It’s August 15, 1996, and an overnight trip to the West Coast didn’t slow the O’s. Chris Hoiles hit two of the team’s five homers and Bobby Bonilla added five RBI as Baltimore scored 15 times in the final three innings to crush the A’s 18-5 in Oakland.

Though the final score wouldn’t indicate it, this was a pitchers’ duel for much of the night, as O’s ace Mike Mussina took a 3-2 lead over the A’s Willie Adams into the seventh inning. But it all fell apart for Oakland after that. The O’s scored six in the seventh, three in the eighth, and six more in the ninth. With a doubleheader tomorrow, maybe they should have saved a few of those runs.

“It’s kind of been that way the last couple of months,” Mussina said to the Sun’s Peter Schmuck. “If you stay in the game long enough, there’s the feeling that we’re going to score some runs. You know we’re going to get three or four or five runs in one inning.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 4D, August 16, 1996)

The homers helped Hoiles extend his career-long hitting streak to 12 games. In addition to his blast, Bonilla, Rafael Palmeiro, and Roberto Alomar all homered for the Birds.

It was not all good news. Playing on torn up turf at the Oakland Coliseum after a Raiders preseason game, O’s outfielder Jeffery Hammonds appeared to catch his left leg in the grass and twisted it awkwardly. He had to be helped off the field and seems destined for the injured list.

“You always have concern [about the field conditions], no question about it,” O’s manager Davey Johnson had said before the game. “But it’s not like the first time this has ever happened. Always this time of year, when you’ve got two sports going, that’s going to be a problem.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 4D, August 16, 1996)

In other injury news, reliever Roger McDowell is back on the injured list with his sore shoulder. The O’s called up Nerio Rodriguez from Single-A Frederick to take his place.

Here is the box score with the lovely totals.

Five more bricks added today! Two for Hoiles and one each for Raffy, Bobby Bo, and Robbie.

DOUBLEHEADER!

Orioles (63-56) at A’s (60-63) 5:35 p.m.

Game 1 Starting Pitchers
BAL – RHP Scott Erickson (6-10, 5.16 ERA)
OAK – RHP John Wasdin (7-5, 6.19 ERA)

Game 2 Starting Pitchers
BAL – LHP Rick Krivda (2-4, 5.10 ERA)
OAK – RHP Doug Johns (6-11, 5.75 ERA)

The GOP officially nominated former Kansas senator Bob Dole for president at the party’s convention in San Diego. We have already discussed Dole a lot, so let’s focus on a front page Sun article by Paul West: “Rising stars of GOP find ways to shine.”

Because of Dole’s near certain loss this November to President Bill Clinton, everyone is already looking at the “Millennial Class,” the next generation who will not have to face an incumbent.

While the article mentions newly tabbed VP candidate Jack Kemp and inveterate racist Pat Buchanan — a decades-long avatar of the essence of American conservatism — as likely candidates in 2020, there are new names popping up.

Who are these folks? Take it away, Paul!

“They include New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who is 49; Texas Gov. George W. Bush, 49; California Attorney General Dan Lungren, 49; Rep. John R. Kasich of Ohio, 44; Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, 53; Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, 54; Sen. John McCain of Arizona, 59; and former South Carolina Gov. Carroll A. Campbell Jr., 56.”

That’s like a Dream Team! A regular Murderer’s Row, if the people being murdered were poor people or anyone needing a functioning federal government.

“At any given time, the ’00 hopefuls, when they are not busily praying that Dole loses in ’96, are making the circuit here, which is sort of inch-by-inch, hotel to hotel,” said James Pinkerton, an aptly named former Bush White House aide.

Anyway, I wonder if any of those names will be relevant in the decade to come.

“At this point, we’re not here to hot-dog,” said Karl Rove, the chief political adviser to Gov. Bush.

Bush already had $6 million in the bank for his 1998 reelection campaign and a 72% approval rating in Texas. Something to keep an eye on, I guess.

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

Some good deals at Beeper Warehouse.