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’ pitching bombs the bombers

This has been a good camp for the Baltimore Orioles thus far. While the bats are coming along well, Oriole pitching has been really solid – to this point. Tom Eshelman got the start tonight in Tampa for the Birds against New York, and was true to form. Eshelman’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

New York has a decent lineup. Granted they have a lot of injuries right now (that will continue into the regular season), they still have a great lineup. Orioles’ pitching, led tonight by Eshelman, kept them at bay.

The O’s got on the board early in the first inning when Austin Hays scored from third on a wild pitch. He was followed to the plate by Dwight Smith Jr., who later scored on a pass ball. After getting two runners in scoring position the O’s netted two runs without a base hit.

And as I’ve written many times before, that illustrates why it’s good to have base runners. Sometimes quirky things like wild pitches happen. If they happen with nobody on base, in reality it never happened. But if it happens with guys on base, you can see runs scored, or runners moved up. Every little bit helps.

2019 Oriole-killer Voit smacked a solo homer in the second, bringing NY to within 2-1. But Oriole pitching shut them down after that. Miguel Castro followed Eshelman into the ballgame, pitching the fourth inning. He struck out the side, which bodes well for the Orioles’ pen this year.

However before Castro took the field, the O’s got a two-RBI single from Richie Martin which ran the lead to 4-1. They would also get an RBI-single in the ninth from Mason Willians, in what amounted to an insurance run. That’s also a good sign, because in a regular season game that could be big. While the Birds lost most of them, they played a lot of close games last year. An insurance run could be the difference between a win and a loss.

This game was also notable because it was the Orioles’ first game under the lights this spring. Most of the regular season games occur at night obviously, so getting in a few in the spring is always a good thing. As time goes on we’ll start seeing 6 PM starts at Ed a Smith Stadium sprinkled in as well.

Tomorrow the O’s head to Port Charlotte to take on the Tampa Rays. Bruce Zimmerman gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Sean Gilmartin. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Wynns a tie for the Birds

The Baltimore Orioles returned to Sarasota today from their Florida East Coast trip to take on the Minnesota Twins in Sarasota. Keegan Akin got the start for the O’s, and despite surrendering a solo homer, looked pretty good. Akin’s line: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Akin made one mistake. In essence, one bad pitch. Former Oriole Cruz smacked a solo homer in the first inning. But that’s how you learn. Over the years numerous pitchers have struggled against him. Including many Oriole opponents in 2014.

The O’s evened things up in the last of the third when Chris Davis smacked an RBI-single. This only to see Minnesota re-take the lead in the fourth on Celestino’s RBI-single. And the score stood at 2-1 in favor of Minnesota until the end.

And at that, I mean the bitter end. As in the ninth. Minnesota added a solo homer in the top of the ninth. That’s what one would normally call an insurance run. But keep in mind that the mark of this team last year was that they never gave up. They played until the end. And that was the case today.

Following a walk and a base hit in the last of the ninth, T.J. Nichting smacked an RBI-single to right, bringing the O’s to within 3-2. Austin Wynns then yielded another run on an infield RBI-single. That tied the game at three – which is where it ended.

Again, wins and losses don’t matter in these games. Neither do ties, which as we know doesn’t happen in the regular season. But the part of this game that’s promising is that the guys in the game at the end – including Austin Wynns – refused to allow the O’s to lose. That’s the type of pedigree that you want on the team and within the organization. As tough as last season was, we saw it then. And we’ve seen it here and there this spring.

Chris Davis continued his hot spring with an RBI this afternoon. If he can continue this trend into the regular season, that should equal a win or two more for the O’s. Not all of them need to be homers, but if he can get on base that helps. And it helps a lot at that.

