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, Richie Martin Livin’ La Vida Loca

On the south side of Chicago, the baddest part of town, the Baltimore Orioles used every manner possible to pull out the stops and win the first half of a twin bill. Rookie Richie Martin atoned for himself very well, as it was his triple that helped to propel the Birds to victory. Things started out rough for starter David Hess however, through very little fault however of his own. Hess’ line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.

Abreu’s run-scoring double in the first inning gave the ChiSox a 1-0 lead. That run came on the heels of an E4 on Alberto, so it was unearned. Due to various errors committed by the Oriole infield, the Birds were trailing 4-0 after three innings. When a young team’s lost four straight and they have that happen in the first game of a doubleheader, it all but makes sense to pack it in and start looking towards the next game. That didn’t happen.

Dwight Smith Jr. scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to get the O’s on the board. Later in the inning Stevie Wilkerson would ground into a fielder’s choice-RBI. And the O’s has started to chip away. Incidentally, Smith was on third base earlier because he stole third – all part of the aggressiveness that the Orioles are trying to show on the base paths.

Richie Martin would later plate Wilkerson with an RBI-double. That put the Birds right back in the game, as they trailed 4-3. They had several opportunities to tie or take the lead, but those were squandered. They went 3-for-17 in the game with RISP, including leaving the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

Dwight Smith however would smack an RBI-double in the seventh following a lead off walk, and the game was tied at four. Richie Martin would lead off the next inning with a triple. Keep in mind that the Rule 5 pick has played great defense to date, but he really excelled at the plate in this afternoon’s ballgame. He set the table to put the Birds in a spot to win.

With Martin on third and nobody out in the top of the eighth, Jonathan Villar would get him home with a sac fly-RBI. Make no mistake that while the RBI goes to Villar, it was Martin’s prowess at the plate and then his speed which manufactured that run. Not only was it the go-ahead run, but it was the winning run as the O’s broke a four-game skid with a 5-4 victory in game one of a twin bill.

The nightcap of the doubleheader and the series finale at Guaranteed Rate Field is coming up this evening. Andrew Cashner gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ivan Nova. Game time is…in just a few moments from when this is being written!

Baltimore Orioles: Chicagoland weather washes out the Birds

The Baltimore Orioles now have an impromptu night off in Chicago. This evening’s game against the ChiSox has been rained out. This, due to very poor weather in the greater Chicagoland area.

The game will be made up tomorrow as part of a straight (traditional) doubleheader. Not that it matters to fans in Baltimore, but that’s one admission, two games. For the record, this means that both teams will get the benefit of a 26th roster spot for the second game.

Game one will begin at 4:10 PM (EST) at Guaranteed Rate Field, with game two beginning 25-30 minutes after the completion of the first game. David Hess gets the start for the O’s in game one, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ivan Nova.

Baltimore Orioles: Long ball bombs Birds away again

John Means pitches a halfway decent game last night for the Baltimore Orioles. He didn’t pitch a quality start, but he put the O’s in a position to win. However it was once again the long ball which doomed the Orioles. Although not necessarily in abundance last night, the Birds surrendered homers once again. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

The ChiSox took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run homer by Alonso. However Pedro Severino cut that lead in half one inning later with a solo shot. But the big blow came in the bottom of that third inning, when Anderson smacked Chicago another two-run homer, giving them a 4-1 lead.

The Birds got to within 4-2 on Chris Davis‘ RBI-single. However Davis was thrown out on the base paths, which made it tough to start a real rally. The O’s would walk in a run in the seventh, and Davis would add an additional RBI-single in the eighth. And the O’s never made it closer than that, and they dropped a 5-3 decision on the south side of Chicago.

Obviously the homers continue to be a problem. Heck, Anderson’s two-run homer was literally the difference. But the Orioles also left a decent number of runners in scoring position as well. They were 2-for-9 in the game when hitting with runners in scoring position. They also left the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

You can’t do those types of things if you consistently want to win games at the big league level. You have to take advantage of the opportunities with which you are presented , and limit the opportunities that you give to the other team. The Orioles are doing neither.

