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: Nestor Cortes shines in victory over Tampa

Unfortunately for the Baltimore Orioles, they don’t play the Tampa Rays everyday in the Florida Grapefruit League. The Birds are now 2-1 against Tampa (2-0 on the road against Tampa), and winless against the rest of the field. Rule 5 pitcher Nestor Cortes got another start this afternoon, and was fairly impressive. Cortes’ line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles took an early 1-0 lead on a sac fly-RBI by Pedro Alvarez in the first inning. That gave Cortes the lead before he even took the field. Cortes surrendered the lead almost immediately on a solo homer by Sucre, but he limited the damage. As we know, solo home runs don’t beat you.

Buck Showalter said after the game that he’s viewing Cortes as a starter, which isn’t overly surprising (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

…he’s going to tell you anything you want to hear right now, so you’ve got to be careful, but those are things you look for. Right now, we’re looking at him as a starter.

People love to criticize how aggressive the Orioles are annually in the Rule 5 draft. However the fact is that if you’re picked up by the Orioles in that manner you know that you’re going to get a chance to compete for a job at the big league level. Cortes is trying to make the most of his opportunity.

The O’s took the lead back in the sixth on Mountcastle’s RBI-double, however after a Tampa RBI-triple in the last of that sixth inning it was tied back up at two. However one inning later the “Baby Birds” worked some counts and loaded the bases. DJ Stewart drew a walk, and suddenly the O’s led 3-2. A wild pitch and a sac fly later, and the Orioles had a solid 5-2 victory on their hands in Port Charlotte.

Again, you can’t take results of these games seriously. Now with that said from a player’s perspective if you’re on the field wearing a uniform and competing you feel a lot better about yourself if you win than you do if you lose. The Orioles also announced before the game that first baseman Chris Davis has been bothered by soreness in his forearm, which is why he served as the designated hitter in Wednesday’s game.

We also saw in that seventh inning that things can happen when you load the bases. Sure they drew one run on a walk and another on a sac fly, but the Tampa pitcher also uncorked a wild pitch. Those things can happen when you put people on base. It puts more pressure on the pitcher and sometimes you catch a break like that.

The O’s return to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow for an afternoon matinee against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Tyler Glasnow. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles offense comes alive in loss

The good news for the Baltimore Orioles is that the bats came alive this afternoon. The bad news is that they surrendered an eight-run lead in the seventh inning. However even still, the silver lining is that starter Mike Wright looked good in his abbreviated appearance. Wright’s line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

The Birds loaded the bases in the last of the third with nobody down, bringing Manny Machado to the plate. And Machado hit his first home run of the spring, in the form of a grand slam. St. Louis did net a run back in the fourth on an RBI-single, however the Orioles appeared to be off to the races.

That Machado homer was complimented in the last of the fifth with a three-run homer off the bat of Chris Davis. This gave the O’s a 7-1 lead, in a game that seemed to be turning into a laugher. Tack on a solo homer by Trey Mancini later in the inning, and one in the sixth by Ryan Mountcastle, and the O’s had a 9-1 lead in the middle of the game.

It’s important to note that from a pitching standpoint, Wright did his job – and did it well. Wright’s spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed, but he has a shot. The only other pitcher who entered the game today that will be on the big league roster was Darren O’Day. And he pitched a clean inning, striking out one.

However before the Orioles knew it, St. Louis had put an eight-run seventh inning on the board. This isn’t how you want any game to go. But again, nobody that pitched in the game at that point is going to be a big leaguer. In fact, the regulars had long since departed the game overall by that point.

St. Louis also would also put a run on the board on an RBI-single in the eighth to take a 10-9 lead. And there’s your ballgame. However the takeaway from this game should be that the bats came alive. As I’ve said, hitters are behind pitchers for the first part of spring training. If today’s game is any indication, it appears that the Orioles’ hitters are catching up. That’s a good sign.

The Orioles will return to Port Charlotte tomorrow to take on the Tampa Rays once again. Nestor Cortes Jr. will get the start, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jake Faria. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles net first win in Hunter Harvey’s spring debut

Hold onto your hats folks…because the Baltimore Orioles have won a spring training game. Yes, you read that right. Not only that, but Hunter Harvey made his spring debut in an Orioles’ uniform. Harvey’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Harvey’s outing wasn’t perfect. However the part that stuck out to me was that he minimized the damage. Tampa’s first two hitters recorded base hits in the game, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. However Harvey induced a double-play, which yielded a run. It also put two outs on the board and cleared the bases.