The O’s head to Tampa tomorrow evening to take on the NY Yankees at Steinbrenner Field (in what’ll be the first night game for the Orioles this spring). Tom Eschelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Deivi Garcia. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles begin new streak with win over Miami

Wade LeBlanc made the start this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter against the Miami Marlins. The veteran Leblanc is making his case to be on the Orioles’ final roster that heads north at the end of the spring. And his case today was fairly convincing. LeBlanc’s line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

While LeBlanc surrendered a run, he did so on a sac fly-RBI. So in effect, when he found himself in a jam he was able to minimize the damage. And that’s one of the marks of a serious pitcher in this league. They’ll get themselves in trouble here and there. The good ones get themselves out of trouble.

The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Pat Valaika smacked a two-run homer. One inning later Andrew Velazquez laid down a bunt that ended up doubling the Orioles’ lead. With runners at first and second Velazquez laid down a bunt, and Miami catcher Cervelli tried to field the ball and throw the runner out at third base. However he threw the ball into foul territory down the left field line, allowing both runners to score. The aforementioned sac fly-RBI by Miami’s Anderson would come in the last of that third inning.

Ironically that’s a moment in a game where the Orioles aren’t going to want Velazquez to lay down a bunt. There’s no reason to do so at that stage of the game. But Velazquez is trying desperately to make the team. And he felt that was a good way to get himself noticed. So he did what he did.

The Orioles unfortunately were also hurt by Miami second baseman Villar – the Birds’ former second baseman. He smacked a two-run homer in the fifth, bringing the Orioles’ lead to 4-3. Mason McCoy added a sac fly-RBI in the ninth, and the Birds defeated Miami 5-3.

While we didn’t see the starting team, it’s good to see that the O’s lost yesterday but immediately began what could be another winning streak this afternoon. That sort of mindset helps in terms of having a good season.

The O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow as the Minnesota Twins come to town. Brandon Bailey gets the start tomorrow for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s TBD. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles clipped by Washington

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t quite get out of Ty Blach what they’ve seen out of other starters to this point in the spring today. Blach got knocked around a bit by the defending champion Washington Nationals, putting the O’s in an early hole. Blach’s line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K.

Luckily the Orioles haven’t had many days of sketchy pitching this spring. This was bound to happen at some point, as you can’t just ride a wave forever. Even the best of teams can’t do that.

The O’s actually got on the board first in the game on Chris Davis‘ sac fly-RBI. However the bottom of that third inning saw Washington put up five runs. Almost out of nowhere. That’s why they’re the defending champions.

But there’s always a silver lining. The Orioles battled back. Pedro Severino‘s RBI-triple in the fourth inning cut the Washington lead to 5-2. Mason Williams also added an RBI-single, cutting the lead to 5-3.

And that was where the score stood for the remainder of the afternoon. This snapped a six-game streak during which the Orioles didn’t lose a game – dating back to last Tuesday. However fans shouldn’t fret about that – they really shouldn’t. Just like they shouldn’t think too hard about the fact that the Birds won five straight (plus one tie). Results are meaningless here in spring training.

Incidentally, Oriole pitching did improve. Nobody scored in the game after the fourth inning. While that’s somewhat reflective on Blach, pitchers can certainly reach dead arm periods here during the spring. Furthermore the law of averages says that the Orioles were due for a performance like this.

Tomorrow the Orioles head just north to Jupiter to take on the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Wade LeBlanc gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Caleb Smith. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles tie with Tampa (updated)

Asher Wojciechowski got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium against Tampa, and with some good results. Wojciechowski pitched three innings, and looked strong in doing so. He’s had a great spring thus far in limited action. Wojciechowski’s line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

After his outing Wjociechowski commented that he was impressed with how solid Oriole pitching as a whole has been thus far in the spring:

I think we’re all throwing the ball really well. It is spring training though. It’s good to build confidence here, but it’s different when the lights come on during the season. But it’s great we’re throwing the ball well and all learning from each other. And we are going to take this into the season, be a confident group and go out there and compete and give it our all.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Tampa took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a Perez home run. However the O’s were able to immediately get back in the bottom of the inning. Chris Davis drew a walk with one down; as I tweeted on Saturday, each Davis walk is worth almost as much as a homer. Because teams will pitch to him differently, opening up more of an opportunity to hit his way on base.

