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’s success is on the line

The Baltimore Orioles open a four-game set with Texas this evening at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. To be blunt, the series is meaningless in terms of this season. Or is it?

The O’s currently stand at 46 wins on the season. Last year they won 47 games; and incidentally, win 47 came on the last day of the season. But I digress. This is about this year.

In my season preview back in March I said that if the Orioles can improve year-over-year 2019 will be a muted success. They stand on the doorstep of equaling last year’s mark. That will come with their next victory, which could be tonight for all we know.

I think it’s obvious that the O’s will reach that plateau at some point. They would have to lose the rest of their games to NOT equal last year’s mark, and in order to simply tie the mark they’d have to win one more game and that’s it. I think you’d have to try to do that, so it’s going to happen – even if by default.

Some of you are reading this saying to yourself, how could he declare this particular season a success? It’s a fair question. But when you’ve admitted since day one that the season was going to be a tough one, you have to set the bar low. Beating last year’s record was always about as high of a bar as this team was going to have. Even if only incremental improvement, they’ll have shown improvement…if they get there. Which they will

The series with Texas opens this evening at Camden Yards. The Orioles haven’t yet announced a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Kolby Allard. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Does instant replay need to be tweaked?

The Baltimore Orioles find themselves with a previously-unscheduled off day today due to contingency plans for Hurricane Dorian. However in the second game of a twin-bill yesterday, the Birds found themselves in some controversy when Richie Martin was called for interference for being inside the first base line. It took a run off the board, and began a downward spiral for the Orioles in the game.

As the rules stand now, that’s not a play that could have been reviewed. (The ball has to be by the bag for it to be reviewable.) However even if it could have been reviewed, would it have been overturned?

And the answer is no, it wouldn’t have been overturned. Personally I thought the call was questionable at best. While the base runners do need to stay to the left of the line, most of the times you see that called are when the runner’s physically on the grass. Martin wasn’t anywhere near the grass – if anything he was kind of straddling the line. Not over the line, mind you, but straddling it.

So the play wouldn’t have been overturned because there wasn’t clear and concise evidence that the call on the field was incorrect. Had Tampa challenged the play saying that he was out of the baseline, the same would have been true. Not enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field.

However I suppose my point would be that perhaps we should look making calls in the infield reviewable. We’ve all seen our share of balls that have appeared to go over the bag get called foul. Would the game not be better for getting those correct?

What I wouldn’t want to see is something in line with what the NFL’s doing with their replay system. Allowing coaches to challenge pass interference in games to me is akin to managers being allowed to challenge balls and strikes. So I think there are some things which should remain judgement calls. But why not encompass as much as possible in what is in fact reviewable?

Baltimore Orioles: Did the Birds get hoodwinked?

You really have to tip your cap to Baltimore Orioles’ starter Gabriel Ynoa. He pitched a gem of a ballgame in game two of a doubleheader this evening at Tropicana Field, more than putting his team in a position to win the game. Ynoa’s line: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

In a nutshell and on paper, the game result came down to two plays. Meadows smacked a solo homer in the last of the fourth, and Garcia’s RBI-single in the seventh gave Tampa a 2-0 lead – which was the final. So that’s it, right? Nothing more to see here? Yeah, right.

Chris Davis doubled down the left field line to start the third inning. Before I go any further I want to mention that regardless of his struggles, Davis has always been a decent opposite-field hitter. And we saw it this evening.

That brought Richie Martin to the plate, and he produced a swinging bunt on the left side of the infield. Following an errant throw, Davis scores and Martin ended up at third base with nobody out. Great way to begin the scoring in game two of a doubleheader, especially after winning game one. Am I right?!

No folks, I’m wrong. After the play was over the umpires huddled up and somehow came to the decision that Martin had run inside the base line, and ruled it interference. Despite the errant throw, and despite the fact that Martin never crossed the line, he was ruled out. Davis was sent back to second base, and the run taken off the board.

To further compound things, Jonathan Villar smacked a double in the next at-bat. Davis got a poor read, and stopped at third base. Villar poorly read Davis, and tried to advance to third – resulting in a rundown and Villar being tagged out. The Orioles should have held a 2-0 lead there, however they came away with nothing.

Much later in the game Trey Mancini was called out on a check swing (to end the eighth). Mancini thought he checked in time, as did manager Brandon Hyde, who continued the argument between innings. I’m not sure if it was after he kicked dirt on home plate or before, but Hyde was eventually ejected.

Hyde admitted when asked after the game that he may have brought up the bizarre call in the third inning involving Davis and Martin when he went out to argue for Mancini. Here would be my issue with that call if I were a manager: it wasn’t made until AFTER the play. If you’re going to make a controversial call as such, make it in the moment.

