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: Little details add up

The Baltimore Orioles extended a small lifeline to a beleaguered opponent this afternoon. Boston of course dismissed almost their entire coaching staff yesterday. Kyle Bradish walked a tightrope through most of his outing, which eventually came to an end. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

I say he walked a tightrope because Bradish did allow runners on base. Taylor Ward threw a runner out at third in the second inning after a fly out, resulting in a double-play. In other situations Bradish was able to reach back and get a strikeout or fly out.

Similar to yesterday, Boston ran all over the Orioles today. As the game wore on, anytime someone got on base, he’d steal second on Samuel Basallo. That’s a huge problem going forward. The book on the Orioles is becoming that their catchers can’t hold runners.

Durbin stole second in the fifth after getting on base with an infield single. He smacked a grounder to Gunnar Henderson, who dove to field it but fumbled over his feet. Durbin would score on Monasterio’s RBI-single giving Boston a 1-0 lead.

Later in the inning Duran would ground into a force out at second. It should have been a double-play; but Gunnar Henderson couldn’t turn it in time. Had he shoveled it to second instead of taking it to the bag himself would he have turned two? Tough to say. But he couldn’t turn two, and Contreras’ subsequent two-run home run extended the lead to 3-0.

The O’s did make an attempt to get back into the game. Samuel Basallo smacked a solo home run in the fifth. However with a runner on first in the sixth Rafaela hit one all the way to the wall, and Dylan Beavers seemed to fumble it. That scored a fourth run, and Mayer’s RBI-single extended it to 5-1.

Gunnar Henderson would put the O’s back on the board again twice. He uncorked a solo home run in the sixth, and an RBI-single in the eighth inning. But the little things and details in the game added up. Whether it was an unturned double-play or too many stolen bases on Basallo, little things like that did the O’s in this afternoon.

And it’s not a game the Orioles should have lost. Boston was listless on the heels of their manager and his coaching by staff being canned. They were ripe for the picking. And the Birds couldn’t muster much. End of the day, you move on and improve.

Baltimore Orioles: Opponent in flux

The Baltimore Orioles lost to Boston by 16 runs yesterday, as we know. So the timing certainly seems odd for Boston to fire manager Alex Cora and a handful of other coaches. What, had they won by 20 would they still have jobs?!

Probably not. I suspect that owner John Henry mad the decision to let go of Cora (and others) after the Orioles beat Boston on Friday night. But when yesterday’s game time was moved up due to impending weather, they had to let him manage yesterday’s game because of the quick turnaround.

They also had to give new interim manager Chad Tracy time to join his new team. Tracy was formerly the manager at triple-A Worcester. At 40, Tracy isn’t even the youngest manager in the major leagues.

Keep in mind that at least on paper, this is the second time Cora’s parted ways with Boston. After he was suspended for a year in 2020 due to his roll in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal, the organization announced a “mutual parting of ways.” Yet when his suspension ended he was “rehired.”

If you’re a Boston fan, you can’t be thrilled with the start to the season. However firing a manager this early is a draconian move, and it reaks of desperation. Never mind the message that firing most of the coaching staff sends.

The Orioles fired Brandon Hyde last year on May 17th. I thought that was draconian also, however needless to say it was a few weeks further into the season. Furthermore Hyde was an employee that the current ownership inherited. Alex Cora’s been involved with John Henry for a long time. He won a World Series as the manager of the Boston Red Sox.

So I would submit that in the absence of evidence that Cora behaved inappropriately or anything along those lines, this is a black mark on ownership. Not only is it overly-draconian for this point in one season, but it’s a manager with a long history with the franchise. Simply put, you don’t treat someone like that.

That aside, the Orioles now face off against an opponent very much in flux this afternoon. It’s entirely possible that some of the players may be meeting their new coaches for the first time when they get to Camden Yards this morning. (Many of them may already be familiar with him, of course.) One would think that sort of confusion would bode well for the O’s today.

One would think. Those can often be famous last words. I suspect that it goes without saying that the bludgeoning the Orioles took yesterday was an anomaly for this year. That sort of game happens to every team at least once. I use the term anomaly because keep in mind that the final ten runs of the game came in the ninth inning against a reliever just back from injury (Keegan Akin, who probably shouldn’t have been back for the ninth inning as it stood), and a position player.

But teams have a way of rallying. The Orioles need to make sure Boston isn’t able to do that today. Obviously they got a shot in the arm with yesterday’s game. It took the 2025 Orioles a few games to win for the first time under Tony Mansolino. Different situation, obviously. But the last thing the Orioles want to do is put their Boston opponents in a position to say we’re so happy to have been able to win for Alex today.

