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: 13’s the number once again as O’s win a series

Following just over an hour rain delay before the game could begin, the Baltimore Orioles defeated Cleveland behind a stellar outing from Andrew Cashner. Ironically, Cashner was originally scratched from the lineup – with no reason given. It turned out that the Orioles didn’t want to lose Cashner during a lengthy rain delay. So when the delay came before the game could even start, they reinstated Cashner as the starter. Cashner’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead in the second on Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single. Two innings later in the fourth, Anthony Santander‘s solo homer extended the lead to 2-0. Incidentally, it wasn’t just any home run; it made it onto Eutaw St. And in doing so, Anthony Santander now has the distinction of hitting the 100th home run onto Eutaw St in the history of Camden Yards.

That fear was a harbinger for the rest of the game. Later in that fourth inning Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini each smacked RBI-doubles (Villar’s was actually a two-RBI double). Renato Nunez would also add a solo homer, and the Orioles led 7-0.

When the smoke cleared by the end of the game, the Orioles had put 13 runs on the board – for the second consecutive game. And also for the second consecutive game, a starter and the bullpen had combined to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard. So consider that for just a moment; in back-to-back games, the O’s best Cleveland 13-0. That’s 26-0 through the first two games of the series.

Turnabout can be fair play. To this point it’s been the Orioles on the business end of games like these past two. But the hunted became the hunters this weekend thus far. End of the day, an outstanding two-game stretch for the O’s.

Incidentally, the Orioles have now won their first series since April by beating Cleveland in the first two games (of three). And obviously they’ve done so in very convincing fashion, putting up a 13-spot on a very good team two games in a row. As I’ve said many times, sometimes you’re the windshield, and some days you’re the bug. The Birds have been the bug quite often this year. But the last two days they’ve reversed course and been the windshield.

The series concludes tomorrow as the O’s go for the sweep at Camden Yards. Gabriel Ynoa gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business in return

John Means came off the IL to make the start last night for the Baltimore Orioles against Cleveland. And he couldn’t have picked a better game to return, as he was on the ball himself, and Oriole bats produced a donnybrook of a win. Means himself didn’t go too deep into the game because the O’s wanted to be cautious after his IL stint, but he looked good while he was in – and the bullpen followed suit. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

It’s been a long time since the Orioles have won a game running away like that. Chance Sisco‘s two-run homer in the first inning set the tone. Later in the inning Hanser Alberto‘s two-RBI double actually doubled the Orioles’ lead to 4-0. And they were off!

The good news was that the O’s kept the pressure on. Dwight Smith Jr. added a sac fly-RBI in the second. Sisco added another RBI-single, and Anthony Santander‘s homer broke the game wide open. The Orioles held an 8-0 lead after two innings once the smoke cleared.

As I said, John Means and the bullpen kept Cleveland in check. And that’s been tough to do thus far this season. Sometimes playing with such a big lead is tough because you end up letting tour guard down. If anything that might be natural. However the Orioles were nose to the brine stone throughout the entire game. They weren’t losing their focus on this night.

And for good measure, they added a few runs on late. The seventh brought a Rio Ruiz RBI-single, and the eight two separate two-RBI doubles. One by Chance Sisco, and the other from Anthony Santander. For one game, it seemed that everyone participated.

Orioles fans would have liked to have seen games like this earlier and more often this year. However for once, the skies opened up and let us see just what this crop of players are capable of doing. It’s a trend that Orioles fans certainly hope continues into today’s game.

The series with Cleveland continues today at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Andrew Cashner gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Zach Plesac. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Figure out how to keep it in the park

The Baltimore Orioles open a three-game set against Cleveland this evening. It’s been going on all season long, however of late we’ve seen more and more balls flying out of the park. Unfortunately the majority of them are off of Oriole pitchers.

I’m a rational thinker, so naturally I want to understand why. I suspect that to some degree Oriole pitchers are somewhat predictable. They throw fastballs in fastball counts, and off speed pitches in counts which call for that. However as Buck Showalter said on numerous occasions, there’s no such thing as a fastball count anymore.

But this goes beyond that. Opposing teams are adept at anticipating what Oriole pitchers are going to throw. But they’re also able to anticipate where and when pitchers are going to miss in a fairly adroit manner. If the game situation calls for a slider, they’re fairly confident that the Orioles will dish out a slider. But the scouting report on that specific pitcher indicates that he often misses low on his sliders. So hitters are thinking low, and are ready for the pitch.

