Friday, April 6, 2018

Orioles Victory Card Number 2

Victory Number 2 - 5-2 over the New York Yankees 




2018 Topps Gypsy Queen Chance Cisco


When you start a project like this there are two things you worry about. First, that you won't be able to keep up and will drift behind and eventually give up. Luckily, that hasn't happened yet. My goal of posting a card following every Orioles victory before they start the next game is still intact after two wins.

The second thing you fear is that you have some sort of cosmic control over the outcome of ballgames happening a few hundred miles away. That, in some way, by celebrating every win with a cardboard image you are jinxing the team despite the fact that you are 40-some-odd years old and know better than to believe in things like jinxes or curses.

Yet here we are, or more precisely, he we were a few days ago with the Orioles suffering their fourth straight loss and honestly not being remotely competitive in any of the losses. At that point I wondered if this exercise in cardboard creativity was having some adverse affect on their play. We all knew the pitching would be suspect at best, but at least they'd be able to hit, right? Not so much as first the Twins pitching and then the Astros pitching shut their bats off.

With the Yankees and their line-up looming for the next four games, the likelihood of a 1-9 start to the season was not out of the realm of possibility. I also began to ponder if a 21 game losing streak following an Opening Day victory was just as bad as a 21 game losing streak to start the season (hello team of my youth the 1988 Orioles). The answer I came up with was no, but not by much.

Luckily one of the three late Spring Training signings and first man to rock a beard in a Baltimore uniform under the Showalter administration, Andrew Cashner, pitched six strong innings and the bats woke up enough to propel the team to a 5-2 win over Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees.  So good for them. Cashner picks up the first win for an Orioles starting pitcher on the season (despite Dylan Bundy's best efforts) and Chris Davis is hitting a respectable (for him) .250 when he's not leading off.

So, good job Orioles.  Let's see if you can make it two in a row and send Yankee fans into an early season meltdown.


3 comments:

Chris said...

Yes! Keep it going O's! I'm keeping an eye on Chance Sisco this year. Nice card.

Was that in Cashner's contract that he didn't have to shave? Or is Buck getting soft in his old age?

Justin G. said...

It's my understanding that the subject of the beard was brought up prior to him signing and he indicated that he wasn't going to shave it off so the Orioles just said he had to keep it well-trimmed.

Brett Alan said...

I know what you mean about jinxes. I'm the least superstitious person you'll find I don't believe in anything supernatural...until I'm watching the Mets or, even more so, the Rangers, when I'm suddenly absolutely convinced that the last goal was caused by what shirt I'm wearing or how the pennant on my table is aligned.