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: Like sand running through your fingers

The Baltimore Orioles used Keegan Akin as an “opener” last night. In general I’m not a fan of the practice, as it’s a little too non-traditional for me. That’s never been how baseball was intended to function. Akin’s line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Chase McDermott was the pitcher of consequence in a sense. On a side note there’s little point in me writing the starter’s final line if it’s an “opener” situation. But I digress.

McDermott surrendered a solo homer to Turang in the third, and a two-run home run to Frelick in the fourth. That was a two-run homer because the leadoff hitter reached on a shallow pop up in the outfield. Ramon Laureano appeared to have it in his sights, but he collapsed over his feet and the ball fell in.

Laureano was later lifted from the game and Tony Mansolino said after the game that he was day-to-day (quote courtesy of Brendan Mortensen, MASNsports):

Sounds like he’s going to be kind of day-to-day. Something with his ankle, I don’t want to be specific as to what it is, but right now, indications are that it will be just a couple of days.

On a side note it’s unclear why he can’t go into specifics. Not that it really matters, but interesting choice of words on Mansolino’s part. The good news is that Laureano is probably only going to miss a couple of games. And if the O’s get rained out Thursday in Boston, maybe it’s only one for all I know, (The forecast appears to be foreboding.)

Ramon Urias’ RBI-single in the seventh cut the lead to 3-1. The problem with that was the O’s had two runners on, and Heston Kjerstad grounded into a double-play. That left a runner on third, but with two outs. While that “wounded” a potentially bigger rally, at least Urias got a hit with a runner in scoring position.

Jackson Holliday’s subsequent RBI-triple however put the Orioles more in business in the game. That cut the Milwaukee lead to 3-2. However Hoskins’ eighth inning solo homer and Ortiz’s RBI-single padded the lead, and Milwaukee walked away with a 5-2 win. The Orioles will need a win today to avoid being swept in their third straight series.

Going back to Heston Kjerstad for a moment, one has to believe that he has a bit of shell shock in a sense. We remember his injury problems that almost prevented him from progressing through the minors as it was. When he finally got here, he was viciously hit in the head last year against New York. When he came back he was never the same.

This year he was somewhat starting to get untracked – slightly. Then he was hit by a pitch against Cincinnati, and the struggles have continued. It’s unfortunate, as he has a lot of talent. In short, he’s a victim of circumstance.

As I said above, the forecast in Boston looks foreboding for Thursday night with a 70% chance of “heavy rain.” Given that analytics are so big in baseball today, I would submit that the probability of playing is slim. An impromptu day off might be good, however if that happens you have to hope that they reschedule the game for a different day. This as opposed to a doubleheader.

The series concludes this afternoon at American Family Field. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Chad Patrick. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A loss you can live with

Many people will look at the headline and say that the Baltimore Orioles shouldn’t be willing to live with any loss. And sure, that’s true in a perfect world. Dean Kremer wasn’t great tonight, but he wasn’t awful. And he probably worked a little extra into the game, saving a bullpen reliever. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Going back to the point above, it’s not a perfect world. You can live with dropping a game like this where you fought and things didn’t break your way in the end. This as opposed to losing games perhaps because a computer program told you to do this or that in game.

The Orioles appeared to come untracked as a team today. That meaning that perhaps they didn’t have the reliance on analytics and only analytics. And it almost worked. It certainly did at first when Ramon Laureano smacked a solo homer in the second inning.

However Milwaukee put up three in their half of the frame, and took a 3-1 lead. Contreras would add an RBI-double in the last of the fifth, and the Birds trailed 4-1. But maybe you’ve noticed and maybe you haven’t – in each game of the newly-minted Tony Mansolino era the Birds have put up late runs. In this case tonight, they weren’t already too far behind for it to make a difference.

