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 fall short despite Dylan Bundy’s strong outing

The Baltimore Orioles got out of Dylan Bundy what they hadn’t gotten in the first two games of this series last night: a quality start. Admittedly Arlington Texas’ Globe Life Park isn’t an easy place to pitch, meaning quality starts by either home or visiting pitchers can be tough to come by. But the O’s got one out of Bundy last night, and it put them in a spot to win the game. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 6 K.

You notice the six strikeouts; as opposed to the first two Orioles’ starters in this series, Bundy pitched for the strikeout. Cashner and Cobb seemed to be pitching-to-contact. And in general that’s not a bad thing, that is unless the opponent is intent on making contact. And Texas hitters were.

They were also intent on making contact last night, however Bundy was fooling them. He was able to employ breaking pitches and late movement to keep the Texas lineup at bay. However after the game when Bundy was asked if he was pleased with the outing, he focused more on the result than anything else (all quotes courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

No, I got the loss. Not happy about it at all. But it was a little bit better. Only left one ball over the plate instead of three, it seems like the last two outings. Just trying to execute pitches one pitch at a time.

Unfortunately it was an E6 by Renato Nunez that helped the Orioles to this loss. Nunez airmailed a throw to first on what would have been a routine ground out by Beltre in the fourth inning. The ball went into the stands, and Beltre took second base. That brought Gallo to the plate who smacked a two-run homer on a line that barely curved around the right field foul pole.

That’s the type of error that Orioles fans (and coaches) will have to get used to for the time being. It’s one that you can tolerate in a sense because Nunez is a young player and he’s still learning. However this is what rebuilding is – my hope is that all of the people who over the years claimed they wanted the Orioles to go through a rebuilding process understand that.

The O’s would net a run in the seventh on Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-single to cut the Texas lead to 2-1. It was also Trumbo’s 1,000th career hit, a feat he addressed after the game:

That is pretty cool. I actually like this one a little bit more than some of the other things I’ve done. Unfortunate that it didn’t contribute to a win tonight, but it’s pretty special to me.

An Odor solo homer in the eighth would eventually put the game away for Texas, as the O’s fell 3-1, making Dylan Bundy a hard-luck loser. Ultimately that Nunez error was costly. However all things being equal the Birds still lose this game 2-1. The absence of Schoop and Machado in the order is obviously fairly plain to see.

The Orioles will try to salvage a game in this series this afternoon at Globe Life Park. Yefry Ramirez gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ newly-signed Drew Hutchinson. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ David Hess struggles in Texas

Baltimore Orioles’ fans are going to have to get used to the idea that the rebuilding process is going to be painful. David Hess struggled last night in Texas; as a young starter, Hess is part of the solution – not the problem. And personally I think he has a bright future with the Orioles. That’s just not necessarily evident now, or at least it wasn’t last night in Texas. Hess’ line: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R (5 earned), 1 BB, 4 K.

Texas took an early lead when Odor reached on a Hess error. Hess picked up a comebacker and threw it down the first base line – Odor scored from first. And again, it’s plays like that which Orioles fans will have to get used to. However in fairness, those are the types of plays we’ve seen all season – from proven veterans.

But it was the fourth inning that did in both Hess and the Orioles. In total, Texas smacked three homers. Gallo smacked a two-run shot, Chirinos a solo, and Odor a grand slam. The seven run inning was the end of Hess’ night, and similar to the second inning on Thursday it ended the competitive portion of the night.

The Birds did put a couple of runs on the board. Jonathan Villar (who of course was newly acquired in the trade with Milwaukee) smacked an RBI-single in the fifth that cut the lead to 8-1. Later in the inning Tim Beckham‘s RBI-single cut it to 8-2, and Chris Davis‘ RBI-double an inning later brought the O’s just a bit closer at 8-3. However three add-on runs in the eighth put it away for Texas at 11-3.