In effect, the O’s are letting other teams off the hook by leaving the bases loaded so often. And as we saw last year, opposing teams aren’t returning the favor per se. And why would they? When opportunities as such arise, you have to take advantage.

The series continues tonight at Guaranteed Rate Field. Andrew Cashner gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ivan Nova. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles swept in Minnesota

The Baltimore Orioles found themselves not only swept in Minnesota this weekend, but they were swept by Minnesota in the season series. It’s interesting how it seems that no matter what the O’s did, Minnesota wasn’t going to be stopped. Dylan Bundy got the start for the Orioles, and while he gave up all four of the Birds’ runs he also in theory put the O’s in a spot to win. Bundy’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 8 K.

Bundy gave up a solo homer to Kepler in the first – because of course he did. The Orioles continue to give up homers, especially to Minnesota. He gave up another one to Buxton’s in the third, and the Orioles trailed 2-0.

Later in that third inning Gonzalez blooped a single into shallow center. That scored an additional two runs, giving Minnesota a 4-0 lead. In that case it’s either a homer of a softly hit ball that drops. Either way the Orioles lose out.

Chris Davis smacked a solo homer in the seventh for the Orioles, cutting the lead and the final score to 4-1. Again however, the issue continues to be the number of home runs Oriole pitching is giving up. I’m not sure what to say, as opposing teams are just feasting on Oriole pitching. How that stops is beyond me.

The Oriole bullpen did pitch four scoreless innings yesterday, which was a big bright spot. Again, the O’s were swept in the season series with Minnesota, 6-0. So they aren’t upset that they won’t see Minnesota again until spring training next year.

The Orioles now head to Chicago to open a three-game set with the ChiSox at Guaranteed Rate Field. John Means gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Manny Banuelos. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles dodge a bullet on Trey Mancini

The big news for the Baltimore Orioles yesterday wasn’t the 9-2 loss – although that’s a problem in and of itself. Dan Straily got the start in the game, and lasted only four innings. Straily’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

More on that in a moment, however. Seven pitches into the game a pitch ran inside on Trey Mancini, clipping his finger. The home plate umpire didn’t call a HBP, and Mancini ended up getting on board with a bloop single.

When he arrived he got to first base, Mancini called for the trainer. He was in visible pain, and eventually came out of the game. This could have symbolized a big problem for the O’s, as Mancini’s been one of their lone bright spots. Consistently, at least. A DL trip for Mancini would really represent a big problem for the Birds.

Luckily however, X-Rays came back negative after the game. Mancini was diagnosed with a contusion, and is listed as day-to-day. I wouldn’t expect to see Mancini in today’s lineup, but the Orioles really dodged a bullet.

With Minnesota already leading 1-0, Rio Ruiz‘s RBI-single in the fourth inning tied the game at one. One inning later the O’s took the lead on Handed Alberto‘s RBI-single. Was this game to be different against Minnesota?

The answer is no, as the homer parade continued off of Oriole pitchers. Cron smacked a two-run homer in the sixth to give Minnesota the lead back at 3-2. One inning later Kepler added a three-run shot. Ultimately when the smoke cleared, Minnesota had themselves a 9-3 victory over the O’s. This due to multiple home runs. In a game that almost cost the O’s their best player.

The concern with Mancini is how this injury affects his play. Soon enough he’ll be back in the lineup, but does he play at the same level? You’ll recall last season he was playing at a similar clip in the first week of the season, before crashing feet-first into the left field wall trying to catch a foul pop. He was never really the same, that is until spring training this season. Hopefully he’s able to remain at the same level of play for the remainder of the season.

The series concludes this afternoon at Target Field. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sometimes solo home runs do actually beat you

The Baltimore Orioles were once again the exception to the rule last night. The common saying is that solo home runs don’t beat you. In general, I’m going to believe that 100%. However Minnesota smacked five solo homers last night, four of which came off of starter Alex Cobb. Cobb’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.