The O’s put two runners in scoring position in the seventh, bringing Cedric Mullins to the plate. And Mullins ambushed a pitch over the right field wall, tying the game at four. And that’s part of why I reference the computer program above. The Orioles have made it clear that analytics are their game – right or wrong. When’s the last time you’ve seen an Oriole player ambush a pitch like that early in a count? Maybe they put the iPad away for a moment and allowed themselves to play in the moment.

But end of the day, it’s chalked up as the Orioles’ seventh loss in a row. Yennier Cano issued a two-out walk in the ninth, and Turang promptly stole second. He scored on Contreras’ RBI-single, lifting Milwaukee to victory.

Again, you can live with dropping a game like this. It’s games when your use of analytics are used against you and where you can’t get out of your own way that stick in your mind. Also worth mentioning that the Orioles again made lots of hard contact in this game. Big time. And Milwaukee fielders made amazing plays. Par for the course for this year.

The series continues tomorrow night at American Family Field. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he ends up being will be opposed by Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Four solo shots not cutting it

Baltimore Orioles’ starter Zach Erin was behind for the beginning today. Washington ambushed him on the first pitch of the game, and things didn’t get much better. Eflin’s line: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

As has been the base with other pitchers this year, he got too much of the plate. This after yesterday when hitters were going down and slugging pitches well low and away. Abrams slugged the first pitch of the game out of the ballpark. A solo home run plus a subsequent three-run homer in the second, and the Birds trailed 5-0.

Tack on a two-RBI single later in the inning, and a sac fly-RBI by Wood in the third. The Orioles did hit four solo homers in the game. Cedric Mullins in the fifth, and Gunnar Henderson in the sixth. Followed by another one from Mullins. Jackson Holliday added the fourth one in the seventh.

Washington added two runs late to run the final to 10-4. Needless to say, the Tony Mansolino era isn’t off to a rousing start. Mansolino did say after the game that Zach Eflin ate up innings for the Orioles, which probably saved a reliever or two.

I would also say that maybe the Orioles should consider scrapping some (not all) of the analytics. At least the heavy reliance on it at least. opposing teams know their dedication to it, and they also read the same reports. It appears that they already know what the Orioles are going to do or how they’re going to play something. If you know what your opponent is going to do to you, all you have to do is do something different.

That could also explain some of the more baffling in-game decisions at times. Coaches need to coach. Computers do not. The last thing anyone wants is for your savior faire of computers and numbers to separate the good and bad coaches in sports.

The O’s now head to Milwaukee for the first of three at Miller Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Quinn Priester. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: More of the same, but…

Tony Mansolino’s signature appeared on the Baltimore Orioles’ lineup card for the first time in this afternoon’s game against Washington. And it didn’t appear to be much different from the Brandon Hyde era which came to an untimely end earlier in the day. The game may have been over before starter Kyle Gibson recorded an out, and he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Gibson’s line: .2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

The first six Washington hitters reached base. And they had put six runs on the board before there were two outs. Gibson’s outing was striking for multiple reasons. Most of his pitches were down. Sometimes away, sometimes inside. He barely even tried to throw a fastball over the plate.

That tells me he didn’t trust his stuff from the beginning. That’s one problem. The second problem is that Washington hitters were going down to get those pitches. As if they knew precisely where they were going to be.

Earlier in the season I wrote about people tipping pitches. I find it hard to believe that Gibson could be that far outside the strike zone, and hitters were going down to get them with that sort of precision. They knew where Gibson was pitching.

They also consistently took extra bases on Oriole outfielders. At times on routine singles. Mind you, that’s a huge risk. But they didn’t seem to care.

Mansolino brought in Charlie Morton to record the last out of the first, which he did. Morton was the MVP of the game. As many struggles as he had in the rotation, he seems to have found a home in the bullpen. This wasn’t the first time he had done this – come in early in relief and bridged the gap. He gave up an RBI-double to Garcia in the second, and that was the only run charged to him.