And that’s really the key in terms of evaluating pitchers in these spring games. How are they doing in situational cases? If this were a regular season game with Harvey on the bump, you take that every time in the first inning. The idea is to stay out of a big inning. Harvey did that.

Harvey felt good about the outing afterwards, although when asked where he needed to improve he was very up front (all quotes courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Really, just controlling my body. I kind of felt a little crazy out there. I guess it was just the first time being out there in a long time. Trying to get my body back under me and just command the ball a little better.

Manager Buck Showalter was very complimentary of Harvey after the game, referencing the fact that he minimized the damage in that first inning:

Good, real good. Fun to watch. Happy for him, excited. It’s more than just the stuff, it’s just the way he carries himself. He’s got a lot of things you look for off-ball, so to speak. Other than just pitching. It’s going to be hopefully a fun year for him. I’m really happy for him. I think we were all excited in the dugout for him. But he wears it well.

He threw some good changeups, a couple good breaking balls. I like he didn’t implode in the first inning. A big double play on a breaking ball, and he got his work in. It was fun to watch.

That’s high praised coming from Showalter. The Orioles did lose a player today, as pitcher Chris Lee left the game in the middle of an inning after straining his right oblique. The Orioles don’t have much information about a timeline for Lee as of yet, only that he’ll miss time. You’d rather these injuries happen now as opposed to later.

The Birds got a solo homer from Garabez Rosa in the sixth inning, to tie the game at six. Reuben Tejada‘s RBI-single in the seventh gave the O’s a 2-1 lead, which held up as the final. None of the regulars for the most part played in this game, however make no mistake about the fact that the organization is happy to have gotten it’s first spring win. The flip side is that the Orioles’ roster of reserves beat many of Tampa’s regular players.

The Orioles return to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow afternoon to take on the St. Louis Cardinals – who will be coming from across Florida. Mike Wright will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by St. Louis’ Jack Flaherty. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman injured in Birds’ latest loss

The fact that the Baltimore Orioles fell to Detroit 8-6 yesterday should be of no interest to fans. If anything, the bats showed some promise. However the condition of starter Kevin Gausman should be more concerning. He left the game after pitching 1.1 innings after a freak play. Gausman’s line: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Gausman left the game after colliding with a member of the Tigers who was too far out of the on-deck circle while backing up home plate after an RBI-single. Gausman remained on the turf for several minutes. He would later leave Ed Smith Stadium on a cart, but would later return to sit in the dugout.

It appears that Gausman is going to be okay, although it’s unclear whether or not he’ll miss time. However that’s exactly the type of thing that the Orioles need to avoid. Things could go south quickly if their presumed starters have to miss time – even in spring training.

It’s worth mentioning that Gausman was slated to go two innings when he came out for the injury. So he himself could have potentially limited the damage in the game as opposed to five runs scoring in the inning. Gausman was the first to mention however that he could have been sharper in the outing overall. However he did notice that he had some pitches working for him (quote courtesy of Brittany Ghirolli, MLB.com):

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Chance when I came out of the game, but that’s one thing I wanted to ask him. He was calling [the sinker] a lot. Usually when a catcher is calling something, it means you kinda got it that day. He was calling my sinker a lot and calling my slider. Those are the two pitches I’m working on, especially this spring.

The Orioles will travel to Port Charlotte this afternoon to take on the Tampa Rays. Hunter Harvey will make his much-anticipated spring debut for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Preferential treatment?

Kevin Gausman will make his spring debut for the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium this afternoon. My personal prediction is that Gausman will end of being the Orioles’ Opening Day starter, but time will tell. Nevertheless, it all starts for him today.

The Orioles are a team who’s physicals have been scrutinized severely over the years. Everyone remembers the situation with Grant Balfour, and a few others. The team was also dragged through the mud in these cases, because people just assumed it was the Orioles being a tough customer. However with that said, with the investment that teams make in players it’s not difficult to understand why they’d want everything to check out on a physical.