Hess of course kind of got off to a poor start with the run-scoring error. And again, it’s plays like that which will become more and more commonplace (more so than we’ve already seen this year) as time goes on. Spring training 2019 is going to be a really important time for this franchise. Hopefully by then there’s a bit more stability in terms of the lineup and in terms of which young guy is playing where. And hopefully some of this stuff gets worked out in Grapefruit League play.

It was good for the Orioles to see Villar contribute in terms of scoring runs. In all of the trades that the Birds made, Villar was the only player who came back that was big league ready. Obviously since then a couple of the other guys have come to the big leagues and contributed, however Villar was already at the major league level. I would expect him to play a big role moving forward – unless he’s traded in the off season in the name of getting even younger.

The series deep in the heart of Texas continues this evening. Dylan Bundy gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Mike Minor. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Is baseball logic biting the Birds?

The Baltimore Orioles couldn’t stay out of the big inning last night against Texas. Namely, the big inning was the second inning, which in fact basically ended the game. Andrew Cashner gave up seven runs – again, ending the competitive portion of the night. Cashner’s line: 1.2 IP, 7 H, 10 R, 3 BB, 1 K. Cashner was pitching-to-contact; and the Texas hitters certainly were making contact.

The O’s actually had an early lead when Mark Trumbo grounded out to yield a run in the first inning. However Profar’s three-run homer in the last of the first gave Texas the lead for good. Then came the second inning – where Texas put seven runs on the board. if you’re going to win games, that’s not a good way to do it. And unfortunately, there will probably be more games like this during the rebuilding process.

The third and fourth innings brought three more Texas runs, as the hits with runners in scoring position just kept coming. It’s tough to come back from 13-1 down. But to their credit, the Orioles tried. Trumbo smacked a two-run homer in the fifth. One inning later the Birds also got a solo shot off the bat of Caleb Joseph. Granted however, it didn’t help matters when Texas decided to put four more runs on the board in the wake of that.

The O’s would round out the night with an RBI-single by Chris Davis, and a two-run homer by Trey Mancini. When the game ended, the score was an ugly 17-8. The sad part is that if you remove the seven-run second inning, all things being equal the O’s still lose this game by two.

Obviously the pitching itself wasn’t up to snuff last night – both Cashner and subsequent relievers. However there was one play that really struck me about this game – Profar’s RBI-single in that big second inning. Let me preface this by saying that the Orioles are a pretty by the book team. And apparently that’s fairly well known across the league.

In the aforementioned sequence, Cashner threw a low-and-away curve ball to Profar on an 0-2 count. Incidentally there were also two outs. Traditionally, teams will in essence waste a pitch on an 0-2 count because the pitcher’s already ahead and so forth. Why not try to get the guy to chase a pitch out of the zone as opposed to throwing a pitch directly in the zone?

In effect, you’re trying to outdo the hitter. The problem here is that Profar seemed to know that low-and-away curve was coming. And for the record, Cashner didn’t throw a bad curve ball. But Profar seemed ready and willing to go down and get it. And he clubbed it into the outfield for an RBI-single.

I’m not accusing Texas of stealing signs. What I’m saying is that the book on the Orioles is that they’re by the book. In trying to outdo the hitter at that moment, Cashner and the Orioles were outdone themselves because the hitter anticipated that they were going to throw a pitch exactly where they did. And ironically, had Cashner thrown a fastball right down broadway on that pitch, it would have been strike three.

The sad thing is that the manner in which the Orioles do things (in this regard) is old school baseball logic. But it’s almost biting them in the behind at times. Again, because if you want to beat the Orioles, just read the book. For what it’s worth, the Orioles became the latest team to use a position player as a pitcher last night. Danny Valencia struck out a batter to end the eight.