In this case, the umpires all looked confused as they huddled up after the play to discuss it. That almost gave the semblance of them having to call something to take the run off the board. Furthermore the call came from the third base umpire – not the ump at home plate, who’s call rightfully it should be. How could the guy at third see who was in the base lines?

Obviously the Villar play has nothing to with any controversial calls. That was the result of bad reads by Davis and Villar. However it added to the frustration of the Orioles in general. The perception for much of the season has been that he opponent always seems to get the benefit of the doubt. The O’s are hoping at some point that that the pendulum ticks back their way.

Baltimore Orioles tame Tampa in game one of twoi

Ty Blach got the start this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. And in doing so, he put the Orioles in a position to win, which as I’ve said many times is all you can ask of a starting pitcher. Especially in the first game of a doubleheader. Blach’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H. 2 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

As I said, this was game one of two today. The teams were scheduled for a night game this evening, and a day game tomorrow. But uncertainty over the path of Hurricane Dorian caused Tampa and MLB to alter the schedule. So we end up with a straight doubleheader today.

Tampa took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on d’Arnaud’s two-run homer. Blach had been mowing hitters down, but hung a pitch that was ultimately jumped upon. However he would regain his form, and pitch through five.

Rio Ruiz smacked a solo homer in the fifth to bring the O’s to within 2-1. One inning later Anthony Santander‘s two-run homer gave them the lead at 3-2. And as good as Blach was in this game, the Orioles’ pen played a huge role as well. Sean Armstrong pitched two quality scoreless innings to hold the Birds over into the later innings.

Tampa-area native Mychal Givens did the same in the eighth, pitching out of a small jam. Small things like that can make a huge difference in games. The O’s also got an insurance run from Mark Trumbo in the last of the eighth to pad the lead, which turned into a 3-2 win.

The series concludes in just a few moments at Tropicana Field. Neither team has announced a starter at this time. Game time is set for about 25 minutes from now.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark Trumbo comes up big in Birds’ loss

Mark Trumbo made his long-awaited 2019 debut for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Tampa. Trumbo last played in a regular season game last August in Cleveland, before having knee surgery; he tried but failed to make a comeback in spring training, leaving that to today. And in doing so he got to see a decent outing from starter Asher Wojchiekowski. Wojchiekowski’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Tampa took a 2-0 lead on Meadows’ two-run homer in the third. The ball was a line drive that at first had the look of being an out, but simply refused to come down until it had just barely cleared the wall in right field. Two innings later it was 4-0 on Pham’s two-RBI double.

Hanser Alberto‘s solo homer in the sixth got the O’s on the board. After a couple of outs and a couple of baserunners, Trumbo came striding to the plate. Mind you, Trumbo knows what’s going on here. His contract’s up at the end of the season, and odds are he doesn’t fit into the Orioles’ plans for the future. There’s not even a guarantee that there’s a spot on a big league roster at all for Trumbo after this year. But he’s worked incredibly hard to get back to be able to play. And in doing so made a big impact on today’s game.

With the aforementioned two runners on, Trumbo smacked a two-RBI double to cut the Tampa lead to 4-3. Talk about a nice first hit of the season! Trumbo would later score on Pedro Severino‘s RBI-single which tied the game. Trumbo on today (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It was really nice. I was kind of hoping to do something today to help the cause. But yeah, being out there in itself was a good feeling, but it feels much better if you can do something to help the team, especially against a good opponent like this.

The game went to extra innings, however Pham’s RBI-single in the last of the tenth won it for Tampa. But today was about Mark Trumbo, who as I said worked incredibly hard to get back to being able to play. The fact that he worked so hard in what he knew from the get-go would be a down year, speaks to his character. Whether he returns or not, the Orioles are lucky to have had them come their way.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field in the first game of a doubleheader. Ty Blach gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Trevor Richards. Game time is set for just after 3 PM. (Game two will begin approximately thirty minutes after the conclusion of game one.)

Baltimore Orioles barbecued late in Kansas City

Aaron Brooks was unable to regain the form he showed on Tuesday night in Washington for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Kansas City. I would argue that he was lifted too early. However he did have his struggles, and the Orioles are trying to win games. Yes, you naysayers read that correctly – the Orioles are trying to win games. Brooks’ line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

Things began well for the Orioles, as they began the game immediately by putting guys on base. They took a 1-0 first inning lead on Renato Nunez‘s sac fly-RBI. However Kansas City got on base-happy as well, and took a 3-1 lead with a two-RBI double and an RBI-single in the last of the first.

But the good news is that the O’s continued getting guys on base. They tied the game at three in the third on Trey Mancini‘s two-RBI single. While the Birds dropped the finale, they remained competitive.

And in fact, the Orioles also came back and took the lead. Pedro Severino pushed a run across in the sixth on a swinging bunt with a runner on third. Kansas City tried to get the out at the plate, however Villar slid in safely. And the Birds had the lead.