However Boston signed J.D. Martinez last week. The signing isn’t being announced until today. The rumor is that the BoSox saw something on the physical that they didn’t like. That has never been stated, however over the weekend apparently the contract was re-worked to better protect both sides.

Did Boston scrutinize Martinez’s physical in the same manner that the Orioles do with free agents? I’m not saying that they would be wrong to do so – in fact, I’m saying that they’re right to do it. However the fact is that the story isn’t getting the publicity that the Orioles got for doing this. Why is that? Is there a bias?

There may well be, however the other side of the coin is that the Orioles were up front about the fact that they backed out because of the physical’s results. Boston is saying it’s a non-factor. Of course the Orioles weren’t helped in the Balfour case by the fact that the player got in the media and criticized the Orioles’ physical himself. And in that case, the player went onto pitch for Tampa and was out of baseball due to injuries a year later. So maybe closely looking at the results isn’t such a bad thing.

Baltimore Orioles re-sign Pedo Alvarez, fall vs. Boston

Before this afternoon’s 7-1 loss in Fort Myers vs. Boston, the Baltimore Orioles re-signed 1B/OF/DH Pedro Alvarez. This will be Alvarez’s third year in the organization, and it comes on another minor league deal. If Alvarez makes the 40-man roster he’ll make $1 million, and that could balloon to $3 million based on incentives.

That may well have been the Orioles’ highlight of the day. Gabriel Ynoa got the start for the Birds down in Fort Myers, and while he struggled a bit in the first inning, he rebounded. Ynoa’s line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K. The four strikeouts are certainly a good sign.

Ynoa’s lone surrendered run came on Swihart’s RBI-double in the last of the first. Keep in mind that Ynoa was one of maybe two players on the field for the Orioles who has a legitimate shot to make the big league roster. With camps opening earlier, the rule regarding teams bringing a minimum of three regulars on road games doesn’t kick in until March 1st. So while the Orioles reserves really struggled against Boston’s semi-regular lineup, the overall result isn’t really important.

Luis Sardinas‘ RBI-single in the fifth tied the score at one for the Orioles. However that’s as close as they got before Boston broke it open. Swihart’s two-run homer in the last of that fifth inning would give Boston a 3-1 lead. That was immediately followed by a solo homer off the bat of Barfield, running the score to 4-1.

Boston would round out the scoring on an RBI-double by Hernandez in the sixth, followed by a sac fly-RBI by Barfield. And that rounded out a fairly uneventful afternoon at Jet Blue Park. As I said above, Ynoa had his struggles in the first inning. But he pitched out of them and also had a very strong second inning. He admitted as much after his outing via his translator (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I was not commanding my fastball. That’s what happened that first inning, after the second hitter. But afterward I was able to make the adjustment and attack the hitters and get ahead of them.

Again, very few players on the trip itself are going to be seriously examined in terms of making the final roster. While there was lots of raw talent on the field for the Birds today, it was a fairly ho-hum type of game. But that’s what you get in spring training.

The Orioles return to Sarasota tomorrow to take on Detroit at Ed Smith Stadium. Kevin Gausman will make his inaugural start of the spring, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Michael Fulmer. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Nestor Cortes impresses in tie with Minnesota

The Baltimore Orioles are looking to fill out their pitching staff in this year’s spring training, and if the few things they’ve seen thus far are any indication, they have options. This evening in Sarasota they got a look at Nestor Cortes, who retired six of seven hitters that he faced. Cortes’ line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Cortes was taken in the Rule 5 draft from the New York Yankees, and after his outing he said he felt good out there (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Yes, I think I attacked the strike zone real well, commanded all my pitches. Just one mistake pitch left out over the plate, good contact. That was it.

Whether or not Cortes ends up in the rotation remains to be seen. But the O’s also got good performances virtually out of everyone they threw into the game this evening. Alec Asher pitched two innings and struck out four. Minnesota scored their lone run in the second on a sac fly-RBI by Petit.

In terms of wins and losses (if you’re into that type of thing as far as spring training games go), the Orioles had their chances. They left the bases loaded in the fifth, sixth, and eighth. If this were a regular season game, I’d talk about how that’s something that needs to change. And the fact is that it is. However you can stomach that a bit given the fact that this is really only the second game – technically the third, but it was the second game so far as the regulars go.