The series continues this evening in Texas. David Hess gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Ariel Jurado. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Alex Cobb hand New York a bad loss

Back during the Baltimore Orioles’ years in contention, they occasionally took a bad loss here and there. It happens. And today the Birds and starter Alex Cobb dished out a bad loss to the very much in contention New York Yankees. Cobb’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Cobb was masterful on the mound at “the stadium” this afternoon, doing everything in his power to limit the damage – and doing so successfully, I might add. Over the course of this season we’ve seen plenty of games where the Orioles would load the bases and only net themselves one run. This afternoon, they forced New York to accept that type of fate. And it’s a good thing they did, because they needed every run they got today.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Trey Mancini smacked an RBI-single to left. Renato Nunez followed later in the inning with a two-RBI double, and the Birds were in business. Tim Beckham finished things off in the inning with a two-RBI double of his own. New York would chisel away in the last of the second with a solo homer off the bat of Torres, and we stood at 5-1 after two innings.

Mancini would smack a solo homer in the third, and Breyvic Valera‘s RBI-single later in the inning put the O’s ahead 7-1. And after the conclusion of the third inning, the skies opened and we had a rain delay. A short one albeit, but a rain delay none the less. However the good news for the Orioles is that Alex Cobb was just as good after the delay as he was before. That’s not always the case with pitchers, which is why many managers change pitchers coming out of a delay.

The game remained at 7-1 until the last of the eighth when Andujar smacked an RBI-single to cut the Birds’ lead to 7-2. The O’s did get a scare in this game, however. With two outs in the last of the ninth Torres hit another home run – this one of the three-run variety. New York wasn’t about to be allowed to come back from six runs down in the ninth inning were they? And the answer is no; the O’s recorded the final out, and took home a 7-5 lead.

New York and Boston are battling it out for first place in the AL East. The Orioles are who they are, and we know they’re rebuilding. This is a game in which New York should have walloped the Orioles. Now they head to Boston for a four-game set this weekend, which could very well be a big factor in the final standings. That’s why this is a bad loss for them.

The Orioles now head to Texas for a four-game series in Texas starting tomorrow. Andrew Cashner gets the call for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Yovani Gallardo (himself a former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall short in the Bronx

As if today wasn’t tough enough for the Baltimore Orioles and their fans, the Birds took on the New York Yankees in the Bronx this evening. The suddenly devoid of big names Baltimore Orioles, that is. The O’s sent Yefry Ramirez to the mound at Yankee Stadium, and with mixed results at that. Ramirez’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Ramirez had some key moments with some good out pitches. He threw a couple of strike three’s on backdoor sliders that were fairly nasty. However he also gave up six runs. And that’s a problem.

New York won this game by getting runners on base. and that was done by being incredibly patient at the plate. They never allowed Ramirez to throw the pitches he wanted to throw, but they sat on the pitches that they wanted. Tough night for Ramirez, but that’s part of learning. And that’s what the Orioles are going to be going through for the foreseeable future.

New York took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Torres. True to form for the 2018 Orioles, this was partially due to a strange hop. The ball smacked off the mound and went into center field. How many run-scoring plays have the Orioles seen go against them this year with some strange little nuance as such?

Gregorius’ RBI-single in the third ran the score to 2-0, and two innings later it appeared that Ramirez was about to pitch out of a bases loaded jam with nobody out. Bird’s sac fly-RBI extended the lead to 3-0, however it was also the second out. However Andujar’s three-run homer closed the door on that, and the O’s trailed 6-0.

But the O’s did battle back. Jace Peterson‘s two-RBI single cut the New York lead to 6-2. Peterson would later score on a throwing error after stealing third. But that’s as close as they got, as New York’s bullpen closed the door.

Obviously however the news of the day was the Orioles in effect deconstructing the team almost in one fatal swoop. These are always tough days to stomach for players, coaches, and fans. Nobody embraces it’s players as theirs like Baltimore does. The trades made today and previously were necessary. That doesn’t mean that they were easy.