With Davis on first, Renato Nunez smacked a two-run home run. That gave the O’s a 2-1 lead. However Choi’s sixth inning two-run homer put Tampa back in the lead at 3-2. Choi, as you may remember, torched the Orioles last year. As in nothing that Oriole pitching threw was let go. He’s just one of those guys.

But Chris Davis’ sac fly-RBI in the last of the sixth re-tied the game back up at three. And that’s where the score remained, as the Orioles’ five-game winning streak ended. But the good news is that they didn’t start a losing streak – in theory. Both teams were content with what they saw, and the game ended in a tie.

This almost feels like the end of a home stand, as the Orioles will head to the East Coast of Florida tomorrow. They’ll have a stop in West Palm Beach to play Washington, and then Jupiter on Wednesday to play Miami. Kind of like a mini-road trip during the spring season.

The Orioles will take on the aforementioned Washington Nationals at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches tomorrow. Tommy Milone gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Max Scherzer. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

UPDATE: Ty Blach will start tomorrow in West Palm Beach against Washington. Tommy Milone will be staying back in Sarasota.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business for three innings

John Means pitched the deepest into a game as any starter test this spring for the Baltimore Orioles. Which that.’s only three innings, it signifies that pitchers are starting to be stretched out. In other words, the spring is progressing. Means’ line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Means termed his outing “okay” after coming out of the game. He said that he felt he fell behind a lot, but his changeup saved him (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Not too bad. It was all right. My fastball command wasn’t there that well. My changeup was kind of my get out of jail free card. It was one of those outings where I fell behind a lot, but the changeup was an eqaulizer. Just need to make sure everything was sharp and everything kind of got better as the game went on. Felt the curveball was better shaped later on, felt like the changeup was there and the heater got better, especially on inside pitches.

Dilson Herrera‘s RBI-single in the second inning put the Orioles in the lead at 1-0. Two innings later in the fourth Rio Ruiz doubled the lead. His solo homer gave the Birds a 2-0 lead.

Stevie Wilkerson‘s RBI-single later in the inning ran the score to 3-0. Philadelphia would get on the board in the sixth with a solo homer by Harrison. Philadelphia would challenge a few times, including loading the bases and allowing a run by a walk in the ninth. But the Orioles’ bullpen got them out of it, securing a 3-2 victory.

The O’s have now won five straight games, and stand at 6-4 on the spring. Now mind you, those five games all came with different lineups, and were in controlled environments. This meaning that both teams scheduled when players would go in and out of the game. But a five-game winning steak is a five game winning streak. It’s good for young players to experience this.

The Orioles return to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow afternoon to take on the Tampa Rays. Asher Wojchiekowski gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Charlie Morton. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis and other big wheels keep on turning

Chris Davis smacked his third home run of the spring as the Baltimore Orioles stayed hot and defeated Miami at Ed Smith Stadium. This in a game started by Keegan Akin, who’s looking to make an impression and break camp with the O’s. Keegan’s line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

Davis’ spring has been a major turnaround over his output from the past few years – to this point. It’s still very early in the spring, and yes the games don’t count. However you’d rather see results as opposed to not seeing them. Davis seems to agree (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It’s nice to see some results. I think I said that earlier. I would like to get off to a good start, just for peace of mind, especially after struggling for the last couple years. Just having some success on the baseball field again feels good. It’s still spring training, it’s still early. There are a lot of things I have to accomplish, a lot of things I want to accomplish and a lot of things I still need to work on, but at the same time it feels good.