You can’t strand runners on base in games. However as I’ve said ad hoc the past two days, hitters are still behind pitchers. Sometimes it takes players ten or twelve real at-bats before their timing comes back.

The Birds trailed for much of the night, however Austin Wynns‘ three-run homer in the last of the seventh tied the game at one. The Birds also threatened in the last of the ninth, but couldn’t push the winning run across. The managers had already gotten together and had decided that the game would end after nine innings. So it ends in a tie, leaving the Birds still searching for their first spring victory.

The Orioles’ “B-team” lost earlier in the day in Clearwater to Philadelphia – this was a split squad day for the Birds. Dylan Bundy was smacked around in the limited action he saw. Bundy’s line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 0 K. That’s not exactly how the Orioles saw Bundy’s first spring outing going, but that’s what these games are for; working through growing pains.

The Birds will hit the road tomorrow and head to Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers to take on Boston. Gabriel Ynoa will get the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Brian Johnson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Not the Wright stuff

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t exactly get off to the start they wanted this afternoon in Grapefruit League play. Mike Wright got the starting assignment, despite knowing that he would only work two innings. Technically he was tagged with the loss, but we’re splitting hairs in looking at that. Wright’s line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

The first inning set the tone for the game, with Tampa fouling off pitch after pitch. Tampa seemed to play this game with the urgency of a pennant race, keeping their at-bats alive as the game went on. And eventually that paid off. Having said that, Wright rebounded in the second inning, and ended up looking fairly good – even debuting some new repetoir (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I’m featuring a cutter now and (Johnson) fouled off two of them up and in. I need to be a little more crisp and I think we can roll from there.

Tampa took a 1-0 lead in the first on a sac fly-RBI by Adames. This came on the heels of a base hit and a walk. Even in split squad form, Tampa’s hitters don’t give up at-bats. For what it’s worth, Wright atoned for his long first inning by making quick victims of Tampa in the second.

Tampa would add a second run in the third as Wendle grounded into a double-play which netted an additional run. The Orioles brought Pedro Araujo in to pitch the fifth, and that perhaps was the highlight of the game for the O’s. Araujo was sharp as could be, retiring Tampa in order with a groundout and two strikeouts.

Tampa would keep the pressure on in the seventh as the first two hitters reached base (one on a HBP). Ciuffo then broke the game wide open with a two-RBI single off of reliever Jeff Ferrell. Tampa would add an additional two runs in the seventh on a Padlo homer (off of Donny Hart).

However the silver lining here is that the Birds battled in the last of the ninth. With two on and nobody out, in a New York minute the Tampa lead was cut in half. Chance Sisco smacked the Orioles’ first homer of the spring, this one of the three-run variety. However while the Birds got a few other players on base, they were unable to get any closer than that. The O’s fell 6-3 to drop to 0-1 on the spring.

That late rally was music to Orioles’ fans ears, however I suspect they would have preferred that the runs came from the regulars who were in earlier in the game. As a reminder, hitters are still about a week behind pitchers (and catchers). Anyone who watched this game saw an extension of the end of last season – the Orioles struggling to get guys on base, and not being able to get them home when they do get someone on. But again, pitchers are ahead right now.

They also ran into a young group of Tampa Rays who weren’t overly concerned about scoring runs or getting on base. They focused on quality at-bats, and in turn they found themselves on base. While Tampa’s reserves defeated the majority of the Orioles’ starters, you have to take these results with a grain of salt. Especially this early in the spring.

Jonathan Schoop was a late scratch, as he had developed Bursitis in his elbow. It’s unclear how much time he’ll miss, but this is why you have depth. Again, I think the highlight of the day was that fifth inning. Araujo looked very sharp, and there’s no doubt he caught the eye of the coaching staff.

