Leading Off The Orioles are legitimately one of the best teams in baseball. That is a real statement that we wrote out loud. Wherever you are, we hope you are enjoying some of the best Orioles Baseball we’ve seen in these parts for a while. Drink of the Week Join us for the Drink of the Week, and let us know how you’re consoling yourself as you watch the O’s. Find us on Untappd * magn8606 * jakee4025 This Week on the Twitters Ryan Mountcastle now has 38 RBI and an OPS upward of .980 in 46 career games against the Blue Jays— Joe Papparotto (@JoePappa) July 31, 2023 My mom just sent me this. It’s open and mostly full. pic.twitter.com/4Ye4bk7lTe— Heather Linington-Noble (@AlainnFocail) July 29, 2023 Whit Merrifield reacting to Austin Hays’ Game-Saving CatchInject this into my veins #Birdland pic.twitter.com/KA9TvQhO5Q— Booben(O’s)🇵🇷 (@BoobenOG) August 1, 2023 17-9 in a month entirely against teams above .500 is pretty damn good pic.twitter.com/i1ZtHBdmUg— Orioles Haiku (@Os_poems) August 1, 2023 Around the Bases First Base: Trade Deadline The Orioles made a trade for Jack Flaherty. How… how do we feel about this? What would we have preferred? Second Base: Adley in the leadoff spot We’re getting Markakis in the leadoff spot vibes. And the Orioles are getting results. We’re not sure you’ve delved into the stats on this (SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, SMALL SAMPLE SAMPLE SIZE), but the early returns say that this is fun. And our Jim Hunter tinted glasses agree that this is fun. Third Base: Meaningful games in July We talked endlessly about the Orioles’ schedule in May. But July was over before we truly reflected upon the fact that the Orioles were a (tied for) MLB best 17-9 in July, and that every opponent was .500+ We don’t want to alarm you, but the Orioles have met challenges in July – opponents, health, etc. – and they have met them. Here’s to a fun August! Home Plate: Participation Trophies This was apparently a real thing that the Mets’ Steve Cohen sad: Reading my @TheAthletic premium plus bonus-tier unlocked article today on the Mets future, and I mean this is absoluteley unreal. @NjTank99 was right pic.twitter.com/fnCB9PM1CI— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) August 2, 2023