Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Finally, we’ve reached the date we’ve all circled on our calendar. This weekend, the 18-38 Chicago White Sox visit Camden Yards to take on the 19-36 Orioles in a battle between the American League’s two worst teams. They both suck, but only one can be the suckiest. Who. Will. Own it? It’s sure to be a memorable scuffle, not so much a heavyweight brawl but more like Napoleon Dynamite slap fighting his brother.

The O’s, with a 1.5-game edge on the White Sox, need only win one of the three games to avoid ending the weekend with the worst record in the AL. Theoretically they should be able to do so, not because of any skill of their own but because the White Sox are simply dreadful. Still, if there’s any team that’s capable of getting swept in any given series, it’s the Orioles. You guys, how did it come to this?

Meanwhile, the O’s may be close to adding a new coach to fill one of the spots vacated by their recent firings of Brandon Hyde and Tim Cossins. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles are in discussions with John Mabry, who had a 14-year MLB playing career and has since served as a coach for a dozen seasons with three teams. Mabry is expected to become a “senior advisor” on the Orioles’ staff, but Rosenthal notes that the bulk of his previous experience is as a hitting coach.

I don’t have any strong opinions about John Mabry, whose name I had not thought of in years until now. But with so many Orioles hitters badly underperforming, some inexplicably so, it couldn’t hurt to have another guy with hitting coach experience join the staff. Maybe he’ll have some fresh ideas that will help the likes of Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, and Heston Kjerstad get their heads on straight. Or more likely, as seems to be the case with most of the Orioles’ coaches, he won’t be able to do anything to pull the Birds out of the mess they’re in. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try.

For now, let’s sit back, relax, and enjoy the next three games of what is, technically, baseball.

Links

Orioles facing more roster decisions – School of Roch
Roch Kubatko writes that the impending returns of Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg will leave the O’s with some “difficult” roster decisions. Are they, though? I feel like there’s some obvious flotsam on this roster that can be cut loose without shedding a tear.

Ranking MLB top 50 prospects after 2 months: Roman Anthony remains No. 1 – The Athletic
Keith Law’s midseason update puts Samuel Basallo as the #4 prospect in baseball. And he hasn’t given up on Coby Mayo yet, ranking him #18 despite having no good explanation for his 2025 struggles.

Why are Orioles’ players injured so often? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Because the baseball gods hate us?

Félix Bautista: Orioles closer goes out of his way to help rookie reliever – The Baltimore Banner
It’s impossible not to love Félix. He’s the very definition of a gentle giant.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Four ex-Orioles were born on this day: outfielder Brett Phillips (31) and right-handed pitchers Jairo Asencio (42), Mike Oquist (57), and the late Baltimore native John Miller (b. 1941, d. 2020).

On this date in 1982, O’s rookie Cal Ripken Jr. — after a day off in the previous game — started at third base against the Blue Jays, going 0-for-2 with a walk in a 6-0 loss. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but we now know that it was Game 1 of The Streak, the first of his 2,632 consecutive starts that made him baseball’s all-time Iron Man.

Random Orioles game of the day

On May 30, 1959, the Orioles got swept in a doubleheader by the Red Sox, 5-4 and 8-3, at Fenway Park. The O’s held a 3-0 lead in each game but squandered both of them. In the opener, first baseman Bob Boyd — who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement — committed a costly error that allowed the Sox to score the go-ahead run in the seventh.

And in the nightcap, with a three-run lead in the fifth, the O’s surrendered eight unanswered runs for the rest of the game. Hall of Famer Ted Williams slugged a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh. O’s right fielder Gene Woodling had a nice day at the plate, going 6-for-9 in the doubleheader.