusiasts in the 1960s and 1970s didn't have Ultra-Pro binders and pages and penny sleeves at their disposal, so they muddled through as best they could. It's all any of us can do.

Technical Difficulties...

...Please stand by.

I have managed to fry my laptop charger, hence the most recent hiatus on this blog. I shall be back soon! In the meantime, the O's have started their week by handing the Yankees their sixth straight loss. Music to my ears.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1992 Donruss Gallery of Stars #GS-11

The Orioles' offense sputtered mightily at the end of their just-concluded road trip, as they scored a total of five runs over their last four games in Kansas City and Tampa Bay and lost three of those contests. I guess that all they needed was some home cooking. Tonight the O's used three home runs, 15 hits, and a pair of big innings to clobber the first-place White Sox, 10-2. Manny Machado broke an 0-for-17 skid with a double in the third inning, tying the game and delivering the first of four Baltimore runs in that frame. Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo immediately followed with back-to-back homers, and there was no looking back. Janet and I were in a childbirth prep class during the first half of the game, but we juuuust happened to see the score alerts pop up on her phone throughout the class, don't you know. We made it back to the car in time to hear most of the fifth-inning fireworks, most notably Manny's second career grand slam, the 75th round-tripper of his already-impressive career. The star third baseman has now passed Cal Ripken and has hit more homers prior to his 24th birthday than all but two other O's players: Boog Powell (88) and Eddie Murray (79). Machado's birthday is July 6, so he has 62 games to try and track down that pair of Charm City legends. It should be a blast to watch his best effort.

Steve Stone, 1981 Topps #520

I like to think that I'm secure in my heterosexuality, as well as my masculinity (so far as that goes). That's why I have no problem saying that in this photo, Steve Stone cuts a pretty handsome figure. Even today, 35 years along, he's aged fairly gracefully. Of course, he's also the rare gentleman who I'd say looks better clean-shaven than he does with a bit of facial hair. There are exceptions to every rule.

Brian Matusz, 2010 Upper Deck #5

It's time for a bit of the cutting-edge, insightful analysis that you've come to expect from this blog. Are you ready? Here goes:

Brian Matusz is...not very good.

Adam Jones, 2014 Panini Donruss #82

Adam Jones hasn't had a great year in the early going. He sat out a week with a rib injury, and entered tonight's game batting .211 with one home run. But tonight Adam did something he's never done in 1,253 previous big league games: he drew three walks. The Orioles' center fielder is not known for his plate discipline, to say the least. Two years ago, he walked only 19 times all season. Thankfully, the O's did not let Adam's patient streak go to waste, as they battered the Royals 8-3. Chris Davis homered as part of a four-hit night. The red-hot Mark Trumbo drove in four more runs, and leads the team with 15 RBI. Mychal Givens and Brad Brach combined to pitch 3.2 perfect innings of relief, with Givens stranding the bases loaded with a pair of strikeouts to bail out the returning Brian Matusz in the sixth inning. So the Orioles remain the only team in the American League East with a winning record, and they lead the Red Sox and Blue Jays by 3.5 games each. I'll take that.

Vintage Fridays: Milt Pappas, 1962 Topps #75

Earlier this week the Orioles family lost one of its first prominent young pitchers. Milt Pappas died on Tuesday at age 76. If you're anything less than a diehard baseball fan, you probably know Pappas as the chief outgoing player that the O's sent to Cincinnati in the Frank Robinson trade. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll see that Milt was plenty successful in his own right: in a career that spanned 17 big league seasons, he won 209 games and lost 164 with a 3.40 ERA (110 ERA+). He completed 129 of his 465 starts, including 43 shutouts, and twice made the All-Star Game as an Oriole. Most famously, he no-hit the Padres while pitching for the Cubs on September 2, 1972...but lost his perfect game bid on a full-count offering to pinch hitter Larry Stahl with two outs in the ninth. Home plate umpire Bruce Froemming ruled that Stahl had checked his swing and called it ball four, to Pappas' vociferous objection. The pitcher rallied to retire Garry Jestadt on a popup to seal the no-hitter, but it was of little consolation.

