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 banking on the luck of the Irish

The Baltimore Orioles selected Ike Irish this evening out of Auburn University with the 19th pick in the MLB draft. At first glance it’s a curious pick – Irish is a catcher, and the Birds already have Adley Rutschman. But at second glance, he’s also an outfielder.

Irish is a career .350 hitter at Auburn, which boasts the likes of Frank Thomas and perhaps the greatest pure athlete in my lifetime, Bo Jackson. (Also Charles Barkley of the NBA.) Not to mention Orioles’ hall of Famer Gregg Olson. He also has a career .987 fielding percentage.

Irish is a catcher by trade, but he also plays right field. I suspect he won’t be catching in the farm system anytime soon with the logjam the Orioles have at that position. But time will tell. Either way, Irish is the team’s first pick.

Baltimore Orioles grounded entering the break

Brandon Young and the Baltimore Orioles had to wait an extra hour and 38 minutes to start this afternoon’s first half finale against Miami. The skies opened up over Camden Yards – and the O’s. Young probably wishes the game had been rained out at this point. Young’s line: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Young gave perhaps his best start as a pro earlier this past week against New York. Today was a different story. The O’s had a halfway decent start in that Jackson Holliday led off with a base hit and went to second on a passed ball. He was later picked off of second. Ramon Laureano also ran into the third out in the second trying to steal third.

But it was Miami’s Stowers, who the Orioles traded last year (as part of the Trevor Rogers trade), who owned the day. His solo homer in the first gave Miami a 1-0 lead. The following inning Brandon Young would get to two outs before back-to-back doubles extended the lead to 2-0.

That brought Stowers back to the plate, and he smacked his second home run of the game against his old team, this of the two-run variety. To show Miami wasn’t kidding, Lopez’s solo shot gave them a 5-0 lead. All that with two outs.

But Stowers wanted to prove his point. In the fifth he added a third home run, once again of the two-run variety. At least that one came before two outs. But Stowers didn’t want to leave Baltimore. As evidenced by his play today.

Two-out rallies have been a problem for the O’s for years. Young was heavy on four-seam fastballs on the fringes of the plate today; did Miami bank on that? Perhaps. Young could have also missed his spots. Having said that, he didn’t walk anyone. So I suspect he was throwing it where he intended. Miami would plate three additional runs, and Ramon Laureano’s solo homer got the O’s on the board in the 8th. But the Orioles fell today, 11-1.

End of the day this was a game that snowballed. Stowers finished with three homers and six RBI. And until the aforementioned Laureano homer, the O’s could never get anything going.

Needless to say, the first half wasn’t what anyone wanted. The team was decimated by injuries, and will continue to be. But they played well at the tail end of the first half – despite today. Do they have a stretch run in them at 43-52? That’s asking a lot. But you have to start somewhere.

Baltimore Orioles: Bottom of the order sinks the Birds

Trevor Rogers and the Baltimore Orioles overall should go down as hard-luck losers this afternoon. Rogers gave up one run in what appeared to be a pitcher’s duel – at first. The major damage came later. Rogers’ line: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K.

It’s a shame that an outing like that doesn’t yield a win. Or at the very least a no decision. But that’s how the ball bounces sometimes in baseball. Rogers I’m sure would have at the very least liked to beat his former team. Needless to say, he still dominated them.

Rogers surrendered a base hit with two outs in the seventh, and was lifted. The next hitter was hit by a Gregory Soto pitch, and Hill’s RBI-single broke a 0-0 tie and gave Miami a 1-0 lead. One inning later Sanchez’s RBI-single ran it to 2-0.

The bottom of the order didn’t come up again until the top of the ninth with two outs. Needless to say, Miami was still in a save situation with only a two-run lead. Stowers, a former Oriole, got aboard with a two-out single and promptly stole second base. That brought Hill to the plate again, and he grounded a ball sharply to Gunnar Henderson, who was only able to knock the ball down…

…he came set to throw to first, but froze. Stowers was running with two outs, and he didn’t stop. Henderson fired home, but was unable to nail Stowers at the plate.

Somewhere there was a miscommunication. Stowers just kept on motoring around, even though he was never known as a runner when he was with the Orioles. Edwards would smack a two-run homer before the end of the inning, and Miami took game two of the series, 6-0.

This was a close game until the bottom of the order came up. It’s been a problem for the Orioles all year – the bottom of orders across the board. That and two-out rallies. But end of the day, you won’t win them all.