The series with New York concludes tomorrow afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Alex Cobb gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Sonny Gray. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Consider the farm sold

If you thought the Baltimore Orioles weren’t going to do anything at the trade deadline, you were wrong. Starter Kevin Gausman and reliever Darren O’Day were traded to the Atlanta Braves in a deal that broke at approximately 3:15 PM. Just about 40 minutes later (just prior to the 4 PM deadline), second baseman Jonathan Schoop was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Let’s go trade by trade in terms of the return. For Gausman and O’Day, the Birds got RHP Evan Phillips, INF Jean Carlos Encarnacion, C Brett Cumberland, and LHP Bruce Zimmerman. They also received international signing bonus slots.

In return for Schoop, the O’s got RHP Luis Ortiz, INF Jean Carmona, and INF Jonathan Villar – the latter of which was previously on the DL and about to come off. Villar of course has been at the big league level with Milwaukee, and Houston before that. He’s under team control until 2021.

Regarding whether or not this was good return, that will have to remain to be seen. The Orioles didn’t get any top prospects per se in these trades. However they did get a big league infielder. Villar’s spent time both at short and second base. I suspect he’ll slide into the starting lineup as the second baseman in lieu of Schoop.

They also got international bonus slot money, which can’t be shoved under the rug. Ultimately, the Orioles saved about $30-$35 million in salary money between the rest of this year and next year. That’s a lot in savings. Now they have to hope that some of the prospects that have been acquired in the past couple of weeks hurry up and get to the big leagues. And that they’re good at their trades. Because that’s the true judgement of any trade – if it works out or not.

Baltimore Orioles: Looking more and more like Adam Jones will stay in Baltimore

The MLB trade deadline is at 4 PM this afternoon, and Baltimore Orioles fans have their eyes on Adam Jones. The center fielder’s contract of course is up after this season, and he’s a free agent. He also has the right to veto any trade due to his 10-and-5 rights. In essence, any player who’s been in the league for ten years and with the same team for five of those years can veto any trade.

And in a somewhat surprising move, Jones appears intent on invoking that de facto no trade clause so as to remain in Baltimore. It’s been stated time and time again that it at least outwardly appears that both parties are interested in Jones being an Oriole in 2019 and onward. GM Dan Duquette has been quoted as saying that he thinks Jones will be an Oriole after today.

This kind of comes across as a scenario in which both the Orioles and Jones could have their cake and eat it too. The Birds could trade Jones to a contender and get a couple of prospects back. Jones in turn would have a shot at competing for a ring. Then as a free agent after the season, he could re-sign with the Orioles. So is Jones doing a disservice to the organization and the fans by hanging on?

There are plenty of people who are going to look at it that way. But Jones is also wary of having to uproot his family, or spend more time away from them than he already does. Along with his wife and two kids, he lives in Baltimore and makes this his year-around home. He’s away from his family when the team’s on the road, but if he were traded he’d be away from them for the next two months plus.

Issues like that do make a difference. I would remind fans that Adam Jones has really been adopted by Baltimore as it’s own. Baltimore isn’t like New York or Los Angeles where mercenaries come, win them a title, and then sometimes depart. Baltimore really embraces it’s athletes, and Jones is a perfect example of that. Baltimore’s a part of who he is, and it’s helped him become the family man he is now.

I suppose I would say that yes in fact the organization could get better in the future if they had the liberty to deal Jones and get something back for him. And if he signs a new contract to remain here, it’s really no harm no foul, right? But you can’t begrudge Jones for not wanting to waive his 10-and-5 status for the reasons he’s publicly cited. As a father and husband, he has to follow his heart first.

The Orioles head to the Bronx tonight to open up a short two-game set with New York. Yefry Ramirez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis rocks the yard as Birds win third straight

Based squarely on league play yesterday, you’d have no choice but to say that the Chris Davis contract was a good signing by the Baltimore Orioles. Whether it was or wasn’t is up to the beholder; Davis has struggled this year. This much we know. But he’s shown signs of breaking out a bit of late. That was certainly true yesterday.