Morton stabilized the game in a sense. The Birds still couldn’t really score, but that’s certainly not reflective on Charlie Morton. Aside from that lone run, he shut Washington down. And that could also add credence to the idea that pitches are being tipped,

The Orioles did finally get on the board in the last of the seventh with Ramon Urias’ RBI-single. Ramon Laureano’s run-scoring double would cut the lead to 7-2. However a ninth inning double and subsequent single would extend the lead back to 10-2.

However the Birds would put runners on base in the ninth as well. Jorge Mateo’s RBI-single cut the lead to 10-3. That left two runners on base for Jackson Holliday, who smacked a three-run homer to run the final to 10-6.

The bright spots in this game were Charlie Morton, and the late rally. It wasn’t really a rally, as it was more just padding stats. But maybe it’s a start to take the O’s into tomorrow. It’s something.

Mansolino made it clear after the game that he wasn’t thrilled with the manner by which he became a major league manager (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Not excited. This isn’t a good thing for us. We’re going to miss Brandon in a lot of ways. To me, he did a great job here. It’s the most wins in baseball the last couple of years. It’s a Manager of the Year. So to get to this point where a change is made, it’s not something that any of us wanted, by any means.

I would mention that the Orioles released a statement about Brandon Hyde’s dismissal circa noon. The game was at four. Maybe that little blast at the end was a collective exhale after the fact.

The series with Washington concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Zach Eflin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Michael Soroka. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles relieve Brandon Hyde of managerial duties

The Baltimore Orioles announced this morning that manager Brandon Hyde has been relieved of his duties. Third base coach Tony Mansolino has been elevated to interim manager. The Orioles are 15-28 on the year.

Obviously this is a less-than-desirable result. What’s interesting is the release didn’t include the phrase for the remainder of the season. Might this be a short managerial stint for Mansolino, with someone more tenured or with more name-recognition coming down the pike? Stay tuned. But for now Tony Mansolino will be signing the lineup card.

Baltimore Orioles: Losing in the most vicious ways

Despite runners left on base, the Baltimore Orioles had a great opportunity to win last night’s game against Washington. Cade Povich pitched well enough to win. And he should have. Povich’s line: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

Nine strikeouts is noteworthy. So are 15 men left on base. Now granted that has nothing to do with Povich, And the sad thing? The Orioles were 4-for-15 with RISP. Two of those four hits didn’t yield runs. That may be neither here nor there. But it’s a fact, as well as a tactical anomaly.

Povich surrendered a first inning solo homer to Lowe in the second inning, this after a 15 minute rain delay. This after the Birds loaded the bases in the first, but allowed Washington to needle out of it. And again, they did get a hit with a runner in scoring position in that mix; this without a runner scoring.

The O’s did strike however in the third. Ramon Laureano was the second in a series of back-to-back doubles, and the O’s tied the game at one. Jackson Holliday’s RBI-single later in the inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead.

Washington would tie the game with an RBI-single in the sixth, but the Orioles would load the bases again in their part of the frame. Ramon Urias’ sacrifice fly would give them the lead back at 3-2. As much as I wrote above about hits with RISP without a runner scoring, this was in essence the inverse. It’s another out with a runner in scoring position, however a run scored.

But Washington would re-tie the game in the eighth on Wood’s two-out solo home run. It came on the second pitch of the at-bat, and on a pitch low-and-away in the strike zone. But should they have pitched to Wood in that situation? Fair question I suppose. There were two outs in the inning. Furthermore they did pitch him away. I think had they not pitched to him and he came around to score, there would be the question of why not attack Wood with two outs and the bases empty?

Felix Bautista didn’t have his best stuff in the ninth. He walked the first hitter, but was able to record two straight outs. That brought Nunez to the plate, culminating in a bizarre sequence. He tapped a roller to Ryan Mountcastle at first base. At first you’re thinking, okay inning over.