The series and the first half concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Eury Perez. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep doubleheader, win series against NYM

Tomoyuki Sugano’s had a rough go of things for the Baltimore Orioles of late. He was somewhere in between great and not good in the second game of today’s doubleheader, and still managed to pitch a quality start. Sugano’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Sugano put some traffic on base right out of the gate, but semi-minimized the damage. He allowed two runs in an RBI-groundout by Soto, and a sac fly-RBI to Alonso. When you can allow runs to score while recording outs and clearing the bases, that helps.

The Orioles got on the board thanks to a most unlikely catalyst – that being catcher Alex Jackson (who was just acquired via trade last weekend). Following Cedric Mullins’ one-out double, Jackson added an RBI-double, cutting the New York lead to 2-1. Jackson would score himself later in the inning when Jordan Westburg slugged one over the fence for a two-run home run, giving the Birds a 3-2 lead.

Sugano had one other hiccup, that being an RBI-single surrendered to Baty in the fourth. That did tie the game at three. However luckily for Sugano, Oriole bats stayed hot before he departed. Colton Cowser’s RBI-single in the fifth gave the Birds the lead back at 4-3. Ramon Urias reached on an E5, allowing Ramon Laureano to score to run it to 5-3.

We’ve seen the O’s “error their way” into deficits all season. That starts with getting guys on base; when you get guys on base, anything can happen. Today it worked in the Orioles’ favor.

And they added on an inning later. Alex Jackson showed he also had some speed – for a catcher. He ran on contact when Jordan Westburg sent a hopper to short. He slid in safely, and the O’s led 6-3. Ramon Laureano would tack on a seventh run on a fielder’s choice-RBI, and the Orioles went home 7-3 winners.

One of the reasons teams don’t like doubleheaders (one of the various reasons) is because statistically most teams tend to split doubleheaders. Today was a statistical oddity in that sense, because the Birds swept today’s games. And in doing so they took two-of-three from the Metropolitans from Queens.

The O’s now open a three-game set with Miami tomorrow night at Camden Yards – final series of the first half. The O’w are yet to announce a starter, but Miami will pitch Edward Cabrera. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Gunned in the nick of time

Charlie Morton gave the Baltimore Orioles another outstanding start this afternoon against the NYM. Morton was meant to pitch last night, but the game was rained out and ended up being the first part of a doubleheader today. Morton’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Morton took the ball in the wake of reliever Bryan Baker having been dealt to Tampa before the game. The Birds got some draft stock back for Baker, which could prove to be invaluable. But it’s always tough when you lose a teammate in that manner.

Morton gave up an RBI-double in the fifth to New York’s Taylor. But that was the only blip in the radar for the most part. Oriole bats were unable to muster much either. That is until they did.

Gunnar Henderson got the first part of this game off. Sometimes you have to stagger stars in doubleheaders. Especially when it’s as hot as it is today. But that also gave the Orioles a huge bat to use in a pinch-hitting situation, and Tony Mansolino picked his spot masterfully.

Henderson came up in the eighth with a runner on and the O’s still trailing 1-0. And he promptly smacked a two-run home run to right field. Suddenly, the Orioles were not only on the board, but they had the lead.

Ramon Laureano would extend it to 3-1 later in the inning with a sac fly-RBI. Felix Bautista closed New York out in the ninth, and the Orioles took game one of the twin bill. After losing the way they did on Tuesday and losing a teammate to a trade this morning, that was a big win. And needless to say, Gunnar Henderson rose to the occasion when the Orioles needed him.

The series concludes early this evening at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Brandon Waddell. Game time is set for just after 5 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Immaculate wasn’t enough

Brandon Young is coming along for the Baltimore Orioles as a starter. He still has a ways to go, But he’s improving – which is the goal. He had a solid start last night against the New York Mets at Camden Yards; Young’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

The game began in a 46 minute rain delay. But the Birds took the lead in the last of the third with Jackson Holliday’s RBI-single. Cedric Mullins scored all the way from first base to give the Orioles the lead.

One could argue that the fifth inning was Brandon Young’s crowning achievement as a pro. He pitched an immaculate inning, striking out the side. That’s a rarity in baseball, meaning that each hitter struck out on the minimum number of pitches (3). In many aspects it’s a made up stat. But it’s so rare it’s in fact very noteworthy.

However before leaving with one out in the sixth, Young would surrender the lead. A solo homer by Mauricio and an RBI-double by Nimmo put New York in control. But Oriole bats got Young off the hook – and he deserved that, as well as he pitched. The Birds loaded the bases in their half of the frame, and Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI double gave them a 3-2 lead.