Minnesota hammered Oriole pitching last weekend at Camden Yards. Part of that was a start by Cobb, but they smacked around pretty much all Oriole pitchers that they saw. And the home runs went a long way. We also saw that continue last night – lots of homers, and they went a long way. How is that explained?

I’m not sure it can be, other than saying just that Minnesota’s really kicked in on the Orioles. Heck, they’re so locked in it seems that everyone’s hitting home runs. They aren’t bothering with singles or doubles, meaning that all the homers are coming with nobody on base. Which turns that long-standing rule (solo homers don’t beat you) on it’s side.

Cruz, Rosario, and Cron homered back-to-back-to-back in the first inning. That in essence put the Orioles on notice that this game was in essence going to be a continuation of last weekend’s series. And Minnesota was off to the races.

Cobb settled down in the second, however Minnesota struck again in the third with a solo homer by Kepler. One inning later (after Cobb had exited the game) Cruz smacked a second homer. Go figure, also a solo shot. They would put up a fifth run off of a Rickard error later in the inning. The only run they scored on the night which wasn’t a solo homer.

Dwight Smith Jr. would get the Birds on the board with an RBI-single in the sixth. But it would only be a token run, as Minnesota wasn’t relenting. Part of the issue offensively is that the O’s were 1-for-9 with RISP. That was also a big issue last weekend, as the Orioles left a small army on base.

Ironically, Minnesota’s numbers with RISP were worse – 0-for-6. But when you’re hitting all of those solo homers, you don’t have to have to worry about hitting with runners in scoring position. And again as I said, Minnesota managed to find the exception to a long-standing rule.

The series continues this afternoon at Target Field. Dan Straily gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: How healthy is Alex Cobb?

The Baltimore Orioles will start Alex Cobb in tonight’s series opener in Minnesota. Cobb you might remember came off the Injured List last weekend just in time to get run out of the ballpark by the same Minnesota team he’s facing tonight. So the question is how healthy is Cobb?

Perhaps the bigger question should be how much rehabbing has he done, and how effectively at that? When Cobb came off the IL (due to a lumbar strain) he didn’t spend any time in the minors on a rehab assignment. He said he felt good, but his rehab was pitching simulated games. Again, this as opposed to a rehab assignment.

Just as spring training games are important to get guys ready for the season, I really feel that rehab assignments are important for injured players. Even if the player’s been out of commission for a short period, it still helps you to get your timing back a bit, and to see live game action. Simulated games are fine, but they aren’t live bullets. There’s a big difference.

Cobb could have taken that type of beating in a minor league game, and then perhaps been ready to come back to the Orioles when he was right. At the end of the day, they opted to do a simulated game – certainly their choice. But the question is whether or not that was the right choice. Tough to say.

The series in Minnesota begins tonight at Target Field. The aforementioned Alex Cobb will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Martin Perez. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

On a personal note, you can still follow the Birds here on http://www.birdlandcrush.com, and via my Twitter feed. However you might notice some oddities regarding the timing of the columns and in-game tweets. Unfortunately for you, the Orioles aren’t my first priority this weekend – I’ll be attending my sister’s wedding over the weekend. So again, you can expect game recaps as normal, just well after the games have ended. Sorry folks, this is kind of a big deal!

Baltimore Orioles deal Mike Wright to Seattle

Prior to last night’s 4-3 victory over Chicago the Baltimore Orioles announced that they had consummated a trade of pitcher Mike Wright to Seattle. Wright of course had been DFA’d on Monday, and had been in limbo ever since. Manager Brandon Hyde had hoped that Wright would have cleared waivers and remained in the organization, but it was not to be.

In return for Wright, the Birds acquired infield prospect Ryne Ogren, who was immediately assigned to single-A Delmarva. In his first year of pro ball last year, the 22-year old Ogren hit .250 with an OPS of .700. He saw time at second, short, and third.

