Author Archives: Domenic Vadala

Welcome to Birdland Crush! Yes folks, for the record it's a spin off of the popular summer beverage native to the Mid-Atlantic Region - "orange crush." Nevertheless, I've been covering Orioles' baseball since 2009 in some capacity, and it's basically the greatest gig of all time so far as I'm concerned! But for those who aren't familiar with my work or bio, I'm familiar with pretty much every sport out there. But baseball is king - we all know that. So my hope is that you come back and check in after every Orioles' game, and throughout the off-season. I'm always on duty!

Baltimore Orioles boat raced by Milwaukee

Dean Kremer started for the Baltimore Orioles tonight, and odds are he wishes he stayed in the clubhouse. Milwaukee came out swinging, and they used that to their advantage. Kremer’s line: 8 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 2 K.

Just about everything went Milwaukee’s way tonight from the get go. Every bounce, and every turn. Adames smacked a solo homer in the first, and Wiener a two-run shot in the third. Wiemer would come up again in the fourth, producing an RBI-single.

And things snowballed from there. Manager Brandon Hyde was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the fifth. After the game he said he felt that the strike zone was getting “rather large.” Needless to say, the implication was that Milwaukee got one version of the zone, and the Orioles another.

Perhaps a concerning thing is the number of hits and RBI came from the bottom of the order, as well as with two outs. That’s a huge problem. You can’t allow hits and runs at any point, much less when you’re almost off the hook.

With Milwaukee leading 10-0, the Birds finally got on the board in the ninth. Austin Hays’ RBI-single played a run. Ryan McKenna would later ground into a double-play with the bases loaded, finishing things off at 10-2.

Bruce Zimmerman also did a solid for the Birds, pitching three innings. This saved the Orioles at least one or two relievers. He was able to take the ball from Kremer and run with it to the finish line. Yes in a losing effort, but he bridged the gap and saved the bullpen for tomorrow and this weekend.

The series continues tomorrow at American Family Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall late in Milwaukee

Kyle Gibson got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in Milwaukee last night. And in effect he did his job. He put the Birds in a position to win. The O’s however need to get more mileage out of their starters so as to not overtax the bullpen. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

This isn’t to say that Gibson pitched poorly. We’ve seen better, but we most certainly also seen worse. And there are a lot of things in games (such as run production) that’s beyond the control of a starting pitcher.

Milwaukee took an early 2-0 lead in the last of the first on two separate RBI-singles. One by Anderson and another by Toro. And those were the only runs Gibson surrendered.

It was a game where neither side seemed to be ready to put it all together in a sense. The O’s tied it up in the second on a two-run homer by Aaron Hicks. The signing of Hicks was semi-unpopular amongst a lot of fans. But he’s produced in the short time he’s been an Oriole. Rightfully he should have had several other RBI last night as well. In fact, the Orioles probably would have won the game outright had he not been robbed.

But they made a valiant stab at winning. Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer in the seventh gave them the lead. However an RBI-single by Turang in the eighth tied it up. And Wiemer’s RBI-single in the tenth won it for Milwaukee.

Again, there are a lot of things that needed to come together and didn’t – not just Kyle Gibson. The tying and winning runs got into scoring position by the runners stealing second base. In both instances, Adley Rutschman’s throw came to the third base side of the bag – short-hopping in one case. Those are things that must and will be tightened up going along.

The series continues this evening at American Family Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: First team to 20 road wins

The Baltimore Orioles entered today’s series finale in San Francisco with a shot to win the series. They also were looking to become the first team league wife to achieve 20 road wins. High stakes for sure, as Tyler Wells went to the mound. And he didn’t disappoint. Wells’ line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

The real story of the ballgame is the Orioles’ six-run third inning. When you’re able to put crooked numbers up on the board like that, you enhance your shot at winning. In a sense, the game was over before things even got cooking.

Adam Frazier’s sac fly-RBI got things started. Following an RBI-single by Austin Hays, the Orioles would load the bases. And Ryan Mountcastle would draw a walk, extending the lead to 3-0. However the bags remained juiced…

…and rookie Josh Lester was coming to bat. The Orioles brought Lester up for this game when Danny Columbe was sent to the bereavement list. And with the bases loaded, he sent a line drive into centerfield. He wound up at second base, however it went as a two-RBI single and an error.

That was Lester’s first major league hit. And it resulted in three runs, once again showing how strong the Orioles have built up their farm system. And that busted the game wide open, with the Birds strongly in command.