And thus far it’s been the opposing team scouting which has been spot on. And it’s killing the Orioles – the home runs, that is. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what they need to do to keep more balls in the park. That’s well above my pay grade. But what I can say is that they need to either try to keep the ball in the park, or figure out how to score more runs. Preferably both, for their sake.

The series with Cleveland opens tonight at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Cleveland’s Mike Clevinger. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: More on replay quirks

While the Baltimore Orioles have never seemed to do this, yesterday I wrote about how many teams are able to talk umpires into extra replay challenges. And I think this is a bad trend. I always have. Some teams do it more so than do others, however the practice and the allowance thereof cost the Orioles a run yesterday.

This is a practice that’s gone on in Major League Baseball since they instituted instant replay. And I feel it needs to change. And it will – at some point. Once a big market team is on the losing end of it, that is. Once someone goads an umpire into reviewing a call against New York, Boston, Los Angeles, etc and it’s reversed, you might see some changes.

This or once it occurs in the playoffs and costs someone a series and/or shot at a title, you might see some movement. In short, nobody’s losing any sleep over the Orioles surrendering an extra run because something like this occurred, But if it ever happened on a more grandiose level, things could potentially change.

Baltimore Orioles: Are teams being ghosted by instant replay?

The home run ball haunted the Baltimore Orioles once again this afternoon. The Birds, led by starter Dylan Bundy, surrendered five home runs to San Diego. Now in fairness Bundy didn’t give them all up, but the tone was set early. Bundy’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Renato Nunez actually gave the O’s a 1-0 lead with an RBI-double in the first inning. Part of the problem is that when the Orioles score early and get on the board, it’s only one run. They can’t be satisfied with that; they need to play for the big inning.

True to form, Garcia’s two-run homer in the second gave San Diego the lead at 2-1. Hinder would add an RBI-groundout later in the inning, and the Birds trailed 3-1. One inning later, Reyes hit his first of two homers on the day, and San Diego led 4-1.

But the O’s did mount a rally. Jonathan Villar smacked a fourth inning two-run homer. However the next two innings brought three more San Diego runs off of the long ball. Pedro Severino would add a solo homer, and the O’s would also score on a bases loaded walk. But when the smoke cleared, the O’s fell 10-5.

Based on something that happened at the tail end of the game however, I think that the league needs to take a look at instant replay and how it’s utilized. In the top of the eighth with San Diego well in front, Tatis grounded out to short on what appeared to be a fairly routine play. However San Diego thought he was safe, a fact that instant replay seemed to back up. The only issue was that San Diego was out of replay challenges.

However as we’ve seen numerous times, the San Diego bench all but goaded the umpires into ordering an umpire review. They ruled Tatis safe, and he proceeded to attempt a steal of second. He was thrown out.

However again, the San Diego bench complained to the point to where the umpiring crew ordered a review. The call was overturned, and Tatis was awarded second base. He would score on an RBI-double. So San Diego in effect scored a run on what should have been a routine ground out to short.

Ow that one run made no difference in the final result. None whatsoever. However it could have given a different game situation. In fact, one could reasonably ask why a team is begging for a replay review when they’re up big in a game like that. But that aside, is it fair that teams are basically getting an unlimited number of challenges?

We’ve seen Toronto and Boston both do this shamelessly over the years. In some cases teams even do it before they’ve spent their instant replay challenge. The mentality being if we can goad the umpire into reviewing the play on his own accord, we can save that challenge. However obviously if the umpire wanted to review the play on his own, he would have done so immediately.

This is a loophole through which teams are getting extra challenges and taking advantage. The rule should be changed to either not allow umpire reviews at all, or to provide for manager ejections if the umpires are in essence begged to review plays “on their own accord.” Otherwise things could end up being that the manager with the best politicking skills wins the game. And that’s not how it’s supposed to be.

Baltimore Orioles fall to San Diego, Manny Machado in homer parade

The Baltimore Orioles welcomed Manny Machado back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards this evening for the first time as a visitor. First and foremost, the fans at Camden Yards tonight did the Orioles and the city of Baltimore proud. The reaction to Manny when he came up to bat for the first time was incredibly positive. As opposed to coming across as jilted lovers full of sour grapes, Orioles fans conducted themselves with honor.

Jimmy Yacabonis was the Orioles’ “opener” this evening, unfortunately not with the results that the Birds would have wanted. Yacabonis’ line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K. The big culprit? Home runs.

However the O’s did briefly have the lead. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-single in the first inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. However Margot’s two-RBI single in the second put San Diego in the driver’s seat for good at 2-1.