Dylan Bundy dominated Tampa hitters in yesterday’s game, becoming the third straight Orioles’ starter in as many days to post a win. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K. Bundy had good control, and was hitting his spots in the zone. If anything he was hitting his spots too much, as the three runs he gave up were solo homers. But with that said, it’s tough to argue with seven strikeouts.

The O’s had runners at the corners with one down in the last of the first, and Trumbo grounded into a force out which scored a run. However credit Adam Jones with half of that run, as he slid hard into second base to break up the double-play. It wasn’t a dirty slide or an attempt to intentionally injure someone, it was just a good clean – but hard – slide. And it netted the Orioles a run.

Tampa presumably would have turned a double-play if not for that slide, which would have ended the inning. And seeing that Chris Davis smacked a two-run homer following that play, you can partially credit Jones with that as well. Little things like that in games do matter. All Jones was trying to do was to keep the inning alive. When the dust cleared, that hard slide assisted the Orioles in netting three runs.

And it’s a good thing that they were able to put those runs on the board,, as for a moment it appeared that Tampa was going to make a game of it. Cron smacked a solo homer in the second inning. He would also smack one in the fourth. However between those two homers, Jones would net an RBI-single for the Orioles. Austin Wynns‘ would also homer in the last of the fourth (a play that was reviewed for fan interference and upheld), and the O’s held a 5-2 lead.

Jace Peterson‘s RBI-double in the fifth seemed to break the game open a bit, however Tampa still had a slight window. Bauer’s solo homer in the sixth inning kept the Orioles thinking that they needed more runs with a 6-3 lead. So they decided to keep scoring…as has been the case for most of this series. They truly busted the game open in the seventh with Jonathan Schoop‘s three-run homer, running the score to 9-3.

Tampa attempted to make the game not as crooked as it looked with two runs in the eighth. But the Orioles got those runs right back on Davis’ second home run of the game – another two-run shot. And the Birds went home with an 11-5 victory.

This series won’t be anything more than a footnote in a season that faded to black a long time ago. However for once it was the Orioles seemingly “getting well” against a hapless team. The Birds have played some bad teams this year, series’ in which one might argue that they could seemingly correct themselves. But instead it was those teams “getting well” against the O’s. Whether it was Oriole mistakes or bad bounces, somehow the opponent would find a way.

But in this series it was the Orioles finding a way. Detractors will say now that the pressure’s off a bit they’re finding themselves, however wins are still wins at the major league level. Does Chris Davis’ two homer effort make up for how things went in April and May? Not really. But it meant something for yesterday’s game.

Almost immediately following the game the Orioles announced that they had traded reliever Brad Brach to the Atlanta Braves for $250,000 in international signing bonus slot money. For what it’s worth, it’s the first time in the team’s history that they’ve ever done that. As we know they’ve dealt international slot money before, but never acquired it.

I’ll be honest; I’m not so sure the Orioles didn’t sell low on Brach. Granted he’s had his struggles this season, and international signing money is the way of the future. (The Orioles are expected to sign some players on the international market as soon as this week.) But I’m of the impression that players are better than slot money. I would have expected the O’s to get perhaps a low level prospect in return for Brach. But I’m old school, as has been said ad hoc. Needless to say, at least they got something for another piece.

Baltimore Orioles: Is today Adam Jones’ final game at Camden Yards?

The MLB Trade Deadline is 4 PM on Tuesday, but the Baltimore Orioles have already been very active. This much we know. The question is will anyone else be dealt away? Namely, will Adam Jones be traded away?

As we all know, Jones is in the final year of his contract. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season. If you read the tea leaves, it appears that both parties would be amenable to a new contract moving forward. That might involve Jones moving to right field, but again it appears that both parties might be okay with that.

So it makes sense that perhaps the O’s consider trading Jones now (sending him to a contender), and perhaps getting an additional prospect or two in return. The fact is that the more prospects they get, the quicker the rebuilding process will be. Jones of course would have to waive his no trade clause in order to make this happen, and again it does appear that he’d be willing to do that.