Ramon Laureano followed with a two-RBI single to extend it to 5-2. One inning later in the seventh Jacksonville Holliday’s two-run home run ran things to 6-2. Then the eighth inning happened.

Bryan Baker’s pitched at a very high level for the Orioles out of the bullpen this year. Not anything, he’s become somewhat of a setup man. However the NYM appeared ready for him last night. Lindor smacked a two-run home run, and later in the inning Alonso did the same. That tied the game at six.

Occasionally pitchers are going to throw a clunker – even sure-handed relievers. You have to shake it off and come back to the ballpark the next day. Unfortunately the game which started late as it was needed an extra inning to get a result, and it was New York who came out on top. Soto&: run-scoring single in the tenth gave them a 7-6 lead – and a 7-6 win.

Yennier Cano got the loss, but of course that came as a result of the ghost runner. Soto swung at the first pitch and hit it. Sometimes you live or die by that ghost runner in extra’s.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Nee York’s David Peterson. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

Baltimore Orioles sweep Atlanta in Trevor Rogers’ neighborhood

I’m not sure too many people saw the Baltimore Orioles sweeping Atlanta this weekend at Truist Park. But they did just that, culminating in a game that began this morning. And a dominant performance by starter Trevor Rogers at that. Rogers’ line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Rogers was dominant from the beginning today. So were his teammates – in terms of getting guys on base, that is. They did leave runners on base, which can often come back to bite you.

But the O’s did manage to take the lead. Jackson Holliday smacked a two-run home run in the third inning to put the Birds ahead 2-0. In theory, that was all the Orioles needed. However they did leave the bases loaded in the sixth. In close games, you have to find a way to tack on insurance runs. Today it didn’t bite them.

Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto were both strong out of the bullpen. Atlanta did make a small run of things in the ninth with Seranthony Dominguez on for the save. Murphy slapped a solo homer to cut it to 2-1. They also put the tying run on base, but Dominguez pitched out of it, out of the inning, to a win, and to an Oriole sweep in Atlanta.

These two teams have been disappointing this year, mainly due to injuries. But this weekend we saw what the Orioles were expected to be, and what they can be if not for their injuries. This was a series sweep, and a winning road trip at 4-2.

It begins and ends with starting pitching. Trevor Rogers wasn’t only good today. He was outstanding. It begins and ends with starting pitching. Rogers may well have deserved more run support than he got. But he got enough. And it equated to a big win.

The O’s are now to within ten games of the .500 mark at 40-49. Not very long ago that seemed like an unlikelihood. Will this season still be something? We don’t know. But they’re trending in the right direction.

Baltimore Orioles: Ramon Laureano and Jacob Stallings for the win in the ATL

The Baltimore Orioles squeaked one out in Atlanta late this afternoon. Dean Kremer was so-so out of the starting gate today. But solid enough to keep his team in the ballgame. Kremer’s line: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Kremer gave up a two-run homer to Riley in the first inning. But that set the tone for the game, as that’s the sort of day it was shaping up to be. Tyler O’Neill got the Birds on the board with a moon shot of a split home run in the third. Later in the inning Jordan Westburg gave them the lead with a two-run homer, continuing his hot streak since returning to the lineup.

However Atlanta had some tricks up their sleeve as well. Olson smacked a solo shot in the third to tie the game. Olson’s had a good series thus far. Something to watch going into tomorrow.

One inning later the O’s got the lead back. Colton Cowser’s two-run homer put them ahead 5-3. Olson would strike again in the home half of the inning with an RBI-single, and Riley tied the game with a subsequent RBI-double. It could have been worse with two on and two out; Atlanta sent the trail runner, but Cowser-to-Henderson-to-Sanchez nailed him at home plate to end the inning.

However that was costly, still. Gary Sanchez left the game with an injured knee on the play. The Orioles replaced him with Jacob Stallings, but this could be yet another injured catcher. It’s almost laughable at this point.

Atlanta would take a 6-5 lead on an RBI-groundout in the sixth. But the Birds hung in. Jackson Holliday tied the game with an RBI-single in the seventh. And the score remained tied at six, so the game went to extra innings. And remember, the Orioles start the tenth with a runner on second…

…and they took advantage. Ramon Laureano’s one-out run-scoring double gave the O’s a 7-6 lead. Following an intentional walk Jacob Stallings came to the plate with two on and two out. And the .135 hitter came through with a two-RBI double, extending the lead to 9-6. Yennier Cano sent Atlanta down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, and the O’s have taken the first two of this series.