In researching tonight's blog entry, I found a great anecdote relayed by MLB.com writer (and former Orioles beat reporter) Richard Justice. On April 18, 1962, longtime Baltimore sportswriter John Steadman approached Milt prior to the righty's first start of the regular season against Mantle, Maris, and the vaunted Yankees. He asked Pappas, still just 23 years old and already in his sixth season in the majors, "How do you beat the Yankees?". In his own blunt and self-assured manner, the O's young starter replied: "If I pitch a shutout and hit a home run, we'll probably win."

Of course, Pappas couldn't quite finish the job. All he did was hold New York scoreless on two hits over six innings before turning things over to Hoyt Wilhelm. But before he left the game, Milt did hit a solo homer off of Yankee starter Bill Stafford. The O's won, 1-0.

Manny Machado, 2013 Panini Pinnacle #163

My reward for sticking out last night's 10-inning, three-hour and 22-minute slog of an Orioles game was that I got to see history. For the first time ever, the O's won on a walkoff passed ball. Caleb Joseph started the rally with a two-out double, and Joey Rickard's infield single (his third hit of the night) and Manny Machado's walk loaded the bases for Adam Jones. The center fielder took ball one from rookie reliever Joe Biagini, fouled off a pitch, and then took a second pitch. That one squirted away from Toronto catcher Josh Thole, and Caleb dashed home with the winning run. It's always fun to see somebody get doused with a celebratory cooler full of water for scoring on a catcher's mishap.

Machado continued his hot start with two hits and an RBI in addition to his two walks, as he's now kicked off the 2016 season with a 14-game hit streak and counting. At the end of last night's game, his batting line was a robust .407/.467/.796. Oh, and he's doing a fairly bangup job with the glove and arm at third base as well. Basically, I'm ready for the Birds to give Manny as much money as it takes to keep him in Baltimore for years to come.

Mark Reynolds, 2012 Topps Allen and Ginter #271

The Orioles are enjoying the rarity of back-to-back days off, thanks to yesterday's rainout in Texas and today's travel day. I'm doing my best not to dwell on the team's three losses in their past four games (gulp), so I figured I'd check in on an old friend. When Mark Reynolds signed with the Rockies during the past offseason, my imagination ran wild. Finally the ultimate all-or-nothing hacker would be calling the thin air of Coors Field home. "The Sheriff" has started eight of Colorado's 12 games so far in 2016, so let's see how many homers he's bashed...

None?

Nope. Madison Bumgarner has a home run this year. Odubel Herrera has gone deep. Baltimore's newest darling Joey Rickard has touched 'em all. Something called Jeremy Hazelbaker has three homers, and yet Mark Reynolds is sans dingers. He's batted .250/.323/.357, with three doubles and three RBI. But he does have 10 strikeouts in 31 trips to the plate, so at least something is going according to plan.

Napoleon Calzado, 2002 Topps Heritage #347

I can find at least three things wrong with this card:

-Napoleon Calzado's first name is misspelled. I guess somebody at Topps doesn't know their French history.

-The card back lists his date of birth as February 9, 1980. According to Baseball Reference, he was actually born on that date in 1977. I assume that he was one of several Dominican players who was later found to have falsified his age so that he would be more desirable as an amateur free agent.

-The photo filter Topps used to give this card a "retro" feel has turned Napoleon into some sort of demented-looking Muppet.