If the O’s were to do this, that would mean that this afternoon’s game would be Jones’ last at Camden Yards. As an Oriole at least – for now. It’s easy to suggest that it appears to be a given that he’ll return, but nothing’s guaranteed in this world. Least of all tomorrow.

If in fact this ends up being Jones’ final game as an Oriole at Camden Yards (again, for now), it’s certainly bittersweet. There’s no doubt that regarding this year Jones would be worth more to the Orioles on the trade market than he would on the roster. However he’s also a fan favorite, and he’s done more for this community using his status as an Oriole than anyone since Ripken. Simply put, he is and always will be an Oriole.

Milwaukee and Philadelphia appear to be the two teams that are interested in trading for him. And it really boils down to whether or not they or someone else is willing to give the Orioles what they want in exchange for Jones. Just like Machado and Britton, you aren’t going to give the guy away. Especially not when this one guy has been the fact of the franchise for some time.

And in saying that, I hope that Orioles fans recognize that today could be a swan song of sorts for Jones – again, for now. I hope that they give him the salute that he’s due. The chapter of Orioles’ history over which he’s presided will forevermore go down as a successful one – withstanding this season. This isn’t to say that he shouldn’t be traded. Ideally, he’s dealt this week, goes to a contender, and re-signs with the Orioles in the off season. But either way, he deserves his due today. And my hope is that the fans show up and give it to him.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini and friends ensure that big wheels keep on turning

The Baltimore Orioles are thinking about petitioning MLB to play Tampa for the rest of the season. They put up 15 runs last night, and 11 in this evening’s ballgame on Trey Mancini bobble head night behind Kevin Gausman, who gave a great starting effort. Gausman’s line: 7.0 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Similar to last night, Tampa actually had an early 1-0 lead in this game – on Sucre’s first inning RBI-single. But that didn’t last long, as Mancini’s two-run homer in the second inning gave the Orioles the lead for good at 2-1. Joey Rickard followed suit with a solo shot, giving the Orioles back-to-back homers, and a 3-1 lead.

Tampa’s Kiermaier would smack a solo homer of his own in the third, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 3-2. And at that singular moment it appeared that this would be a game. That notion didn’t last long. The Birds loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth, and Rickard’s bases-clearing double extended the Orioles’ lead to 6-2. That ended the competitive portion of the evening.

The game ballooned further and further out of control (from Tampa’s perspective at least) from there. Caleb Joseph‘s RBI-single later in that fourth inning gave the O’s a 7-2 lead, and two innings later in the sixth Rickard netted the Birds an additional run with an RBI-double. Add in another RBI-single by Joseph, an RBI-double by Adam Jones, and a sac fly-RBI by Mark Trumbo, and when the smoke cleared the O’s had themselves an 11-2 victory over Tampa.

It’s either been feast or famine for this team thus far in 2018 – and in saying that, I mean mostly famine. So this has been a special two games for the Orioles, who have tried in vain to date to re-capture the form they showed from 2012-2016 or so. But needless to say, for at least two nights in July we saw the Orioles of old.

I think perhaps the biggest thing was that the O’s came back this evening after a big win on Friday night and won again. Not only that, but they won with ease once again. This is a team that’s struggled to put back-to-back wins or even good performances together this year. But they did it tonight.

I’m not one who buys into the idea that players have struggled on the field because of uncertainty regarding the direction of the franchise. It just seems to me that players are paid to play regardless of anything else. The ownership/leadership issues should bear no relevance to how hard guys play on the field.

However you’d be remiss not to recognize that since the Machado trade when the Orioles committed to a rebuild, there’s been a skip in guys’ steps once again. And I’m a guy who likes to know the reasons for things, or at least knowing that reasons exist. So it kind of baffles my mind that something like that could have been such a big deal. But it’s a lot easier to justify than by saying it’s mere coincidence that the team is playing slightly better.

The series with Tampa concludes tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Orioles, and Tampa hasn’t yet announced a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.