The big concern of course is Gary Sanchez. Stallings will probably catch tomorrow, and odds are he would have already. The O’s have an off day Monday. So if the injury is minor, maybe he avoids the IL. But we can’t say for sure yet.

The series concludes tomorrow at Truist Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Grant Holmes. Game time is set for just after 11:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Peach cobbler for Uncle Charlie on the 4th of July

Charlie Morton got the start for the Baltimore Orioles at Atlanta’s Truist Park this evening on the 4th of July. Morton of course played for Atlanta, and knows Truist Park well. It showed tonight, needless to say. Morton’s line: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Morton got ahead in counts by spinning his breaking pitches, and mixing them in with his fastballs. And he kept Atlanta hitters guessing and off-kilter. Perhaps it doesn’t hurt that he’s pitched in this park many times and he knows it.

Atlanta starter Strider matched Morton for most of the game. Ironically both starters were “plagued” (lightly) by the same affliction: the long ball. Every run in the game scored a da result of the ball going over the fence.

It started with Jordan Westburg, who returned to the lineup for the first time in a week. This after jamming his fingers sliding into second base last Friday. And Westburg made the most of his opportunity to get back into the lineup, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the third.

Two innings later Cedric Mullins’ two-run home run extended the lead to 3-0. And it’s a good thing that he did, as Atlanta put two runs on the board. Baldwin smacked a two-run home run in the last of the sixth, cutting the lead to 3-2.

However the Oriole bullpen was solid after taking over. Baldwin was literally the last Atlanta hitter to reach base in the game. Andrew Kitteredge, Bryan Baker, and Felix Bautista (in the ninth) were all outstanding. Perhaps one of the most unsung moments was Baker retiring the side 1-2-3 in the eighth. That meant that if Bautista could do the same in the ninth (which he did), the Orioles wouldn’t see the top of the order in the ninth.

The series continues tomorrow at Truist Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and Atlanta is yet to announce a starter. But whomever he ends up being, game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano and the Birds can’t adjust

Tomoyuki Sugano has been the Baltimore Orioles’ best pitcher this year – a rookie. Granted Sugano’s a veteran of the game having played in Japan, but this is his first year in MLB. He started July off last night in Texas similar to how he ended June; Sugano’s line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Sugano got zero run support, which certainly isn’t his fault. However Sugano had a 2.79 ERA in April, 3.48 in May, and a 6.28 in June. Now he’s started July with an ERA of 11.57. While he’s been good, that’s trending in the wrong direction.

Sugano surrendered a three-run homer to Semien in the last of the third. One inning later Duran’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 5-0. Seager’s solo homer in the fifth brought it to 6-0. And that’s all Texas needed. All off of Sugano.

So the question is has the league figured Sugano out? To some degree that appears to be the case. At the very least, they’ve adjusted to him. He now has to adjust back. Or more so, Drew French and Tony Mansolino need to help him to adjust.

Or is it more complex than that? We all know the Orioles’ at times insistence that analytics be used at every stage. The Semien homer came on a sweeper that was in the meaty part of the zone. So to some degree the result is to be expected – Sugano was obviously pitching-to-contact.

The Duran two-RBI single came on a sweeper that was in the zone, but VERY low-and-away. As low-and-away as it could possibly be. The Seager homer was on a splitter that was also low-and-away. Those are hardly pitches that should have been hit the way they were based on their location – unless the hitter knew where the pitch was going to be.

The book on the Orioles is that they ARE the book. I’ve written about the possibility of people tipping pitches, which I do think is somewhat probable. But it’s almost like opponents can read how their at-bats are going to go using the same tools the Orioles do.

Consequently, how often do we notice balls sleeking through the infield? Could it be because the top brass insists so much that the infield has to be played in such-and-such a way, and all teams have to do is tweak their hitting to put the ball in play elsewhere? On the flip side, the Orioles make loud outs at the plate. Because opponents know they either can’t or won’t adjust their hitting approaches. So they can position themselves perfectly.

Opponents are using the Orioles’ game plan against them. We see them getting on base due to soft contact. And yes, at times that’s fluky and it’s not necessarily the goal. But next time you see the Orioles in person, look at how deep their outfielders play. They’re slightly deeper than other teams position their outfielders. That’s obviously due to analytics, and it sets the tone for bloop singles to drop in.