But Nunez hustled down the line – like really hustled. It was also a slow roller, and…was Bautista slow to cover first? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Nunez was safe. And with two outs the runner was in motion, and Bautista WAS slow to throw the ball home. That ended up being the winning run, and the Birds fell 4-3.

That’s a cruel way to lose a game. Again, whether or not Bautista was slow to cover the bag is a fair question. I tend to think Nunez simply beat that out. But he did seem to forget there were two outs, and there was a runner behind him. That sort of lapse is the Orioles’ season in a microcosm.

Brandon Hyde had some interesting comments after the game regarding what he addresses to the team with things going so awry (quote courtesy of Eich Dubroff, BaltimoreBaseball.com):

We’ve addressed a lot of things this year, and so if you just continue to address, it’s going to fall silent at times. So there’s been a lot of addressing. I’m sure we’re going to talk about some things. I don’t know if tonight’s the right time. Timing’s important. Or tomorrow. Because there are a lot of people who are upset in there right now.

He’s right in that a lot of people in the locker room are upset. I would submit this is a poor choice of words, and a bad look. By saying there’s been a lot of addressing, it comes off as publicly blaming people. And that blame may be well-deserved in many cases. But you never throw people under the bus publicly.

And I say that recognizing that this was right after a tough loss. It’s probably a good thing that there’s “been a lot of addressing.” But saying that flippantly in passing isn’t necessarily the right thing. Address behind close doors, and publicly say that the onus is on the coaching staff to find a way out of this.

The series continues this afternoon at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Washington’s Jake Irving. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Defeat from the jaws of victory

Baltimore Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde has to be beyond frustrated with how this season has played out. There’s not one thing or another that’s gone wrong – it’s everything. Chase McDermott got the start in the second game of today’s doubleheader, to no avail. McDermott’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

In fairness to McDermott, this was a game that the Orioles almost punted from the beginning. They were already short starters, and this was set up as a bullpen game due to it being part of a doubleheader. Only thing was…it was winnable. Even after Minnesota put up four in the first three innings.

Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the last of the fourth got the Birds on the board, and cut the Minnesota lead to 4-1. But the O’s strung together a few additional two out base runners, and before you knew it the bases were loaded. And Cedric Mullins was striding to the plate.

And Mullins gave the O’s the lead with one fatal swing. His grand slam put the O’s ahead 5-4. In the moment it was a welcome sight. So was Heston Kjerstad’s subsequent solo home run, extending the lead to 6-4.

But Minnesota chipped away. Castro’s solo homer in the fifth cut the lead to 6-5. That being said, the solo shot was hit against Charlie Morton – as a reliever. That was the only run Morton gave up, and in fact he was in line to win the game. Morton, for all his faults thus far this year, gave the O’s some outstanding innings today. And that’s a fact.

Castro began the eighth with an excuse me bloop base hit. And that started a problem, as is usually the case. Minnesota’s one of these teams who uses any little loophole to get into a game. And with that base hit off of Yennier Cano, they got their loophole.

After a balk and a walk, Clemens came to the plate. And Clemens’ three-run home run gave Minnesota their lead back at 8-6. They closed the game out, and swept the doubleheader.

I’ve written about the Orioles tipping pitches before. I stand by that. But are they also too predictable?

It’s well known that Yennier Cano is the setup man. Was Minnesota sitting there waiting for him to come in the game? Personally I believe that consistency is a good thing. But it’s only consistency until people figure out how to sidestep it. It seems that Minnesota was waiting for Cano to come in the game. Had it gone to the ninth (with the Orioles leading), they would have been waiting for Felix Bautista.

Am I saying Brandon Hyde should shake it up? I don’t know what I’m saying. Cano’s the setup man for a reason. But they’ve figured him out over the past couple of weeks for sure. And that’s a problem.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Chris Paddack. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Minnesota strikes slyly and quickly

You could argue that Minnesota put Dean Kremer and the Baltimore Orioles right where they wanted them. They dialed them into a situation where one lackluster inning was going to bite them. And it did. Kremer’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Overall Kremer didn’t pitch poorly this afternoon. In fact, he pitched the team’s way into having an opportunity to win. Which is the goal of a starter. The O’s jumped on the board early on and RBI-double by Ryan Mountcastle in the third inning. He would quickly score on Gunnar Henderson’s two-run home run.