Later in the inning Tatis smacked a two-run homer to drive the lead up to 4-1. One inning later Manny Machado came up for his second at-bat, and promptly deposited a ball into the San Diego bullpen. The O’s trailed 5-1.

And that right there is why I’m glad Orioles fans cheered for Manny. Had he been boo’d the way that Bryce Harper was in Washington, odds are Machado would have posed at home plate after hitting that home run. And are we to believe that the national media wouldn’t have eaten that up? And who would have been spun as the villain? Baltimore, and the Orioles fans.

Margot would smack a solo homer in the fourth, and Machado would add another run on an RBI-single. This after Dwight Smith Jr smacked an RBI-double in the third. It was almost a triple, however Smith came off the bag at third.

And it’s little details like that which are haunting the Orioles. That had the potential to be a big inning. However Smith coming off the bag at third ended that. You have to take advantage of opportunities you’re given. San Diego did. The Orioles did not.

The two teams swapped homers before the game ended, with the Orioles’ coming in the seventh off the bat of Richie Martin. However the homer parade killed the Orioles once again. San Diego hit four home runs in the game. They’ve got to stop these homers from happening, as they’re getting the Orioles way behind in games.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Matt Strahm. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sign Andy Rutschman as Manny Machado returns

The Baltimore Orioles have signed their top pick, catcher Andy Rutschman. Rutschman signed yesterday afternoon for a record signing bonus of $8.1 million. The Orioles have scheduled an introductory press conference this afternoon at Camden Yards, and Rutschman will be introduced to the crowd at tonight’s game against San Diego.

The Orioles have reportedly also come to an agreement in principle with their second round pick, shortstop Gunnar Henderson from Alabama prep. There was never any question that Henderson or Rutschman would sign, however it’s noteworthy. A rebuilding team such as the Orioles needs that type of reassurance for it’s fanbase to the effect that they’re going to have their best new players in the pipeline.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. While the Orioles are introducing Rutschman, the future of the club, in their clubhouse, a major piece of the past will be sitting in the visitors’ clubhouse at Camden Yards. That of course being San Diego third baseman Manny Machado. This is certainly a series that Machado circled on his calendar, as I’m sure did Orioles fans. While much of the personnel from the front office on down has no affiliation with Manny, this is still the organization that drafted him. It’s the fans in front of whom he played for so long.

Again, there’s certainly some irony in the fact that the introduction of Andy Rutschman is juxtaposed with the return of Manny Machado. However once the game states it’s just baseball. But I will say this to anyone going to tonight or tomorrow afternoon’s game: don’t boo Manny.

There are fair criticisms of Manny Machado in terms of how he handled his departure from the Orioles, and even some of the comments he’s made towards the organization since leaving. In no way am I defending that. However I also suspect that the national media is waiting to pounce on Orioles fans and the city of Baltimore for any reason they can find. Serenading Manny Machado with boo’s will bring charges of sour grapes. It’ll spin Machado as a sympathetic character; and heaven forbid he homers or makes a gold glove-caliber play on the field. Do you really want the national media spinning that?

Instead, politely applaud when he comes up to bat. That reflects well on the city and the fan base. Sure there were some moments he could have behaved differently while he was here and afterwards. But that’s life. A positive response to Manny’s return would say something about Baltimore and Baltimore Orioles’ fans. Again, do you really want Manny hearing a chorus of boo’s, only to smack a homer, pose at home plate, and have the national media defend and praise him for doing so? Because that’s exactly what would happen.

The series with San Diego opens this evening at Camden Yards. Jimmy Yacabonis gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Logan Allen. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Do players simply go through the motions?

The Baltimore Orioles were never going to compete for a division title this year. This much we know. However a lot of fans are grousing across the board for how the O’s are losing games. Big innings, countless errors, etc. So…what gives?

People have asked me if it’s possible that players are in effect mailing it in. Meaning that they’re just going through the motions of the games to collect a paycheck. My answer to that is an emphatic NO.

Professional athletes simply don’t do that. Win or lose, these guys take a lot of pride in their crafts. They also know that if they don’t perform, they’ll eventually be sent back to the minors or DFA’d. Now they’ll still get their contracted salary either way. But what happens after the contract has expired?

Guys don’t just mail it in, because like anyone else they need to feed their families. They need to ensure that there’s bread on the table. They also recognize that this isn’t a Monday-Friday, 9-5 job. They’re blessed to do what they do. And they aren’t going to do anything to put their careers in peril.