With Miami leading 1-0 in the last of the first this afternoon, Renato Nunez‘s RBI–single toes the game. One inning later Austin Hays, who’s also having a great spring, gave the O’s a 2-1 lead with an RBI-groundout. Núñez would add a sac fly-RBI in that second inning as well, and the O’s led 3-1.

But it was Davis who provided the highlight of that third inning. And of the game. His three-run homer later in the inning opened the game wide open, and gave the O’s a 6-1 lead. The O’s don’t see the Miami Marlins often in the spring for geographic reasons. That’s probably A-okay with Miami.

By the end of the fourth inning they had run the lead to 9-1. This in a sequence that included a solo homer by Pedro Severino. In fairness to Miami, they did cut the lead to 9-5 in the fifth. However the O’s added some insurance runs. Austin Wynns added an RBI-double and Ramon Urias an RBI-single in the sixth. Richard Urena, a guy who also has in mind to break camp with the team, added a solo homer in the last of the eighth.

And with that, the O’s wrapped up a 12-6 victory. (Miami tacked on a solo homer in the ninth.) Again, these games are meaningless, as are the results. But the fact that the O’s continue to look good and are winning these (meaningless) games could bode well.

The Orioles head to Spectrum Field in Clearwater tomorrow to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and Philadelphia has not yet scheduled a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Another bludgeoning of Pittsburgh

The Baltimore Orioles defeated Pittsburgh by a wide margin once again this afternoon. Brandon Bailey got the start for the Birds, and in the short span he was in the game, he was dominant. Bailey’s line: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K.

I do find it interesting, and perhaps a little bit refreshing that manager Brandon Hyde seems to be giving several prospects a good hard look. By that, I mean starts in games. It would appear that the Birds are holding a true open tryout for the starting rotation. Certainly the Means’ and Cobb’s of the world are in, but they seem intent on bringing the five best starters they can find home at the end of March.

The Orioles struck early against Pittsburgh once again, with Ryan Mountcastle doubling a run home in the first inning. Later in the inning Rio Ruiz scored on a wild pitch. And the O’s were off to the races.

The O’s proceeded to get a two-RBI single out of Hanser Alberto in the second, and RBI-singles from Richie Martin and Andrew Velazquez in the third. That put them ahead 6-0 after just three innings. And it left fans wondering if this might be what could be expected come the regular season.

What I would say is that folks should keep in mind that the Orioles don’t play Pittsburgh everyday. But they certainly have made an impression against Pittsburgh these past two days. Yesterday in Sarasota, and today in Bradenton at Pittsburgh’s spring facility.

Unlike yesterday however, Pittsburgh did have a highlight. Murphy’s fourth inning grand slam cut the Orioles’ lead to 6-4. That home run didn’t need to be wind-aided. It was actually against the wind, and got way out of the park.

However the good news is that after being punched in the mouth, the O’s fought back. Dwight Smith Jr. grounded into an RBI in the fifth inning, and Richie Martin‘s bases-clearing triple ran the score to 10-4. And odds are Pittsburgh wasn’t coming back from that. For good measure, Dilson Herrera would tack on an RBI-triple in the seventh, closing out an 11-4 win for the O’s over Pittsburgh. With the win, the Birds evened their record at four wins and four losses on the spring.

The Orioles return to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow afternoon to take on the Miami Marlins. Prospect Keegan Akin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s TBD. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Austin Hays dazzles in centerfield in Birds’ rout

The Baltimore Orioles got a blowout victory this afternoon at Pittsburgh’s expense, in a game that saw top prospect Austin Hays dazzle in the outfield. Hays seemingly caught anything that was in his vicinity in the outfield. Hays is making a great impression this spring, continuing what he did at the end of last season. Starter Tommy Milone set the tone for the day, keeping Pittsburgh off the scoreboard. Milone’s line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Milone was asked after his outing what he thought of Hays’ theatrics in the outfield. He wasn’t surprised in the least:

When I was with Seattle last year we came over to Baltimore and he was playing center at that point. I think it was later in the season and he made a couple of amazing catches, so it wasn’t anything new. It’s nice to have him behind me, though.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Hays saved multiple hits during his time in the game today. It wasn’t however as if the Orioles needed it today. This game was a donnybrook from the beginning. Pat Valaika smacked a two-run homer in the last of the third, and Anthony Santander would add a sac fly RBI. And the O’s were off to the races.

