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: Season won’t start April 9th (updated)

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of MLB remain in a holding pattern as the nation and the world battles the Coronavirus. However USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that commissioner Rob Manfred has said that the season won’t begin by April 9th. So again, we remain in a holding pattern.

Nightengale (who’s article I linked above) also said that the league is looking at various options that still include playing a 162-game schedule. It’s unclear what those options are, however I have to assume that most of them would involve playing well past when the league’s been comfortable playing in the past. Meaning presumably into November.

Again, the situation is fluid. What’s also unclear is the status of the crowds at games. Whether or not fans would be allowed come whenever they start the season remains to be seen. It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation. But here we are.

Update: The league announced that the start of the season has been pushed back to at least mid-May:

It’s tough to imagine an April and early May without baseball. But we’re about to find out what that’s going to be like. And it’s still unclear whether or not fans would even be allowed at games come that point.

Baltimore Orioles: We WILL get through this

The fact that the Baltimore Orioles and everyone else is kind of in a holding pattern right now is secondary. For people such as myself who breath this sport and this team (for purposes of this column) 365 days a year, that’s a bitter pill. It isn’t the off season, it’s just…nothing.

But that’s the way it has to be, folks. It just is. Public health is something that’s too important to risk just for the sake of even America’s pastime. Or the NCAA Tournament, and so forth. Orioles’ PA rep Chris Davis spoke yesterday on what the players’ plans are with the start of the season delayed at least two weeks:

I think a lot of it is up in the air. Hopefully, in the next few days, there are going to be more answers to the questions that we’ve had, but right now we’re just in a holding pattern.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Davis went onto say that some players would like to remain and work out at Ed Smith Stadium so as to get ready for the season (which eventually will begin). However it’s unclear if that will be possible or allowed. This truly is an unprecedented situation.

As you may have noticed, I find something to write everyday in the off season. Some days that’s not easy, but I find something – even if only fluff. It just keeps the site “tended to,” and up to date with fresh content. However it doesn’t come off as appropriate for me to do that given the current situation.

So in a sense similar to the league, this column is being put into a holding pattern. If there’s relevant news about the O’s or the league, I’ll report it. That might not come for a week or two, or it could come tomorrow. We just don’t know. Furthermore when things resume, we’ll still have daily coverage of the Orioles and the games – be they exhibition games or regular season.

However I want to leave you with a thought for the time being. We WILL get through this. And I don’t mean the O’s or the league, I mean the country as a whole. And of course the rest of the world. America’s made it through bad situations before, and we’ll do so again this time. If people listen to the authorities, stay home when ill, self-quarantine, etc, the numbers will go down. And before we know it, the screams of PLAY BALL! will be heard at Camden Yards.

Americans are resilient. We always have been. We’ll get through this. I say that as sure as hot dogs at a ballgame. My hope and prayer is that all readers stay safe and healthy during this uncertain period of time.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini recovering after colon surgery

When it rains it pours for the Baltimore Orioles. However the start of the season being pushed back pales in comparison to what Trey Mancini‘s been through this week. Mancini’s recovering this evening after having a malignant tumor removed from his colon.

Mancini of course left the team last weekend for an undisclosed medical procedure. We now know what that was for. The Orioles have said that at this time there’s no news on his rehabilitation, or when he’ll be ready. That might come next week. I don’t think that timetable should be a problem for anyone.

Join me in keeping Mancini in your prayers and wishing him well.

Baltimore Orioles: Season on hold

Major League Baseball has announced that the Baltimore Orioles’ season is on hold – along with the rest of the league. The statement by the league:

The Orioles themselves followed with a statement of their own:

This is obviously more serious than anyone would have ever thought it to be even a week ago. I’m not sure what else to say other than that. My hope and my prayer is that the situation improves substantially in the near future. This both for the sake of public health, and for the sake of the season. But mainly public health.

More as we hear it.

Baltimore Orioles: Season on the brink

As of right now, the Baltimore Orioles play Minnesota tonight in Ft. Myers. They play Toronto tomorrow in Sarasota. They open the regular season at home against New York on March 26th at 3 PM. That’s what the schedule says.

You know where this is going. In a very short span of time, the Coronavirus has ravaged American life. And as a “germophobe” myself, it’s not overly shocking. I guess what is shocking to me is that it’s gotten to the point to where the NBA is suspending it’s season, and the NCAA is no longer allowing fans at it’s post-season tournament games.

I shouldn’t say that it’s “shocking” to me. It’s just shocking in the sense that it’s come to this. When I think of pandemics, I think of the Spanish Flu circa 1918. Or the Black Death in Europe in the Middle Ages. I don’t think of 2020 and whether or not we’re going to play ball.

Look we all know the various options out there, and what the situation is. Some localities (Seattle and Oakland to name two) have banned mass events of more than 250 people. The Seattle Mariners have already said that they would be relocating home games to start the year.