More realistically, I would argue that guys are pushing too hard. They have in their minds that they don’t want to make an error, but that all but causes a mistake. If you push hard enough that’ll happen. But no folks, the players aren’t collecting a paycheck. That’s about as harsh of a thing to say about an athlete as is out there.

Baltimore Orioles done in by the third inning

The Baltimore Orioles once again gave a starter a lead in Seattle, this time Gabriel Ynoa. And once again, they couldn’t hold the lead – twice, in this case. Ynoa’s line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 0 K.

Ynoa nibbles the entire truncated time he was in the game. And as I’ve said before, that’s not conducive to getting borderline calls. It also shows a lack of confidence on his part. Ultimately however when you’ve been trying to nibble and you eventually do perhaps hit the corner, umpires are less inclined to call that pitch a strike. Make no mistake however, that’s on the pitcher – not the umpire.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead before Ynoa even took the field on a solo home run by Trey Mancini. However Ynoa gave up a solo shot in the bottom of that first inning to Crawford, and we were tied at one. The second inning brought an RBI-double by Hanser Alberto. However it also brought Williamson grounding into a double-play which scored a run.

Through two innings Seattle had taken the anything you can do I can do better tactic. And that generally doesn’t bode well for the Orioles. But the good news was that the run-for-a-run routine didn’t last long…

…Seattle our eight runs on the board in the third. The worst part was that many of them cam with the bases loaded. Oriole pitching would either walk players, hit them with pitches, or had base hits that were just perfectly placed enough to net a single. The runs kept coming, and there was nothing that the Orioles could seemingly do about it.

An inning like that effectively ends the game. Especially when it comes so early in the game, it’s fashionable to say hey, if they can do it we can do it. In theory that sounds great. In practice it’s another story.

Surrendering eight runs in an inning generally means the game is over. You can start not holding runners on, with the full knowledge that the unwritten rules of the game prevent the opponent from stealing a base. And I say that in the sense that both teams begin going through the motions. Especially the Orioles, who are flying home this evening.

The Orioles ended up dropping the game 13-3. Big innings as such are happening more and more frequently. Some of that is opponents taking advantage of their opportunities – whereas the Orioles do not. But some of it the result of mental errors by the Orioles. And that’s tough to defend against.

Baltimore Orioles: Redemption for Jonathan Villar, Birds snap loss streak

With this afternoon’s victory in Seattle, the Baltimore Orioles snapped a ten-game losing streak. With the win, the Orioles won their 22nd game of the season, this one behind starter Andrew Cashner. And for once, the O’s got a quality start out of a pitcher, and they won. Cashner’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Ironically today it was Seattle who took the early lead and couldn’t hold it. Vogelbach’s RBI-double in the first gave them a 1-0 lead. However the O’s threatened immediately following that in the top of the second. They put runners on first and second with one down. However Jonathan Villar got picked off of second, followed by a strikeout to end the inning.

And it wasn’t even close – Villar getting picked off, that is. You could have driven a Mack Truck through the space between Villar and the bag. Those are the types of mental errors that we’ve seen a lot from the Orioles of late. And it’s costed the games.

However for once, neither the team nor the player allowed that mistake to define them in this game. Villar came up to bat next in the fourth inning, and smacked a three-run homer which gave the O’s a 3-1 lead. Sometimes tough stretches can be more mental than anything else. But Villar was able to dust himself off after his mistake and make a big (positive) difference for the O’s in this game.

The score remained at 3-1 until the sixth when the Orioles extended it to 5-1 with a two-run homer by Anthony Santander. Seattle would close to within 5-2 with a run in the bottom of that sixth inning off of an error, but again the Orioles didn’t allow that to let the wheels come off. In fact, they further extended their lead in the seventh with a sac fly-RBI by Pedro Severino.

And in fact, the Birds were able to put up a couple of insurance runs. They loaded the bases in the eighth, and Hanser Alberto‘s two-RBI single extended the lead to 8-2. Santana would smack a solo homer in the last of the eighth and Smith an RBI-single in the ninth, but that was too little too late for Seattle.

The big story is that the O’s snapped a ten-game losing streak. However as I said, there were a couple of moments when this could have gone another way. The Villar error, and even the run-scoring error (by Hanser Alberto) in the sixth. Not to mention your run-of-the-mill runners on base throughout the game. The O’s overcame that to win this game. And in Jonathan VillarMs case, he overcame a pretty bad mistake on the bases to play a big role.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at T-Mobile Park as the O’s try to go for a series split. Gabriel Ynoa gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Yusmeiro Kikuchi. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.