However some teams deal with pressure well. Minnesota’s a group of guys who are full of what you might call joie de vivre. The Orioles not so much. Teams in the East are often more intense. And that at times works against the O’s, especially against a team that had won eight straight coming in.

Kremer surrendered a solo homer to Lee to lead off the fourth. Solo home runs however don’t hurt you – unless you’re playing against someone hellbent on winning no matter what. Against teams such as this, it’s a death wish.

Minnesota put two on immediately in the wake of that homer off of a walk and a base hit. Later in the inning the nine hole hitter, Vasquez smacked a three-run homer, giving Minnesota a lead of 4-3. A lead they would never surrender.

They make it look like they’re beating you with power. Granted, that’s a ln element of it. However they’re doing it by getting guys on base in any manner they can, and getting them home in any manner they can. And that’s how they added on late as well. Larnach’s RBI-double led to a final run scoring on a wild pitch, and the O’s falling 6-3 in game one of a doubleheader.

The series continues later this afternoon against Minnesota at Camden Yards. Chayce McDermott gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Simeon Richardson. The game time has not been announced, but it will be later today.

Baltimore Orioles get fat on Anaheim mistakes

Two very important things happened this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. First off they got starter Zach Eflin back, and he turned in a solid outing. Keep in mind, Eflin ever so slightly stabilizes a rotation that’s been beleaguered on a good day thus far. Eflin’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

But another thing happened of equal importance: the O’s held their opponent (Anaheim) accountable for their mistakes. The Birds have made mental lapses in games all year, and they’ve allowed them to snowball – meaning opponents held them accountable. The O’s reversed that dynamic today; they pounced when they smelled blood in the water.

With Gunnar Henderson on second after a leadoff double, Adley Rutschman appeared to pop up to left which would have ended the inning. However the left fielder Ward appeared to lose the ball in the sun, this after being too far in to begin with. The ball fell well behind him, giving Rutschman an RBI-triple and the O’s a 1-0 lead.

However Anaheim strung together a few hits in the bottom of the inning and thought they had restored order with a 2-1 lead. And it almost got worse in the third. Ward singled to right with runners at first and second and one out. However the lead runner Moncada inexplicably stopped after rounding third base. When he turned around to go back, his teammate Soler was already standing there. The O’s played the ball back in to second base, recording the second out and erasing Soler.

That was a turning point. Teams get gifts all the time. Heck, the Orioles have given numerous gifts like that all year thus far. Luckily they weren’t going to let Anaheim off the hook on this day. Maverick Handley’s first big league RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, tying the game at five.

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single later in the inning would give the Orioles the lead for good at 3-2. An inning later Ramon Laureano stole second (following a walk), and made it to third on an errant pickoff attempt. He would later score on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 4-2

Maverick Handley’s sac bunt-RBI came later in the inning, running it to 5-2. And that brought Gunnar Henderson back to the plate. Henderson’s hitting better of late, and he showed it on this day. His two-run homer broke the game wide open.

Anaheim’s Lugo would slug a solo home run in the ninth off of Felix Bautista, but that was no threat to the O’s. End of the day this amounted to a bullpen session for Bautista, with an off day tomorrow. End of the day, the O’s went to Anaheim this weekend and took two-of-three.

The Handley sacrifice bunt was a suicide squeeze, for what that’s worth. You don’t see that so often in baseball these days. But it was just at the right moment, and it was executed with precision. It also shows the Orioles doing whatever they could to win this game. Which is more important than anything else.

End of the day, Anaheim did everything they could to lose the game today. And the O’s held them to task for it. Which is a good sign.