Dan Connolly

Strangely, O’s really needed this rainout

No one  wants a rainout — except maybe Crash Davis in that awesome Bull Durham scene that has the Los Lobos’ “I Got Loaded,” playing in the background.

But sometimes rainouts can be helpful.

Tuesday’s decision to postpone the Orioles-Tampa Bay Rays game before gates even opened was a nod to the storms that were predicted.

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But it also let the Orioles get their roster in a little better order.

Infielder Tim Beckham is almost certainly headed to the disabled list with a strained groin injury suffered Monday night. He had a MRI on Tuesday, and the Orioles were waiting on official results before a move was made.

Because of the rainout the Orioles could wait until Wednesday to officially make the transaction, It will be coupled with adding newly acquired infielder/outfielder Jace Peterson to the 25-man roster.

Peterson, who was claimed off waivers Tuesday, wasn’t scheduled to get into Baltimore until late Tuesday night, so the Orioles would have had to add Engelb Vielma for one day or play a man down (and have a  two-man bench).

With the rainout, Peterson will be added Wednesday afternoon while Beckham will be placed on the DL. No extra moves needed.

The rainout also gives the Orioles (6-17)  a little breather after seven straight games, and six losses.

Showalter wouldn’t bite on the question as to whether this rainout would double as a good regrouping day, but it’s not hard to read between the lines.

Take a break, get a breath and come back to play Wednesday. That’s gotta be the hope, anyway.

The pitching matchups have been pushed back, so Alex Cobb and Jake Faria will pitch Wednesday and Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer will face off Thursday,

Tuesday’s game will be made up on Saturday, May 12 at 3:05 p.m. as part of a one-admission doubleheader.

Because the Orioles already have lost a scheduled off day on May 17 (they are making up a rainout in Boston), the club will now play 27 games in 27 days with just one offday (May 14).

And that will be a tough stretch then.

But, given how they have played recently, the Orioles sure could use a night to clear their heads now.

Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly has spent more than two decades as a print journalist in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate first covered the Orioles as a beat writer for the York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record in 2001 before becoming The Baltimore Sun’s national baseball writer/Orioles reporter in 2005. He has won multiple state and national writing awards, including several from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2013 he was named Maryland Co-Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. And in 2015, he authored his first book, "100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." He lives in York, with his wife, Karen, and three children, Alex, Annie, and Grace.

View Comments

  • Hey Dan I have a question for you, I don't know if you have access to the clubhouse, if you do what is the mood in there are the guys having fun (joking around) or are they up tight trying to get through this bad stretch? I have always heard that winning makes for better chemistry (makes sense), and losing creates tension. the core of the team has been together for a while now and if they are not relaxed they will have a long hard season, but if they are relaxed that maybe they will be able to get out of the funk sooner than later

    • JP: my BBWAA card does get me into the clubhouse. And I’d say there is definitely some frustration. But it’s a pretty loose clubhouse and it doesn’t seem particularly tense right now. Lots of ping pong and pool being played.

  • it means possibly Schoop and Trumbo can hopefully be back in time to play the make up game. The bats can't get any worse than they are now.

    • That’s the funny thing. These guys are always in the batting cage. Unfortunately, Carlos Carrasco doesn’t go with them

      • It maybe who they are with while in the batting and what they are and are not working on. This team needs a whole lot of "go with the pitch" refreshers IMO.

  • Rain out definitely helps. A breather for Beckham(DL) may not be a bad thing. One of the disappointing factors lately is the lack of "Heeding the Opportunity" for players such as Gentry,Sardinas,Santander,Valencia. Guess they are what they are. A little side note:We can all thank Jace Peterson for Manny's defensive wakeup call. It was Peterson who beat out Manny's lazy throw to first in NY leading to an uneccessary run being scored.

  • Only bad thing with the rainout is I am at the game tonight and was looking forward to watching Bundy pitch. Although I will participate in the traditional double header on the 12th of May now.

  • On a less depressing note... or more depressing depending on how you look at it... if you like "I Got Loaded," the Wood Brothers have a fantastic cover of it.

    Perfect soundtrack for a rainy day, especially when your team is a dozen games out on April 25th.

    And I'm not going to say it's THE problem with their bats, but I took the family to the game on Sunday and I've determined that the Orioles need a walk-up song consultant.
    I mean, to each his/her own, but if you aren't getting people excited by your play, at least give them 10 seconds of fun before hitting into the shift in the 8th with the left side open and needing 2 to tie.

    I don't need a specific genre. I'll work with their tastes, but good grief the excitement level outside of about 2-3 players was somewhere between a collective yawn and "what is this?"
    Also, I'm pretty sure those 2-3 players were the only ones hitting above .200.

    • OK, PJ, lets skip baseball for a moment. I love the Wood Brothers’ version. I love the Wood Brothers. Postcards from Hell is one of my favorite songs of all time.

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