Assuming the spread of the virus doesn’t severely curtail, my personal prediction is that the season will start similar to how the NCAA is doing things – games with no fans. The Orioles’ organization is obviously familiar with that concept, having had a fanless game in 2015 following civil unrest in Baltimore. And I suspect that’s a scenario they’d rather not have to repeat.

However here’s a much more grave prediction; the moment one player tests positive, MLB will follow the NBA’s example and suspend the season. Now when I say suspend, I mean suspend – not cancel. What happens once it’s safe to resume play is anyone’s guess.

This is a situation that’s changing on the fly. It seems like every hour yesterday there was something new. But any and all of these steps are probably necessary. Again, the O’s play tonight against Minnesota. All we can do is take things on a game-by-game basis.

Baltimore Orioles, Tom Eshelman blitzed by Toronto in Dunedin

The Baltimore Orioles ran into a buzz saw this afternoon in Dunedin against Toronto. Tom Eshelman struggled out of the gate. Or was it that Toronto’s bats were just hot? Probably a bit of both. Eshelman’s line: 2.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Eshelman’s trying to secure a spot in the back end of the Orioles’ rotation, meaning he picked a bad day to get roughed up like he did. However the fact that every other Oriole pitcher had similar results probably helps Eshelman’s case. After coming out of the game he didn’t seem to want to dwell on it:

Understand what I did and kind of move on from it. Not think about it too much. If you think about it a lot, then you screw yourself. Just take the negatives and turn them into a positive on my work days and get better for the next one

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Eshelman surrendered a solo homer to Bichette on the first pitch in the last of the first. That shouldn’t have been a huge issue, as solo home runs don’t beat you. But the game seemingly snowballed from there.

Gurriel smacked an RBI-double later in the inning. Grichuk added a two-run homer, and Jansen a solo shot. And before the crowd had seemingly settled in, the Birds trailed 5-0.

One positive for the O’s was Stevie Wilkerson‘s solo homer in the top of the second inning. But if anything that seemed to inspire Toronto hitters even more. They put four more on the board in the last of the second, all but ending the competitive phase of the game.

Grichuk would homer again in the fourth (this of the two-run variety), and Espinal would add a two-run homer of his own in the fifth. One inning later Burns’ solo shot ran the tally to 14-1. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good day to be an Oriole pitcher – that is unless you stayed back in Sarasota. Mason Williams would add a solo homer in the eighth to get the O’s to within 14-2.

The Orioles announced before the game that Alex Cobb is being scratched from his scheduled start tomorrow due to a blister on his hand. Cobb of course had knee surgery last year, ending his season. The Orioles did say that he would probably play if it were a regular season game, however in this case they’re holding out.

The Orioles head to Fort Myers tomorrow night to take on the Minnesota Twins. Bruce Zimmerman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jhoulys Chacin. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Three-run sixth lifts the Birds

Keegan Akin is making a case to be in the Baltimore Orioles’ starting rotation this year coming out of spring training. However his chances may have taken a bit of a hit this evening against Atlanta at Ed Smith Stadium. Akin’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

The four strikeouts and one walk were certainly positives. However Akin surrendered a third inning three-run homer by Pache, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead. Akin admitted after coming out that he made a bad pitch to Pache (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I would say so (one pitch really hurt). Just kind of felt uncomfortable out of the stretch. That’s kind of been my whole spring training memo I guess. Yeah, one bad pitch and obviously leadoff walks don’t help to start the inning. Have to eliminate those. Other than that, I felt pretty good.

However the last of the fourth saw the O’s get on the board. Anthony Santander‘s solo homer cut the Atlanta lead to 3-1. Hanser Alberto smacked a solo homer of his own one inning later. But it was the sixth inning that decided the actual outcome of the game.

Jose Iglesias‘ RBI-double in the last of the sixth tied the game at three. The Birds would later load the bases, and they were able to take the lead when Renato Nunez reached on an error. Dwight Smith Jr. would later get hit by a pitch, giving the O’s a 5-3 lead. Yusniel Diaz would smack an RBI-triple in the seventh, to close out the scoring in the Birds’ 6-3 win.

Again, one of the good things here is that the O’s didn’t quit when they were down early. That’s a good sign, and indicative of the moxie that this team had last year. They didn’t win a lot, but they never quit. That.’s important.

The O’s head to Dunedin tomorrow to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Tom Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Chase Anderson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: New announcers should look to the past

The Baltimore Orioles are revamping some of their broadcasters for the coming 2020 season. In all, there are 19 people who will serve as Oriole broadcasts this season, with different combinations going around throughout the season, and even some going between TV and radio. But there’s one guy to whom anyone calling Orioles games any year should look for guidance: Chuck Thompson.

I write a variation of this column during spring training every year; that being a tribute to the great Chuck Thompson. We all know who he is and his history with the Orioles. Not to mention national broadcasts. When he appeared nationally however, he was still uniquely Baltimore’s.