Rafael Palmeiro, 2004 Topps Hit Parade #HP21

The Orioles have had a rich, six-plus decade tradition of great power hitters. But from Jim Gentile to Boog Powell, Frank Robinson to Eddie Murray, and Rafael Palmeiro to Chris Davis, nobody had ever done what Mark Trumbo did last night, in just his tenth game in an O's uniform. In the seventh inning, he was the driving force behind an immense nine-run outburst that turned a 5-1 deficit into a 10-5 lead just like that. He blasted a two-run homer after Davis walked to lead off the inning, and then came up again with two outs and two men on and crushed a three-run shot. No other Oriole hitter had ever homered twice in the same inning, and in franchise history, it hadn't been done since Ken Williams went deep twice in an inning for the 1922 St. Louis Browns. Trumbo and Davis are now tied for the American League lead with five home runs, two weeks into the season. As a team, the Birds are leading the pack with 24 dingers. So far the Baltimore offense has been as advertised.

Billy Ripken, 1990 Bowman #256

Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, whose win in Super Bowl VII clinched a perfect 17-0 season, have a champagne toast each year when the last remaining undefeated NFL team finally loses its first game. In a similar vein, I'd like to imagine that Billy Ripken, Dave Schmidt, Jay Tibbs, and the rest of the 1988 Orioles gather and raise a glass of frosty cold Natty Boh each April when the last winless MLB team gets that elusive first W. As we approach the end of week two of the 2016 campaign, those pale American lagers are still on ice. With losses today, both the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves are still gaining on those 0-21 '88 Birds. Each team is 0-9, with anemic offenses and untimely lapses in pitching. The Braves in particular look like a serious contender to Baltimore's throne of futility. The team is in rebuild mode, having divested themselves of prime players such as Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward, and Justin Upton. They've also got an O's connection that can't be ignored. No less than four ex-Orioles - Jim Johnson, Kelly Johnson, Nick Markakis, and Bud Norris - are currently occupying space on Atlanta's big league roster. Jim and Bud have each lost a pair of games, combining to allow a dozen runs in 15.2 innings. Cover your eyes, folks.

J. J. Hardy, 2014 Bowman #104

All good things must come to an end, and so it is tonight; the Orioles' season-opening seven-game win streak was snuffed out in Boston tonight. But we might as well take a moment to recognize how special that 7-0 start was. Not only was it the best start to a regular season in O's history (only bested in franchise annals by the 9-0 mark by the 1944 St. Louis Browns), it was the longest win streak for any Orioles team since 2005. I knew that the Birds hadn't ripped off many extended winning jags in recent years, but I was still surprised to hear that. A belated tip of the cap to J. J. Hardy, who took advantage of the ridiculous dimensions at Fenway Park in last night's Dolly Parton Special (9-5 final, you know?) by wrapping a pair of two-run homers around the Pesky Pole down the right field line. Any time you can squeak out a couple of sub-340-foot home runs, that's a good night at the office.

Chris Davis, 2014 Topps Power Players #PP-209

For the first time in the team's 63 seasons in Baltimore, the Orioles have started the year with six straight wins. That's 6-0.

Today brought another first: I watched a couple of innings from the dentist's chair.

By the time I got to the dentist's office, it was already the fifth inning and momentum had swung back and forth and back again. In their home opener, the Red Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the time O's starter Yovani Gallardo recorded his first out. But the Birds rallied with a five-spot off of big-bucks Boston pitcher David Price in the top of the third, via a two-run single by Chris Davis and a three-run homer by still-new Oriole Mark Trumbo. An inning later, the Sawx plated a pair to tie the score at five-all.

The O's helped keep me distracted while the hygienist scraped away at my teeth with her little metal pick (don't you just love that?). I'm grateful that the dentist's TVs were tuned to MASN, instead of their usual default setting of HGTV. They took another short-lived lead in the sixth inning while I was getting my pearly whites cleaned, thanks to back-to-back doubles by J. J. Hardy and Jonathan Schoop. But by the time I was back in my car and headed for the beltway, it was a tie game again. I'll admit that I was worried.