However two RBI-singles in the seventh and eighth inning respectively gave Kansas City the lead back. Merrifield added a solo homer, and the O’s fell 6-4. This was the first series rubber match Kansas City had won since June of 2018.

The Orioles now head to Tampa, however the series has been altered due to the uncertainty surrounding Hurricane Dorian. Tomorrow’s game will go on as scheduled. However the teams will play a single-admission doubleheader on Tuesday, starting at 3 PM. Game two will begin approximately 30 minutes after game one is completed.

That leaves Wednesday as an off day for the Orioles. It doesn’t appear that Hurricane Dorian is going to significantly affect the greater Tampa area, however you have to make snap decisions sometimes when it comes to storms and situations like this. I’m somewhat of a weather enthusiast, but you don’t have to be interested in weather to know that this is a very serious storm, and any precautions which can be taken must be.

The aforementioned series in Tampa begins tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Asher Wojciechowski gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ryan Yarbrough. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Fair is foul, foul is fair

The Baltimore Orioles once again got a solid outing out of a starter in Kansas City, as Dylan Bundy put them in a position to win. Bundy had his struggles in the outing, however he did his job. He left the game with the lead, in fact. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 earned), 3 BB, 7 K.

Kansas City would take a 1-0 lead on Starling’s solo homer in the second. However two innings later the O’s tied it on a solo shot by Anthony Santander. Kansas City would hear from him later in the game as well.

However in the bottom of that second inning Kansas City would get the lead back on a sac fly-RBI by Phillips – on a pop fly that was dropped by Wilkerson in center. That would lead to two other runs in the inning, giving Kansas City a 4-1 lead. However in the fifth Chance Sisco‘s solo homer would cut that lead to 4-2.

But remember when I said that Kansas City would see Anthony Santander again? That moment came later in the fifth when he smacked a three-run homer. That put the Birds in the lead at 5-4. At first the umpires weren’t sure that the ball was a homer, as it hit a sponsor board (over the wall) and bounced back into play. The umpires huddled up, called it a homer, and that was upheld on review.

While Dylan Bundy put the Birds in a position to win, they still had to bring it home. And unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen tonight. Dozier’s solo homer in the seventh tied the game at five. Kansas City used three consecutive bunts in the last of the eighth to load the bases with nobody out. A sac fly by a Merrifield and an RBI-ground out by Dozier later, and the Birds had fallen 7-5.

I mentioned the three bunts above to load the bases. The last two of those were fielded by catcher Chance Sisco, who made errant throws and allowed the base runner to advance. Now it’s worth mentioning that if one of those throws was good it might have been a different game.

However more poignantly, both of those final two bunts had a shot at rolling foul. However Sisco picked them up and tried to throw the runners out. That’s a very small, albeit it important detail.

You can’t fault Sisco too much for trying to get the runners out on the bases. Even one out would have changed the dynamic of the inning. However sometimes as an athlete in a game you have to stop yourself from playing playing to your desires in a sense. If he at least attempts to let those balls roll foul, the game is vastly different. His intentions without a doubt we’re good. But details such as fair and foul can be the difference between winning and losing at times.

The series in Kansas City concludes tomorrow afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Aaron Brooks gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Danny Duffy. Game time is set for 2:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business in return to his hometown

John Means of the Baltimore Orioles got to watch a dream play out last night in Kansas City. Means’ hometown is about 30 minutes from there, and he grew up a huge Kansas City Royals fan. Athletes dream of playing in their hometown against their hometown team; not only did Means get to do it, but he pitched a gem in doing so. Means’ line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Means was welcomed home in a semi-inauspicious manner, as Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the first on a solo home run by Soler. However Means had some help in this game; that help of course in the form of Oriole bats. Pedro Severino‘s RBI-single in the second tied the game at one. Kansas City never had the lead or even got close again.

Anthony Santander smacked a three-run homer in the third, and the O’s were off to the races. Severino would add another RBI-single later in the inning, and Richie Martin a sac fly-RBI. Kansas City’s other lone run came on an RBI-single by Cuthbert in the last of the fourth. Other than that, Means kept them off the board.

And for their part the Orioles couldn’t stay off the board. Hanser Alberto‘s two-RBI single in the fifth opened the game up wide. Jonathan Villar would later steal home in the seventh to give the O’s a 9-2 lead. When all was said and done and the smoke cleared, the Orioles had defeated Kansas City 14-2.

Oriole bats were huge in winning this game – that goes without saying. But you have to feel good for John Means, who was able to provide such a dominant performance in his hometown in front of his parents and other family and friends. Means on the outing (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports:

It almost felt like my debut. I had so many friends and family here. The first inning, a little butterflies, you know in my home ballpark. But it was a cool experience. I didn’t think I would ever make it here, to be honest with you. It was always my dream, but I was a realist as a kid; I’ll probably have to get another job. But it was really cool. The big crown in center field. I grew up (and) probably came to 200 games here in my lifetime. I’m definitely familiar with the park.