Again, I see this as a black mark on Boston ownership. You have to stay the course in life, and in sports. Firing the manager and virtually the entire coaching staff in April is a failure on an organizational level. Hopefully the Orioles can take full advantage today. Especially seeing that they’re playing against an inexperienced young man who’s managing a new team in a big league dugout for the first time.

Baltimore Orioles: Two-strike rallies burn Trevor Rogers

It was a different story this afternoon at Camden Yards for Trevor Rogers and the Baltimore Orioles. This after last night’s game against Boston. And in a three-game series, that can often happen. But Rogers had an especially rough go of things. Rogers’ line: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

I suspect that Craig Alberbaz had Rogers penciled in for more than 1.2 innings today. Admittedly I was a little surprised that he pulled Rogers when he did. But it was obvious that Rogers didn’t have it. Although he did send Boston down 1-2-3 innings the first.

Boston made a point of going into deep counts. Rogers gave up a double in the second, and later an RBI-double by Durbin – who immediately stole third base. Kiner-Falefa’s RBI-single extended the lead to 2-0. Rafaela would tack on an RBI-single of his own before Rogers exited and the inning ended.

All of those various hits and RBI came with two outs. On pitches that were well out of the strike zone. We saw a lot of that last year if you recall. Opposing teams hitting pitches they shouldn’t, and to spots they shouldn’t. On counts they shouldn’t. All with either two strikes or two outs. Sometimes both.

Boston, behind their starter, Crochet, was very deliberate. Crochet seemed to find himself in a sense on the mound, and Boston attacked anything and everything. They also ran early and often. It was a Kiner-Falefa stolen base that led to Boston extending the lead to 4-0 in the fourth on a sac fly-RBI by Rafaela.

Boston would load the bases in the fifth, and Wong’s first pitch swinging bases-clearing double extended the lead to 7-0. The O’s would put one on the board with a run-scoring groundout in the seventh by Leody Taveras. Keegan Akin pitched a successful eighth, but the ninth was another story…

…he surrendered five runs. Including a grand slam by Monsaaterio. Before the inning ended, Boston would tack on five more on two different home runs. That’s ten runs for Boston in the ninth alone. The last five were against Weston Wilson, a position player. The runs still count. But that does make a difference. It also saved a bullpen reliever.

As I said, Crochet seemed to find himself. For one day at least. You have to hope that Boston as a team didn’t do that also.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Connelly Early. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Young, Oriole bats, engineer a Boston Massacre

The Baltimore Orioles called up Brandon Young to make the start this evening against Boston in game one of three at Camden Yards, after Dean Kremer went to the IL with a strained quad. Young gave the Orioles everything they could have ever wanted out of a starter, much less one who was called up this morning for the start. Young’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

The best part? Young got a little help from his friends. Gunnar Henderson set the tone for the game with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Following a single from Taylor Ward, Adley Rutschman came to the plate. And in doing so he promptly left the yard, giving the Birds a 3-0 lead…before the O’s had even recorded an out.

Before the inning ended however, Dylan Beavers would add a solo shot of his own. Boston attempted a mini-comeback in the second with an Abreu homer, but it was an isolated incident. The O’s still led, 4-1.

Adley Rutschman would ground into an RBI-fielders choice to restore the four-run margin in the second. One inning later, the homer parade continued with a solo shot by Samuel Basallo. Rutschman would come back up to bat in the fourth, and smacked a two-run home run. That gave the Birds an 8-1 lead.

Boston would tack on a run in the fifth on an RBI-fielder’s choice. However the best Boston could do on this night was piecemeal a run here or there together. This was the game for which the Orioles had waited, perhaps since the end of the 2023 regular season.

Injuries play a role in why games like this haven’t happened. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. They HAVE happened – to the Orioles. Since that 2023 season, we’ve seen multiple games where the opponent has just bludgeoned the O’s from the beginning. Tonight it was the opposite. And yes, Boston came into the game struggling. They’re giving off 2025 Orioles vibes. And the Orioles of 2026 took full advantage.

Coby Mayo would add a solo homer in the fifth, and Mayer’s RBI-double in the fifth would get Boston to within 9-3. But no reason to let them get any closer. Adley Rutschman added an RBI-single in the seventh, tying a career high with six RBI. Samuel Basallo also had a four-hit game. In total, the Birds registered 20 hits in the game.