James McCann’s solo homer in the sixth would extend the Orioles’ lead to 7-0. However San Francisco would add three runs, two of which came on a two-run homer in the last of the sixth. Aaron Hicks would add an RBI-triple in the top of the ninth, and the O’s closed out an 8-3 win.

Again, the Orioles are the first team this year in MLB to win 20 road games. Now I’m the first one to tell you that’s a manufactured stat. However it also shows how good the Orioles are this year. However more importantly, it shows how good they potentially could be moving forward.

Baltimore Orioles: Like a fine Cali wine

The Baltimore Orioles sent Southern California native Dean Kremer to the mound in the series opener in San Francisco last night. Of course, his skipper, Brandon Hyde, is also from the region. It’s always good to come back to your hometown (or home region) and perform well. Especially when you’re a team in the pennant race. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

That’s a quality start for Kremer, if you’re keeping track at home – and I know you are! It didn’t start well, however. The first pitch he threw was hit out of the ballpark and into San Francisco Bay by Wade. And before they knew it, the Orioles trailed.

However solo homers rarely beat you. Especially when they come on the first pitch of the first inning, and you have the entire game to make up the run. And the Orioles did that right away.

Austin Hays led off the second with a double – a double that almost left the ballpark, incidentally. But he would later score on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single. Later in the inning Jorge Mateo plated a second run with a swinging bunt at home plate. Newly signed Aaron Hicks scored from third, giving the O’s a 2-1 lead.

And make no mistake that part of that run scoring was the placement of the ball – which was mainly luck. However Mateo’s speed also played a major role. He was quick out of the box, and his blazing speed got him to first. San Francisco never had a chance at preventing the run from scoring.

However they did quickly tie the game. Yastrzemski’s RBI-double in the last of the third tied things up at two. But let’s back up for a moment – all things being the same, that could have been a go-ahead run. Davis hit what should have been an RBI-single to right field with a runner on second. However Anthony Santander came up throwing…

…and he gunned the base runner out at home plate. Plays as such are huge in close games. And luckily for the O’s, this one went their way.

Speaking of “gunning,” it was Gunnar Henderson who put the Birds back in the lead. His solo home run in the seventh gave them a 3-2 lead. The bullpen did it’s job, and the O’s took game one of three in the Bay Area.

As I said, manager Brandon Hyde and starter Dean Kremer were playing in their old stomping grounds. It has to be a cool moment to come back to your home region as an athlete or coach. Hyde addressed this point before the game when asked if it meant anything to him:

Yeah it does (mean something to manage here). We drove by Candlestick going to the hotel two nights ago and I have special memories of going to those games. Watching Joe Montana with the Niners and watching Will Clark with the Giants in my younger days with my dad and friends.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

The series continues this evening at Oracle Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Francisco’s Alex Cobb (former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds hold on late to win

The Baltimore Orioles we’re hoping that Kyle Gibson would go deeper into tonight’s game against Cleveland. But they rode him as far as they could, and he came technically one out short of a quality start. But make no mistake about the fact that it was a quality start – just not a quality start. You read me?! Gibson’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took the lead right off the bat in the last of the first on Gunnar Henderson’s two-RBI single. One inning later they broke the game open – for the time being. Adley Rutschman walked with the bases loaded, extending the lead to 3-0. The bases of course remained loaded at that point, but they were cleared on a double by Anthony Santander.

At this point the Birds led 6-0, and that was extended to 7-0 on Austin Hays’ sac fly-RBI. Cleveland would get a run back in the fourth on Bell’s RBI-single, but they themselves put a an additional run on the board in the last of the fifth on an RBI-single by Gunnar Henderson. A seven-run lead should be safe, right? Yes and no; Cleveland would make it interesting, narrowing the lead to within 8-5. But the Birds would eventually close out the game with Felix Bautista getting the save, and they cruised to an 8-5 win.

The issue is that the Birds are suddenly having issues hitting in the clutch. They had the bases loaded with nobody out in the seventh, and Gunnar Henderson grounded into a double-play – with one out being made at home plate. And they ended up not scoring.

They need to find a way to not sit on leads, as that’s something which eventually will come back and haunt them. Furthermore, if they put even one more run on the board, they aren’t in a save situation. Meaning they don’t have to use Bautista in the ninth. These are things they need to correct as they go along, or eventually they’ll find themselves blowing games late. This as opposed to winning them late.

Before the game the Orioles out Cedric Mullins on the IL, and signed former NYY Aaron Hicks (who was recently DFA’d). Mullins of course injured his groin in yesterday’s game, and could miss a few weeks. Hicks wasn’t available for tonight’s game, but odds are he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.