Thankfully the O's were just saving the rest of the fireworks until I could get home and tune back in. I wasn't sure how they would handle flamethrowing closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning, but Caleb Joseph and Manny Machado both drew walks to give Davis another shot at playing the hero. With two outs, the slugging first baseman crushed a 97mph fastball 449 feet to center field. Just what Earl Weaver ordered. Zach Britton created some tension in the home half of the ninth, serving up a leadoff homer to Mookie Betts and allowing the next two batters to reach on a single and a walk. But with David Ortiz representing the go-ahead run, Zach bore down and slammed the door. Double play grounder, strikeout of Hanley Ramirez, 9-7 final. Last year, the Orioles never enjoyed more than a half-game lead in the American League East. As the sun set this evening, they were up 2.5 games on the second-place Yankees. I'll take it.

Manny Machado, 2015 Topps #136

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I did not stick out the Orioles' 3-2 walkoff victory on Opening Day until the bitter end. My sister and I arrived at Camden Yards at about 12:30 Monday afternoon, and after wandering the stadium for two hours and witnessing the half-hour of pregame ceremonies, we were frustrated to see the tarp pulled onto the field despite a lack of rain. The O's ground crew tried to make the call based on the radar, and came up empty. We waited out a delay of an hour and 40 minutes in nothing stronger than a light drizzle, only to see the rain start in earnest almost as soon as the game actually started. Two innings in, the tarp came back out. It was 5:30, meaning that we'd already been in the ballpark for five hours, and with the intensity of the precipitation, we knew it'd be another hour at least before they would be ready to play again...if they resumed at all. So we threw in the towel. I rationalized it, as we also had tickets for Friday night's game against the Rays.

Naturally, Friday night's game was also challenging from a weather perspective. Clear skies, but it was windy with temperatures in the mid-40s. This time, we toughed it out. Janet came along with us, since extra tickets were readily available. We all bundled ourselves in our warmest orange and black finery and were treated to a fairly quick 6-1 victory, the Birds' fourth straight to start the year. Chris Tillman, T. J. McFarland, and Brad Brach limited Tampa Bay to five hits and three walks, and the O's clubbed four solo homers, including three in the span of 11 pitches in a wild fifth inning. Chris Davis kicked off the team's scoring with a towering blast to center field in the second inning, thereby earning everybody in attendance a coupon for a free Grand Slam breakfast from Denny's. The multi-homer outburst in the middle of the game came from the bats of Jonathan Schoop, Nolan Reimold, and Manny Machado. It was the second of three straight games (and counting) in which Manny has gone deep. Also of interest, Machado had a rare start at shortstop on Friday, as J. J. Hardy rested a tight calf muscle. He fielded his position without a hitch, of course. Moreover, Janet maintained her status as the team's good luck charm.

Today, the O's completed their weather-shortened two-game series sweep of the Rays with a 5-3 win. With a 5-0 record, they're the only undefeated team left in the big leagues. It matches the best start in team history, as the 1970 Orioles also won their first five games. I've heard something about that season ending in a particularly satisfying manner...

Dylan Bundy, 2013 Bowman Platinum Gold #99

In any random game in early April, you can find plenty of things to like. Tonight:

-Ubaldo Jimenez rebounded after giving up two runs on four hits in the first two innings, completing seven frames and striking out nine...with NO WALKS.

-Caleb Joseph started at catcher and threw out two would-be base stealers. You run on Caleb at your own risk.

-The O's dug out of a 2-0 hole late in the game, thanks to a sixth-inning solo homer by Manny Machado, a two-run rally in the seventh featuring a Jonathan Schoop go-ahead single, and Rule 5 draft pick Joey Rickard's first career home run in the eighth.

-Dylan Bundy made his first major league appearance since 2012, tossing a scoreless eighth inning and protecting a one-run lead.

-The Birds won 4-2 without the services of Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Zach Britton. In their stead, Joseph, Nolan Reimold (2-4 with a double), and Darren O'Day (struck out the side for a rare save) filled in nicely.

-After losing all seven games against the Twins in 2015, the Birds just opened the 2016 season with a three-game sweep of Minnesota. Baltimore is currently the only American League club with a 3-0 record; Detroit won their first two games in Miami and won't play a third until tomorrow afternoon's home opener vs. the Yankees. I guess I don't mind if the Tigers start 3-0.