With the start time for tomorrow’s game being moved up by four hours due to an impending rain storm, Boston having to dig into the bullpen early is a positive derivative of today’s game. The Orioles would have liked for Young to go slightly deeper into the game before exiting for the same reason. But you take how Young pitched during his time in the game and run with it. He was outstanding.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Garrett Crochet. Game time has been moved up and is now set for just after 12:00 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Don’t let guys on base

Shane Baz was good last night for the Baltimore Orioles in Kansas City. He also had his starting catcher, Adley Rutschman, back from injury. Baz didn’t get a quality start, but he pitched well enough to win. Baz’s line: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The Birds put two on base in the second, and Coby Mayo smacked a three-run home run. The Orioles led 3-0, and appeared to be off to the races. However Kansas City chipped away. Massey’s sac fly-RBI in the bottom of the frame cut the lead to 3-1. That was aided by a Baz wild pitch, advancing the runner to third.

Garcia’s RBI-double in the fifth would cut the lead to 3-2. he would later steal third base, and then score on a sac fly-RBI by Pasquantino. That tied the game in the fifth.

Kansas City took a brief lead in the seventh on Witt’s sac fly-RBI. Aldo a derivative of a stolen base. However one inning later it was the Orioles who got the lead back – albeit also briefly. Adley Rutschman’s two-run homer gave them a 5-4 lead.

But again, a brief lead. Massey’s solo home run in the last of the eighth tied it back up at five. Ryan Helsley came in to pitch the ninth in a tie game, and walked the first two hitters. He did buckle down and strike out the next hitter, but the two runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Yes, a strikeout and a wild pitch in the same moment. Helsley would later uncork another wild pitch which ticked away from Rutschman, allowing the winning run to score.

The scoring in this game was consistent with how both teams do things. The Orioles relied on the home run ball. Kansas City took advantage of runners getting on base, and advancing on base. Every runner is a potential run. And when you allow those runners to advance, you come closer and closer to allowing that.

The series concludes this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Biggest win of the season

The Baltimore Orioles and Kyle Bradish were reminded last night of why baseball is such a great game. Oriole bats couldn’t do much until late. But neither could Kansas City. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Bradish was good last night. Plain and simple. They say that solo home runs won’t hurt you. That is assuming you can muster a single run preferably more. If you can’t do that, yes solo home runs will very much hurt you. As we moved through the game, the solo homer by Caglianone in the third seemed to stand up for Kansas City.

Gunnar Henderson led off the game by being picked off at first base. It happened again in the ninth. Those may have been the Orioles’ best shot to get on the board.

Until it wasn’t. Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single in the top of the ninth drove in a run, tying the game at one. Basallo was down to his final strike – as were the Orioles. The teams couldn’t score in the tenth, but with the ghost runner being a factor, Dylan Beavers’ run-scoring single in the eleventh gave the Birds a 2-1 lead.

Down to his final out and strike in the bottom of the inning, Witt smacked a run-scoring single. Also the result of the ghost runner. And we played on.

You have to work hard to win a game at the big league level. It isn’t easy. Luckily the Orioles have guys who are gamers as well.

The ghost runner of course is in play in every inning of extra’s. Samuel Basallo led off the twelfth for the Birds, and smacked a run scoring single putting the O’s back in the lead at 3-2. A single and a walk later, the bases were loaded with nobody out.

Leody Taveras came to the plate with the O’s smelling an insurance run or two. Taveras didn’t deliver that – an insurance run or two. He didn’t better than that. He smacked a grand slam, propelling the Orioles deep into the lead at 7-2.

And they needed all of those runs in a sense. Kansas City loaded the bases also, and Loftin’s bases-clearing double cut the lead to 7-5. But the O’s closed it out after that, to take game one in Kansas City.

The season is young. But this is the biggest win of the year to date. The O’s struggled at the plate all night. But every time it really mattered, they found a way. It may have been at the eleventh hour, but they found a way.

The series continues this evening at Kauffman Stadium. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Kris Bubic. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Failed by inside-out strategy?

The Baltimore Orioles put runners on base today in Cleveland from the get go. You almost expected Trevor Rogers to come into the game with a lead. But that wasn’t to be the case. Rogers’ line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 earned), 2 BB, 5 K.

Rogers committed a fielding error in the third, failing to tag first base on what should have been a routine put out. The runner would later score in Kwan’s sacrifice fly. That’s always been what AL Central teams do – you give them a slight amount of daylight and they find a way to make you pay.

Ramirez would continue his dominance of the Orioles with a fourth inning solo homer. Later in the inning Brito’s two-RBI double would double the lead to 4-0. Rocchio would add an RBI-single, and the Orioles trailed 5-0.

But the Orioles battled back. They would put two on in the fifth and Taylor Ward would smack a three-run home run to cut the lead to 5-3. The Birds would proceed to load the bases later in the inning. Dylan Beavers would ground into a fielder’s choice, which should have been an inning-ending play. However Jeremiah Jackson slid in safely at second instead of recording an out, allowing the O’s to cut the lead to 5-4.