In mentioning the number of new people covering the team this year, I say that they should look to Thompson because of what he meant to the Baltimore community and to Orioles fans. As a hometown announcer, having the type of pull that he had is something that should be the goal.

That’s easier said than done. Back then every town and every team had it’s own Thompson. That voice of summer which represented good weather and good times. Philadelphia had Harry Kalas, New York Mel Allen, St. Louis Jack Buck, and Chicago Jack Brickhouse and later Haray Carey. Chuck Thompson was Baltimore’s “voice.”

While he did Colts games also, he’s synonymous with the O’s. When you would hear that smooth baritone of his, you knew it was time for Orioles baseball. I would argue that Orioles baseball wouldn’t be what it is today if not for Chuck Thompson. Until a certain point, the games weren’t televised. Fans’ only connection (unless they were at the game) was him broadcasting the games.

And that’s why that era of announcer was so important. Most people always remember their hometown voice as a result. Because if you wanted to follow the games, radio was the way to do it. So again, to the new voices of Orioles baseball, take a listen to Chuck Thompson. He was the best. The absolute best. Ain’t the beer cold?!

Baltimore Orioles: A mixed bag in a tie

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t get quite the same crisp effort out of starter Kohl Stewart this afternoon that they’ve gotten out of other starters this spring. Now granted Stewart had a stiff assignment in taking on the New York Yankees today; furthermore he wasn’t shelled by any means. He was somewhere “in the middle,” as I like to say. Stewart’s line: 3.0 IL, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Stewart, who hadn’t pitched in a game in a while (save for simulated games), said he felt he gave himself something on which to build (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It felt pretty good. It’s been a while, you know? So finally getting in the game instead of doing some of these sims that I’ve been doing. My stuff felt really good, especially as long as it’s been since I’ve been against live hitters. I felt like I executed the majority of things that I wanted to today. I made a few mistakes and they made me pay for it, but as far as building on this and getting some of thsoe things corrected that I didn’t do, we know exactly what I need to do a little better and we can make that happen in between starts.

Chris Davis continued his hot spring with an RBI-single in the last of the first to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. Dwight Smith Jr. would add an RBI–single later in the inning as well, and Pedro Severino would add a sac fly-RBI. However New York would storm back with three runs in the second, tying the game at two.

They would then take the lead in the fourth with a two-run homer my Milone. Now for the record, that wasn’t charged to Kohl Stewart. He had exited the game by then.

However an inning later Dwight Smith Jr. would bring the Birds back to within one with an infield RBI-single in the fifth. A Yusniel Díaz RBI-single in the eight would then tie the game at five. Which is how it ended. The teams opted to call it a day and leave it as a tie. Which of course is like kissing your sister. But results don’t matter at this stage.

The more pressing matter is the condition of Trey Mancini, who’s left the team and will undergo elective surgery for a non-baseball related condition this week. We don’t know what the condition is, nor how much time Mancini will miss. The Orioles ask that his privacy be respected at this time.

None of that sounds good. Nor do some of the quotes coming out of the Orioles’ clubhouse, with several players and coaches expressing that Trey is in their prayers. I’m not going to speculate on what the issue is, as per the family’s request through the team. However I would ask that all readers keep Trey Mancini and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

The O’s now find themselves with their line off day during camp coming up tomorrow. So no game! The facility will be closed, and players will be asked to stay away. Even during spring guys value their time off. So I’m sure they won’t have any issue following that edict!

Baltimore Orioles blanked against Tampa

The Baltimore Orioles pitched well for the second consecutive game. That’s seemingly been the motif this spring, as the O’s have pitched well in most games. This afternoon they sent Baltimore native Bruce Zimmerman to the mound, and he didn’t disappoint. Zimmerman’s line: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Zimmerman was solid on a day when Orioles’ pitching in general was solid. And after coming out of the game he himself seemed very satisfied with his outing (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I think I threw really well. I had a little bit of control issues that first inning. Loved having that solid defense behind me today, picking me up with that double play as well as a couple of those wind balls that Rio (Ruiz) played extremely well because it was moving around a lot up there.

I think my second and third inning I was able to settle down and really attack some hitters. Changeup was really good today. Didn’t really get to use my breaking balls as much, but overall I think it was a pretty solid day and the defense helped me out, which was nice.

After Zimmerman exited however, Tampa got on the board. Martinez’s RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead. And as they say, that’s your ballgame.

It may not have been a good day at the plate for the O’s, but the pitching was once again solid. And I think the coaches understand that not all games are going to yield big runs on offense. Especially against a team like Tampa who gets on base through any means necessary. But the fact that the pitching shut them down for the most part today is something that should give coaches and fans a lot of hope.

The O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow as the New York Yankees come to town. Kohl Stewart takes the mound for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Clarke Schmidt. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.