Vladimir Guerrero, 2012 Topps #119

When I first came across this card, I did a double take. I've repressed a fair amount of Orioles baseball from the Crap Years (1998-2011), but I was still pretty sure that Vlad Guerrero didn't shamble his way to a third-place finish in the American League batting race in 2011. Then I realized that this was a career leader board, and it made more sense. Vladi batted .313 in eight seasons in the junior circuit with the Angels, Rangers, and O's, and honestly his .290 average in 145 games in his lone season in Baltimore was better than I figured. But his .416 slugging percentage was by far a career low, which helps explain why that season turned out to be his last. Amusingly, the expanded list of active AL batting average leaders on the back of the card shows Guerrero and Derek Jeter tied at .313, and I'm shocked that Topps missed out on a chance to shoehorn Jeter onto another card. Maybe they went down to a fourth decimal place and Vladimir beat out Jeets fair and square.

Joe Mauer, whose .323 career average through 2011 has dipped to .313 after a couple of down years by his standards, finds his Twins trailing the Birds 4-2 after seven and a half innings tonight. It would be great to shut down Minnesota in two straight games after getting swept in the seven-game season series last year, so let's get those last three outs.

Adam Jones, 2014 Bowman Chrome #71

You can't beat an Opening Day win, especially a walkoff...even if it did include nearly three hours of rain delays. It was Matt Wieters that delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth, but cards featuring the O's catcher are scarce - Topps doesn't have rights to his image. So I went with Adam Jones, who made his ninth Opening Day start in Baltimore and delivered an orange cream cake to Wieters' face during the postgame interview. This circumvented the team's new "no celebratory pie-faces" edict. Jonesy is now second to Paul Blair when it comes to the most openers by an Oriole outfielder. Blair started a dozen straight Opening Days in center field for the Birds. Now the O's enjoy a day of rest tomorrow before trying to double their season win total on Wednesday.

Vintage Fridays: Rick Dempsey, 1977 Topps #189

Good news, everybody! This is the last Friday without real, live Major League Baseball games for the next six months. I have my tickets for Opening Day, and I've gone ahead and taken a long weekend for myself. So on Monday afternoon, I'll be back in Section 340 in Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time in 2016, watching Rick Dempsey throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Then, hopefully I'll see Chris Tillman shut down the Twins.

Brian Roberts, 2001 Donruss The Rookies #R70

The little goblins that live inside Facebook reminded me that one year ago today, I met Brian Roberts. Incidentally, Roberts is returning to the Orioles this season...in a manner of speaking. The Sunday before last, the longtime Baltimore second baseman joined MASN for the network's telecast of the O's-Rays Grapefruit League game. He will also be in the broadcast booth for an unspecified regular season game in May. I'm glad he was able to find a hobby in retirement.

Kevin Gausman, 2013 Bowman Platinum Top Prospects #TP-KG

If the Orioles' starting rotation is going to right the ship in 2016 after a subpar group effort last season, Kevin Gausman will probably need to take a big leap forward. Of course, now it looks like he might spend Opening Day on the disabled list with a balky shoulder; he just received a cortisone injection last Sunday. This is...less than ideal.

Cal Ripken Jr., 2001 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. Career Highlights #2

Did somebody say 3,000?

Sunday night I mentioned on this blog that my wife Janet is trying to put a positive spin on her cancer diagnosis by raising funds for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Long story short: she shaves her head this Friday (before the chemo causes her hair to fall out, because who wants to wait around for that to happen?). Folks sponsor her by making a monetary donation to St. Baldrick's. Simple. Her original $500 fundraising goal was exceeded in under two hours on Saturday night, at which point Janet boosted her target to $2,000. She topped that mark this morning, and she's not ready to stop yet. The next objective is $3,000, though the word of mouth is traveling so far and so fast, three grand might not be the end point. As challenging as it is to face a disease like this, there's something fun about watching those donations add up. For me, it's a much-needed reminder that there is still a lot of good in this world.