The series with Cleveland concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever gets the start will be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Lineup controversy in Birds’ loss?

Tyler Wells turned in another stellar outing for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon against Cleveland on Memorial Day Monday. And yes, he deserved a better fate than what he received. Wells’ line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

Wells was outstanding today. Plain and simple. His lone mishap was a balk in the fifth inning, allowing a runner to get to third. That runner would later score on Gallagher’s sac fly-RBI. That’s the lone run that Wells surrendered, and the Birds trailed, 1-0.

Cleveland got a lot of favorable bounces in this game. This in the sense that they got on base by dumping fly balls in front of Oriole outfielder’s, and by way of Baltimore chops. Simplistic for sure. But effective. They also seemed to get to just about everything that came off of Oriole bats, making some amazing plays in the field.

Gallagher’s RBI-single in the seventh would extend their lead to 2-0. Kwan would later smack an RBI-double, and Ryan Mountcastle would commit a two-run throwing error trying to gun out a runner at home plate. This all amounted to a 5-0 Cleveland victory.

That error was charged to Ryan Mountcastle, and I’ll be honest I’m not sure why. The throw home to James McCann was slightly high. But McCann bobbled the ball – this on a play that should have been made.

McCann was also at the center of a slight controversy in this game before it even started mainly by virtue of the fact that he was in the lineup at all instead of Adley Rutschman, The same for Ryan McKenna being in right field.

I would say this; Adley Rutschman isn’t Cal Ripken Jr. He can’t play everyday, especially as a catcher. However it is somewhat interesting as to why Brandon Hyde seemed to put the “B Lineup” out there today. It’s fair however to say that again…nobody’s playing every game.

Personally I don’t think that Hyde’s “punting” games with lineups such as what we saw today, and what we’ve seen in the past (often on the final day of a series). He’s just ensuring that guys remain rested and fresh. It’s part of the job as manager.

Regarding Rutschman, you also have to look down the schedule. The O’s have a night game tomorrow, so he’ll have some additional time off. Then a mid-afternoon game on Wednesday to close out the series. Following that game, the O’s head out to San Francisco.

Point being, the pending road trip to the west coast may have had something to do with why McCann and McKenna played that day. You have to take all of that into account. It’s also worth mentioning that James McCann smacked a double which pushed another runner to third in this game. So what little the Orioles did offensively, he was a participant.

One other thing to watch; Cedric Mullins limped off the field after running out a ground ball in the eighth inning. His status is unclear going forward. He appeared to pull up “lame” running out the ball. Certainly something to keep an eye on.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles avoid sweep, lifted late by Austin Hays

Kyle Bradish looked outstanding this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. The Birds we’re trying to avoid being swept for the first time this season, this potentially at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Bradish gave the Orioles a solid outing, putting them in a position to win the game. Bradish’s line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

The Orioles took an immediate 1-0 lead in the game. Austin Hays’ RBI-single got them on the board in the first inning. Later in the inning Ryan Mountcastle’s sac fly-RBI would extend the lead to 2-0.

The only problem with that is that the Mountcastle fly out came with the bases loaded. And the Orioles were only able to get tone run. With the bags juiced and nobody out. That’s a huge problem.

And the fact is that Texas is a good team, And they showed it in the first two games of this series. And again today. You have to take opportunities as they come against good teams.

And sure enough, Texas’ bats eventually came to life. Semien’s RBI-double in the sixth got them on the board and cut the Birds’ lead in half. Texas also got a runner to third base in the eighth, and he scored on Seager’s RBI-double, tying the game at two.

However the O’s are a pretty good team also. In case you didn’t notice! They put runners at the corners in the top of the eighth with nobody out. This brought Austin Hays to the plate, abs his RBI-single gave the Orioles the lead back at 3-2.

And while everything worked out and the O’s took the win, they could have used more than one run there. Felix Bautista closed things out, but one run games are always tough. Insurance runs are always appreciated.

And with that, the O’s avoided being swept. While this series with Texas didn’t go quite according to plan, it’s always good to salvage at least one. And the fact is that Texas is a good team – as I said above. Just one win is better than being swept.

The O’s open up a three-game set tomorrow (Memorial Day) with the Cleveland Guardians at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Logan Allen. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Have to tip your cap to Austin Voth

Things didn’t exactly as the Baltimore Orioles wanted on the night they debuted their City Connect uniforms. Gunnar Henderson pitched okay for three innings, and fell apart in the fourth. Henderson’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R (8 earned), 3 BB, 6 K.