But Cleveland was too much. They did the small things, and the big ones. Ramirez would hit a second solo home run in the last of the fifth, abd Rocchio’s two-RBI single in the eighth gave Cleveland some insurance. And they went home 8-4 winners over the Birds.

The Orioles swing for the fences every pitch – this in a figurative manner. Teams like Cleveland try to do the small things. That makes it all the more difficult to accept when extra-base hits get taken away by fielders making diving and outstanding plays – which happened several times today.

The two solo homers by Ramirez – they were on pitches that were either on the fringes of the plate, or off the plate entirely. And that was true of almost every pitch in the game. It’s been true most of the season, and it was true last year.

Obviously you don’t want pitches to be right down broadway. But what whichever computer program the Orioles are using to chart pitches can’t quite seem to grasp is that you have to attack the strike zone. Sometimes you have to overpower hitters. Obviously if you throw pitches off the plate, you’re going to eventually have runners on base. And eventually (as we’ve been seeing), opponents are going to actually know to look for pitches off the plate – and they’re going to go out or down to get them.

Offensively, if you prove you’re going to swing at balls, they’re going to throw you balls. The Orioles don’t want to work counts – they want to sit on a fastball and hit it a long way. To be clear, home runs do win you games. But that can’t be the only way in perpetuity.

The Orioles now head to Kansas City to open up a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jeremiah Jackson leads the Birds to an unlikely win

After dropping a few games, the Baltimore Orioles needed a win last night at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Starter Chris Bassit walked a tightrope throughout his outing, but remained clean in the runs box. Bassit’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

Bassit pitched himself into a few jams, namely loading the bases. But he also pitched out of those jams. The same was true on the other side as well. The Birds were able to put runners on, just not get them in. They would square balls up and hit them hard, but they would either be right at someone or the fielder would make the play of his life to get to it.

The O’s loaded the bases again in the last of the seventh, with the final runner being out on by an intentional walk. Grant Wolfram entered the game, and immediately struck out a hitter for the second out. But the Birds couldn’t walk the tightrope again, as Wolfram surrendered a grand slam to Schneeman, and the O’s trailed 4-0.

After dangling by a thread the entire game, it appeared that the O’s wouid fall to their fourth straight loss. But baseball can be funny. Especially when there’s still an inning or two left.

The Orioles turned around and loaded the bases in the eighth with nobody out. This on two walks and a hitter batsman. Jonathan Rodriguez’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead to 4-1. Following a walk, Weston Wilson slugged the O’s back into the game with a two-RBI double, cutting the lead to 4-3.

That in and of itself was something, right? In a tie game if you give up a late grand slam, you probably feel like it’s over. Not this team. Jeremiah Jackson came to the plate with two runners still on in the eighth. And…

…his three-run homer propelled the Orioles into the lead. In the sequence of events leading to Cleveland’s grand slam, Jackson’s error helped to load the bases. I’d say he more than made up for it.

Cleveland went relatively quietly after that.. And how could they not?! They had their moment. Then it was the Orioles’ turn. And behind a mammoth shot by Jeremiah Jackson, they seized their opportunity.

The series continues this evening at Progressive Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Gavin Williams. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tough loss in Cleveland opener

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t get their first hit in tonight’s game in Cleveland until the 9th inning. Shane Baz surrendered four runs, but also put his team in a spot to win. Oriole bats just didn’t cooperate until the end. Baz’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Following a first inning walk, Baz surrendered a two-run homer to Ramirez to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead. However as the game wore on the O’s couldn’t even muster a hit. Cleveland would tack on two more as the game wore on, taking a 4-0 lead into the ninth.

The question is, how could the O’s not even get a hit to that point? This against a starter in Cleveland’s Messick, who’s a rookie? The answer is that Oriole bats were impatient this evening. Very impatient.

You have to work counts. You can’t swing at the first halfway decent pitch you see. Furthermore, keep in mind that the league knows that the Orioles adhere only to analytics. Do we think that even a rookie pitcher isn’t going to know to pitch them a certain way, inducing outs?

However luckily, even Messick tired. Leody Taveras’ single in the ninth broke up the no-hitter. One thing led to another, and the Birds had the bases loaded with nobody out. Gunnar Henderson would get the O’s on the board with a sac fly-RBI. Pete Alonso would then smack an RBI-double, and the O’s were in business. However Cleveland would close it out, and the O’s fell, 4-2.

On a side note, if you follow me on Twitter, I’ve been hacked! I’m not sure I can recover my account, but I’m trying – if possible at all, it may take a few days. But you can follow me on Threads at a similar handle: @@domenic_vadala.

The series continues tomorrow at Progressive Field. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.