Adam Jones, 2008 Upper Deck Documentary #637

2008 Upper Deck Documentary: Because sometimes you just have to know if the Orioles won their 27th game in the first full year of the Dave Trembley Era. Spoiler: they did! Here's the box score from that sparsely-attended Tuesday night game in Baltimore. Garrett Olson won his first game of the season by walking the tightrope for 6.2 innings (4 H, 5 BB, but only 2 ER), rookie reliever Randor Bierd made things a bit too interesting by surrendering a two-run homer to B. J. Upton, and George Sherrill slammed the door for his 10th save. Future Oriole Jason Hammel was the loser for Tampa Bay, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks in two and two-thirds innings, and Aubrey Huff had the big hit for the O's with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Cover boy Adam Jones had a modest game (one single in four trips to the plate), but he did throw out Rays catcher Dioner Navarro when he tried to advance to second base on a Jason Bartlett single. With the win, the 16-11 Birds maintained a first-place tie with the Red Sox. It's just the last 134 games of 2008 that proved to be Baltimore's undoing.

Cal Ripken Jr., 2001 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. Career Highlights #24

Thank you for being a sounding board for my fears, hopes, anxieties, frustrations, and other miscellaneous emotions this weekend. To everyone who commented, your supportive words mean more than I can say. Janet is holding up remarkably well after her first chemotherapy treatment. She was a bit achy, tired, and flushed this afternoon, but felt better after a nap and a good dinner. She's had no nausea at all, and has been fairly energetic otherwise, so hopefully that's a good sign for future treatments.

Janet has also spent the weekend grappling with the reality of losing her hair. Research indicates that most chemo patients find their hair falling out about two weeks after the first treatment. That would be right around April 1, because the universe has a warped sense of humor. The oncologist suggested that Janet take control of the situation before it takes control of her, and she has found an excellent way of doing just that. Next Friday, March 25, Janet will be shaving her head, but she's not doing it for nothing. She's collecting donations to benefit the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which boosts research into cures and treatments for childhood cancers. Last night my brave wife launched her fundraising page with a modest goal of $500 in donations, posted a link on Facebook, and blew past that mark in under two hours! With nearly a week left to raise funds, she's set her sights on $2,000. She's already two-thirds of the way there, and if you'd like to pitch in, you can do so here:

St. Baldrick's Foundation

I know that Janet is anxious about going bald for the first time since she was a toddler, but I bet she's better looking with a bare head than Cal Ripken is.

Vintage Fridays: Brooks Robinson, 1969 Topps Deckle Edge #1

Brooks Robinson, as you may know, was successfully treated for prostate cancer back in 2009. I can't for the life of me find an easy segue to tonight's blog post, so I'll just get on with it.

My wife is 25 weeks pregnant, and two weeks ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

If that sentence hit you like a punch in the gut, you have some small idea of how we felt when the hospital called with the biopsy results. We were in Charlotte at the time, so we could attend the visitation and funeral for Janet's grandmother, a remarkable woman who had just passed away after 96 years well lived. (The first week of March 2016 will not be making our favorites list, to say the least.) I've been wrestling with so many conflicting emotions over the past couple of weeks, so please indulge me as I spill everything out through my keyboard.

• I'm relieved that Janet's cancer treatment doesn't carry any risk of harm for our unborn baby. On the back end of the second trimester, the fetus has done most of its crucial development and is mostly just adding weight and length from now until it reaches full term. Janet will be undergoing chemotherapy up until delivery, and the drugs are unable to pass through the placenta. In the early going, focusing on the development of our child has helped us both to stay sane in the face of our new struggle. We've spent good chunks of each day just sitting or lying together and feeling the kid's kicks and movements.
  
• I was bewildered by the diagnosis. The only cases of breast cancer in Janet's family are two generations removed - a great aunt and second cousins, all of whom were decades older than she is now. As the cherry on top of this crap sundae, so-called gestational breast cancer is diagnosed in just one of every 3,000 pregnant women. As Janet said to her OB, that's like buying a lottery ticket and finding out that you owe the lottery commission more money.
  