Means seems like he understands what a cool moment he was afforded last night. And in saying that I mean the opportunity to get to play in his hometown, albeit as a visitor. Not every athlete gets to do that. Not only was he afforded that opportunity, but he seized it and ran with it. Pitching a gem like that in what amounts to his home ballpark is probably something that neither he nor his parents will ever forget.

The series continues tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the I’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Jorge Lopez. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Are the Birds impacted by Kansas City’s potential sale?

The Baltimore Orioles open up a three-game set in Kansas City tonight over Labor Day weekend. There was an interesting story that broke this week considering this weekend’s opponent. Apparently the owner of the Kansas City Royals, David Glass, is in talks to potentially sell the team. If the deal goes through, the sale price is rumored to be $1 Billion.

Let’s get the thank you Captain Obvious moment out of the way; that’s A LOT of money. Probably more than any of us is every going to see in this lifetime. However this does relate just a bit to the Orioles. There have been rumors that either owner Peter Angelos, or the family of owner Peter Angelos could be interested in selling the O’s at some point in the near future.

So if the Kansas City Royals net a sale price of $1 Billion, what does that say about what the Orioles might be worth? Could Angelos or his family not then turn around and tell a potential buyer, the Royals got this, so we should at least get that? Is it really that simple – as just to say that?

You have to look at both franchises and what they have going for them. Both are in the basement right now, but building their cores. Kansas City does have a recent World Series title, which the Orioles can’t tout. However, while both franchises are smaller markets, Baltimore is the 26th largest media market in the country. Kansas City is the 32nd largest. While those are only separated by a few slots, being a top 30 market is still huge.

One could also argue that the fact that the Orioles often have to compete for fans within their own backyard with another franchise makes them a tougher sell. However on the flip side, they also draw from the much larger Washington, D.C. media market. So it goes both ways.

It seems that each time you make an argument for one franchise being worth more, there’s an inverse argument which in theory could cancel that argument out. At the end of the day the Orioles and Kansas City Royals are probably worth very similar sale prices. So this is definitely something to watch, as if Kansas City sells for that $1 Billion price, one could definitely expect the same of the Orioles if they’re ever sold.

The aforementioned series with Kansas City begins tonight at Kauffman Stadium. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, and Kansas City will start Eric Skoglund. Game time is set for 8:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Richard Bleier sounds off on shifts

The Baltimore Orioles are once again being talked about due to a public spat between a player and a coach. Reliever Richard Bleier came out of last night’s loss in Washington, and appeared to have words with third base coach Jose Flores. Later it was confirmed that the issue at hand was defensive positioning:

I think I just let frustration kind of boil over about some stuff that … some balls that I thought maybe defensive positioning, I guess. I probably could have done better for myself to keep my mouth shut, and unfortunately, I may have said something and you guys saw the rest.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Bleier surrendered a single down the first base line in last night’s game, on yet another play where the Orioles played a shift. And the ball would have been hit right to the first baseman had the shift not been on. As has been chronicled in this column ad hoc, teams seem adept at beating the Orioles in a shift. Bleier went onto say:

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I mean, I think that we’re all adults. It’s not like I’m mad at anybody. Right now, we’re not thrilled with each other, maybe, but I’m sure we can move past this and get back to a healthy relationship.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

First and foremost, regardless of anything else I’m not a fan of players verbally confronting coaches in public. I always remind folks – this game is a job to these guys. Think about your job, whatever that may be; if you have an issue with how a boss or supervisor is conducting things, do you verbally confront him in the middle of the office? In general, no you don’t.

Now having a closed door meeting with your superior and airing your concerns in a civilized manner might be another story. In general that’s a much better conduit for change. It also comes across as much more professional. And if you look at those quotes Bleier seems to understand that.Perhaps he understands it in retrospect, but he seems to understand it.

That said, I obviously agree in principle with Bleier. My personal view is that the Orioles play these shifts far too often. And on top of that, when they play them they usually play fairly radical shifts. There may be only one opportunity for a guy to get a base hit with some of these shifts – but they’re finding that one hole of daylight, all other things be damned.

Not all of this can be avoided. Some hitters just luck out at times. However how many situations have we seen such as in last night’s game where the ball is literally being hit to the exact spot a fielder would have been had there been no shift? That’s something that should stand out to fans.

I think what we’re seeing is that at the end of the day these shifts are just going to make guys into better hitters. The idea behind a shift is to cover the spots on the field where the hitter usually hits the ball. The fatal flaw of the shift is that the game’s still played by human beings. Sometimes fluky things happen. And if I were the Orioles, it would give me pause when I saw that they seemed to happen to me an awful lot.