The Orioles got to a point with Wright where they couldn’t sustain him in the rotation. Given that he was out of options, they had no choice but to DFA him. So given those things, they got a good return for him. Wright now becomes a candidate to be a “change of air” type of guy. For his sake, I hope that Orioles fans join me in wishing him well.

Baltimore Orioles: John Means business, Birds take series from ChiSox

The Baltimore Orioles came into tonight’s game with a shot at taking the series with the Chicago White Sox. And that they did, behind the birthday boy, starter John Means. You really have to hand it to Means; he worked hard and made this team out of spring training, and he’s been superb in the games in which he’s appeared – especially as a starter. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

I’ve said so many times that the main job of a starting pitcher is to put the team in a spot to win the game. Means did that tonight. Means put Chicago out of their comfort zone from the get go, which again put the O’s in a spot to win.

The O’s got on the board right away on an RBI-single by Renato Nunez in the first inning. Rio Ruiz would single Nunez home later in the inning, and the Birds led 2-0. Hanser Alberto‘s sac fly-RBI in the second ran the lead to 3-0.

Chicago would fight back, however. Abreu would smack an RBI-double in the third, but msolo homer off the bat of Stevie Wilkerson in the fourth have the Orioles a 4-1 lead. However as I said, Chicago battled back. They threatened a few times, but most poignantly in the sixth. They loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Orioles managed to minimize the damage. Cordell got hit by a pitch, cutting the lead to 4-2. But other than that, the O’s minimized the damaged (whatever that means).

Chicago threatened again in the ninety, but the Orioles’ pen shut them down after Abreu accounted for one run on a RBI- double. They clamped down, for the final outs, and headed home for the night.

This was the first series win for the O’s at home in 2019. And that’s noteworthy because there has to be chemistry in an organization. If everyone’s not on the same page, things won’t mesh properly. And in order to win series’ things have to be meshing. This was a good team win for the Orioles, and as I said it marked their first series victory at home this year. They’re certainly hoping for many more.

Baltimore Orioles to ChiSox: Turnabout is fair play

Andrew Cashner turned in one of the better starts for the Baltimore Orioles this far in 2019. However the O’s could have gotten away with “just an okay” start this evening, as their bats finally came alive. But nevertheless, Cashner pitched a good game. Cashner’s line:

The ChiSox, you’ll remember, took the Orioles to the woodshed last night. However the O’s has a certain look in their eye out of the gate tonight. You felt that they were ready to break out, and ready to make someone lay for their struggles of late. That “someone” was the Chicago White Sox.

Chris Davis singled up the middle in the on second inning with Joey Rickard already on first base. Rickard was able to score on an errant throw, and the O’s took a 1-0 lead. For what it’s worth, while that’s a run-scoring single it isn’t an RBI for Davis – if you’re keeping score at home.

Little did we know at that moment that the Orioles were off to the races. Renato Nunez would smack a two-run homer in the third to extend the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning none other than Chris Davis would smack his first Camden Yards home run of the year – this of the two-run variety.

But the O’s wanted more. After all, tonight was all about purging the memory of the past few games, and showing the ChiSox that turnabout was in fact fair play. They weren’t the only team who could pile runs on against a hapless opponent. And Dwight Smith Jr. drove that point home with a three-rum homer in the fourth. As did Joey Rickard, who smacked a two-run shot later in the inning.

Chicago would net a token run on a sixth inning RBI-single by Anderson. But this was the Orioles’ night. The Birds has really taken it on the chin the past few games – especially last night and Saturday night (game two of the doubleheader). But tonight they flipped the script and really took it to Chicago.

And for a group of young guys, that’s good to see. This isn’t to say that they won this game and it’s going to be smooth sailing the rest of the way. It may be for all I know. But the Birds served notice this evening that they’ll only take so much.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Ervin Santana. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.