• I'm furious that my wife has to endure this. Less than a year ago we suffered the heartbreak of a miscarriage, we walked on eggshells through the first trimester of this second pregnancy, and now that we've gotten a strong bill of health for the baby, there's a whole new set of difficulties. She's probably going to spend the coming weeks dealing with nausea and exhaustion, and is already worried about losing her hair from the chemo. After the kid is here, Janet isn't sure if she'll have the strength and/or energy to do the simplest of things, like lifting and carrying the car seat. Breastfeeding may very well out of the question, and that by itself has been a big emotional blow for her. She will have a lumpectomy just a few months after giving birth, and will undergo radiation treatment afterward. How much hardship can be dumped upon one person, especially one as giving and kind and compassionate as Janet?  This is probably a good time to mention that "God has a plan" is possibly the absolute WORST thing to say to somebody in this situation. Even if you mean well, you should know that it's okay to just say nothing, rather than to suggest that God doles out cancers and accidents and such just so we'll have obstacles to overcome.

• I am grateful that Janet is in very capable hands. She's undergoing treatment at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, which has become our go-to for medical care. Janet's primary care, asthma and allergy, OB/GYN, and cancer treatment are all at GBMC. We've never had a bad experience there, and all of the doctors, nurses, and administrative staff are incredibly knowledgeable and compassionate. The breast surgeon spent an hour and a half meeting with us, and the oncologist gave us even more of his time. The cancer team at GBMC has gone above and beyond to help us understand why they're treating the disease the way that they are, and to make sure that we're completely comfortable with everything.
   
• I'm worried. "Cancer" is such a loaded word, and it's hard not to obsess over worst-case scenarios. I'll just leave it at that.
   
• Most of all, I am thankful that we have such an incredible support system. In a short amount of time, Janet and I have been overwhelmed with offers of help from family members, friends, coworkers, members of our church...prayers, thoughts, well-wishes, good vibes, and the like are all appreciated. But our friends and loved ones have also come forward with food, personal care items, gifts, and most importantly, their time. We are very lucky to know so many generous and warm people. I know that we wouldn't be able to face this challenge alone, and I'm glad that we don't have to do that.

As I finish this entry late on Friday night, Janet has completed the first of 16 chemotherapy sessions. She's doing well, though we've been led to believe that the side effects won't crop up for a day or two. But just getting started with the treatment plan is important to both of us. We sat in the infusion center for four hours today while she received those all-important cancer-killing drugs via IV, and it assuaged the fear of the unknown. As I keep telling Janet, we've got this.

Leo Daigle, 2007 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BC94

Due to the murkiness of this scan, you'll have to take me at my word: those are palm trees beyond the outfield fence in Fort Lauderdale. I'm gazing longingly at this tropical scene because I just heard that there is snow in the forecast in Baltimore for this Sunday, a.k.a. the first day of Spring. Temperatures have been around 70 for the past few days. Very funny, huh? Almost as funny as Topps/Bowman devoting "prospect" cards in multiple 2007 releases to a guy who'd been bouncing around the minors since 1998 and had already been cut loose by the Orioles.

Jose Morban, 2003 Upper Deck 40 Man #175

Thirteen years later, I'm still baffled by the Orioles' insistence upon claiming Jose Morban from the Twins after Minnesota had chosen him in major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, and even more perplexed by their stubbornness in keeping him on the MLB roster for the entire season. Morban was a 23-year-old who had just reached high-A minor league ball in the Rangers' organization in 2002, batting .260/.326/.414 with eight homers, 66 RBI, and 12 triples. Since Morban had to stay on the 25-man roster for the entire 2003 season or be offered back to his previous team, the depth-challenged Birds might as well have playing a man down all year long. Jose started just 16 games, pinch hit 11 times, pinch ran 23 times, and made 11 appearances as a defensive sub late in games. Used sparingly at the plate, he collected 10 hits in 71 at-bats, a punchless batting line of .141/.187/.225. He did slug a pair of home runs. For trivia purposes, I will tell you that his first four-bagger was a pinch-hit solo homer off of Tampa Bay's Al Levine leading off the bottom of the ninth on April 19, 2003. It was the first of five straight O's hits, sparking a four-run rally that fell just short in an 8-7 Baltimore loss. His second homer came four months later, also at Camden Yards, against Yankee pitcher Sterling Hitchcock.