Ryan Mountcastle added an RBI-double in the fourth, and the aforementioned Hays a two-RBI double. Santander would add an additional RBI-double, as would Trey Mancini. The Birds led 9-0 after four innings.

Mountcastle and Chris Davis would add homers in the fifth, at which point it appeared that the Birds called off the dogs. When the smoke was done clearing, the O’s had defeated Pittsburgh 13-0. By a long shot, it was the most lopsided game the’ve played. And probably the most lopsided one they will play this spring.

It’s also good to see Chris Davis homer again. The O’s are hoping that his offensive production can improve this year, helping to solidify the team offensively. It would certainly be a big help, needless to say.

But the story of the day was Austin Hays, and his defense. It’s not just the fact that he’s capable of making plays like that. It’s also that he’s willing to make tough plays such as diving catches. He became a bit of a fan favorite when he was called up last September, and the Orioles believe he could morph into something special.

The Orioles will travel to Bradenton tomorrow to once again take on Pittsburgh – this time at their facility. Brandon Bailey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Trevor Williams. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles defeat Atlanta

Asher Wojchiechowski made his maiden outing of the spring for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon against Atlanta. And while the numbers themselves were mostly good, he did surrender a homer. But the pitch itself was a strike, which is what the Orioles would like to see here in the early spring. Woj’s line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Wojchiechowski had dealt with a blister on his throwing hand, which put his spring in doubt at one point. However after leaving the game he seemed to indicate that today was a step forward:

Felt good. Focus was really just to throw strikes. First time out there you have that little self-doubt, when its been through the offseason. So, nice to go out there and execute pitches and just get back into the rhythm.

I made one mistake to d’Arnaud, first pitch of the second inning. I knew he was going to swing and just didn’t execute that pitch. But for the most part, just happy with how I felt. Looking to build upon each outing and get ready for the season

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

The O’s got on the board early with Hanser Alberto scoring in the first inning on a passed ball. Dwight Smith Jr. would score from third later in the inning on a wild pitch. I said this a couple of times last season, but if you get guys on base you never really know what’s going to happen. A wild pitch with nobody on base isn’t really a wild pitch – kind of like a tree falling in the woods and nobody hearing it.

That’s something on which the Orioles should try to focus this year – getting guys on base. Sometimes that can spook pitchers at times. If that happens and someone’s on base when a mistake is made, you can luck your way into a run.

Wjochiechowski surrendered a homer to d’Arnaud one inning later, which was the only run he surrendered. However keep in mind also that you can live with pitchers surrendering solo home runs. Solo shots aren’t going to beat you. Especially early in the game. Baltimore native Bruce Zimmerman, who made his Orioles’ debut, surrendered a solo shot an inning later to Ball, which tied the game.

Dilson Herrera led off the fifth with a double, and he was later singled home by Ryan McKenna, giving the Birds the lead back at 3-2. McKenna would later score on another wild pitch by Atlanta pitching, running it to 4-2. Atlanta would notch an RBI-single in the sixth to get to within 4-3, but the Oriole ‘pen shut them down the rest of the way.

With the win, the Birds improved their record to 2-4 on the spring (keeping in mind that yesterday was a split squad day and that technically they lost twice). Both wins of course have come at home. Again folks, wins and losses don’t matter per se. But if you’re going to play these games, you might as well try to win them.

The O’s will stay in Sarasota tomorrow, ending a three-game/day “homestand” as Pittsburgh comes to town. Tommy Milone makes his first (spring) start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Hector Noesi. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.