The Orioles actually held an early lead in this game. Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the last of the first put the Birds ahead, 1-0. But that was short-lived. Taveras’ two-run homer in the second gave Texas the lead at 2-1. Unfortunately for the O’s, that was a harbinger for the rest of the game.

Texas got an RBI-single by King in the fourth, followed by a two-run homer by Grossman. Following Grossman’s at-bat, they would proceed to load the bases. And with the bases loaded, Seager’s grand slam would finally chase Rodriguez to the showers, and Texas led, 9-1.

Jung would add an RBI-single before the inning ended, and the Birds trailed 10-1. However Austin Voth came into the game in Rodriguez’s place, and was solid. He brought the Orioles back to a place of stability, pitching 3.2 innings and striking out one. He gave up one run.

And that’s the story of the game for the O’s. Voth ate up innings and stemmed the tide. The result of the game itself was basically decided. However he saved one or two bullpen relievers. And that makes a huge difference going into tomorrow – and onward.

The O’s even mustered an additional run. Terrin Vavra’s RBI-single in the eighth cut the lead to 10-2. Now Texas would put two back on the board in the ninth, but who’s counting. And for what it’s worth, those runs came against…Ryan McKenna. For the first time this year, we saw a position player pitch.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Andrew Heaney. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Gibson owns the Bronx as Birds pull away late

Kyle Gibson was outstanding for the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium tonight. The Birds keep stockpiling wins and quality starts. Not to mention series wins. And in this case, a win and a series win in the division. THAT is huge. Wells’ line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

Gibson gave up a hit in the game’s opening at-bat, and didn’t surrender another until the seventh inning. Which was his last inning. He kept a fairly potent lineup at bay for quite some time. And that’s how you put yourself in a position to win games.

Of course however, Gibson could have pitched a perfect game. But it basically doesn’t matter unless you put runs on the board. And you have to rely on your bats to do that.

The O’s got an RBI-single from Anthony Santander in the fifth, giving them a 1-0 lead. Austin Hays added a two-RBI double in the eighth, extending the lead to 3-0. New York would get one back in the last of the ninth on Calhoun’s RBI-double, but on this night and in this series, the O’s were just too much. They took two-of-three in this series, winning this game 3-1.

And when your pitching is as good as the Orioles’ was tonight, that’s all you need! New York manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes. So he wasn’t around to see the end. But the Birds are carefully writing the end of their story here in 2023. And so far, the ending appears to be favorable.

The O’s now head home to open up a three-game set with Texas at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Jon Gray. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The cream always rises to the top

It took longer than the Baltimore Orioles would have liked, but the Birds got the job done in the Bronx last night. The Orioles, and starter Tyler Wells, sat through an hour-and-a-half rain delay before starting last night’s game at Yankee Stadium. Wells’ line: 5.0 IP, 5 H 5 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

New York took an early lead on a two-run homer by Torres in the third. But Ryan Mountcastle’s solo shot an inning later acted as a harbinger for what was to come. Even still, before that could happen New York extended their lead to 5-1 on a two-run shot by Kiner-Falefa and Torres’ second homer of the game (a solo shot) the last of the fifth.

New York was feeling pretty comfortable. Heck, the Orioles would have been also had it been them – a four-run lead going into the later innings. Especially at Yankee Stadium. But the “later innings” are just that…later innings. They count as much as the earlier innings. And you have to play them out.

The O’s put two runners on before recording an out in the seventh. Adam Frazier came to the plate and put New York on notice that it wasn’t going to be their day with an immediate three-run homer. And that injected a shot in the arm into the hearts and minds of the Orioles.

The O’s would once again put two runners on (later in the seventh) for Gunnar Henderson’s at-bat. And Henderson pulled a tight grounder down the right field line, scoring two – and giving the Orioles a 6-5 lead. You can’t keep this team down for long.

Before the inning ended, the O’s would add a sac fly-RBI from Ryan Mountcastle, an RBI-single by Anthony Santander, and a run-scoring single by Austin Hays. (That final run was unearned due to an error on the Santander hit.) New York would get one back with an RBI-single in the last of the seventh, but the damage was done. By the Orioles.

You aren’t going to win every game. That goes without saying. Tuesday’s game was one of those for the Birds. But the beauty of baseball is that it’s played everyday. You come right back to the ballpark the next day and play again. And despite being down early, the Birds overcame incredible odds to win this game. That shouldn’t be lost on fans.

The series in New York concludes tonight at Yankee Stadium. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Clarke Schmidt. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.