So, did the Orioles' patience with Morban pay off? I think you know the answer to that. It was back to the minors in 2004, where the infielder batted only .221/.290/.352 between Frederick and Bowie. The Birds cut him loose after that, and he had minor league stops with the Indians, Mariners, and Rangers, and also appeared in a couple of independent leagues and Dominican winter ball. He last played in 2009. Would he have had a more productive career if the O's hadn't jumped him to the majors in 2003? Maybe not, but we'll never know now.

Luis Mercedes, 1992 Stadium Club #242

Luis Mercedes looks like he could be knocked over by a fly swatter. Put some meat on those bones, son.

Robert Andino, 2012 Topps Heritage #205

I don't know what's bothering Robert Andino in this picture, but he looks almost as forlorn as he does in his infamous headshot portrait.

Vintage Fridays: Frank Robinson, 1972 Topps #100

The Orioles signed Pedro Alvarez this week, who doesn't seem to bring much to the table besides his prodigious power. He doesn't hit for average (.236 career), strikes out a ton (809 K in 742 games), and isn't even a passable defender at first base (23 errors last year...how?). But he does have something in common with Frank Robinson. Much like Robby once hit a ball clear out of Memorial Stadium, Pedro walloped a ball completely out of PNC Park last May. I have a pessimistic sense that the O's might be boom-or-bust to the extreme this year, but when they square up those balls, they should be awfully fun to watch.

Javy Lopez, 2004 Fleer Ultra #233

Javy Lopez doing sexy lunges? Javy Lopez doing sexy lunges.

Eric Chavez, 1993-1994 Fleer Excel #3

I know what you're thinking, but no, it's not THAT Eric Chavez. This is not the guy who slugged 260 home runs for the A's, Yankees, and Diamondbacks in a big league career that spanned the 1998-2014 seasons. That was Eric Cesar Chavez, born in 1977 in Los Angeles and drafted 10th overall by Oakland in 1996. THIS Eric Chavez is Ruben Eric Chavez, born in 1970 in Montebello, CA and signed by the O's as an undrafted free agent in 1992. The Orioles' Eric Chavez spent six years in the farm system, but had only 15 games at AA Bowie and none at AAA Rochester. He did hit 96 home runs in 638 games, with a single-season high of 23 for the Frederick Keys in 1994. He also played for the Albany Polecats in 1993, and yes that was really a Baltimore affiliate in the mid-90s. They played in Albany, GA in the low-A South Atlantic ("Sally") League, and had an adorable cartoon skunk logo. Dig it.

Mike Devereaux, 1994 Fleer Flair #252

You might've noticed that I disappeared for a week. There's a hell of a lot going on in my world right now, and I'm trying to make sense of it all. But I can still take solace in the nonsensical, like Mike Devereaux fighting a slightly larger Mike Devereaux. Which is mightier? Little Devo's Bat of Truth or Big Devo's Fist of Justice? There are no wrong answers.

Christian Walker, 2015 Topps Finest #49

There was baseball today! Well, sort of. Ryan Flaherty batted leadoff for the Orioles in their Grapefruit League opener, the team used eight pitchers, and they settled for a 4-4 tie with the Braves after ten innings. But it's all good. Christian Walker drove in the first run of the spring for the Birds, plating Flaherty in the top of the first inning. He also had a two-run homer later in the game; after a so-so 2015 at AAA Norfolk (.257/.324/.423, 18 HR, 74 RBI), the 25-year-old is starting the exhibition slate on a positive note.