The Orioles will face a split squad day tomorrow. The “B-team” travel to Clearwater to take on Philadelphia at 1 PM, with Dylan Bundy getting the start. He’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Zach Elfin. Tomorrow night most of the regulars will take on Minnesota at Ed Smith Stadium, with Nestor Cortes Jr. getting the start for the Birds. He’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Adalberto Mejia. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles, Mike Wright open Grapefruit League schedule

The Baltimore Orioles will finally open the Grapefruit League schedule this afternoon with Mike Wright on the mound against Tampa. How long Wright is in the game today remains to be seen – I’m anticipating two innings. I would also expect the regular field players to be in perhaps five or six innings – maybe three turns at the plate or so. So goes MLB spring training.

This afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium the O’s are going to play perhaps the biggest baseball game in the history of western civilization. At least the biggest game for today at least. Let’s be frank; these games themselves don’t really provide players with a “big game” kind of feel, or “big game experience.” But for someone like Mike Wright, who could very well be battling for the fifth starter’s slot, it is a big game. Anytime you step on the field against another team it’s a big game.

It’s also a big game for the likes of Manny Machado and Tim Beckham. As we all know by now, Machado will be the team’s starting shortstop this year, while Beckham will be manning third base. Mark my words that at some point fans will laud Dan Duquette for acquiring Beckham. He fit in well with Baltimore almost immediately, and became a quick fan favorite. He also gets on base and is very quick. That’s exactly what the Orioles need.

However he’s played only five games at the hot corner in his career. So spring training is of supreme importance to him this year so as to get ready for the regular season. And the same goes for Machado, who will need to re-acclimate himself to shortstop. You also have Chris Davis, who’s coming off of a disappointing offensive year. However Davis claims that he’s changed his approach at the plate over the course of off season training, and will be more aggressive this year at the plate – as opposed to looking at called strike threes.

While the pomp and pageantry of spring Opening Day isn’t anything near what the Orioles will see next month at Camden Yards, it’s always exciting to see the games begin. The O’s will join all MLB clubs today in wearing the caps of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball team today during the game. That of course is the school that was attacked senselessly last week in a mass shooting.

So here we go! The Orioles take on the Tampa Rays this afternoon in Grapefruit League game one. The aforementioned Mike Wright will be on the mound for the O’s. He’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Yonny Chirinos. For what it’s worth, Tampa will be in a split squad situation today, with presumably most of their B-team heading to Ed Smith Stadium. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sign Colby Rasmus to a minor league deal

The Baltimore Orioles have had their eyes on Colby Rasmus for the past couple of years. And as of yesterday they finally got him. Rasmus, who had previously considered retirement, agreed to a minor league contract (with an invite to spring training).

Make no mistake about the fact that Rasmus will be on the major league roster. The fact that he signed a minor league contract is just a footnote in terms of the team playing roster games. Across nine big league seasons, Rasmus is a career .242 hitter, with an OBP of .311. I would expect Rasmus to platoon in the outfield, where he’s comfortable at all three positions.

Rasmus of course was injured for much of last year with Tampa, where he had some hip issues. He also had some personal problems, but apparently all of that has now cleared up. Despite his issues last year, Rasmus has averaged 25 homers per season for his career.

I suspect that part of what drew the Orioles to him was the fact that he’s a left-handed bat. I wouldn’t classify him as a “big bat,” but he’ll give the lineup a bit of stability in terms of balancing right and left. And that was a big issue last year.

Is this a good signing for the O’s? That’s tough to say. They wanted Rasmus three years ago, but couldn’t land him. Now that he was thinking of retiring, they got him on a no-risk minor league contract. Many Orioles fans will argue that nobody wanted him any longer – except the Orioles. One way or the other, Rasmus is now part of the organization. And again, it’s a no-risk contract given the fact that it’s a minor league deal.

The Orioles will hold an intrasquad scrimmage this afternoon at 12:30 PM at Ed Smith Stadium. They kind of have a grueling schedule (as far as schedules in spring training go) the first weekend of Grapefruit League play. Of course the opener is tomorrow at 1 PM, however on Saturday the O’s have their first split squad day of the year. They’ll play at Philadelphia at 1 PM in Clearwater, and then at home at 6 PM in Sarasota against Minnesota. Sunday afternoon they head down to Fort Myers to play Boston. That’s four games in 48 hours! (Obviously two different “teams” will play in the two games on Saturday.)

I would expect Rasmus to see some action in some of these road games. Let me state right now that I think many of the outfield reps come the regular season should go to guys like Austin Hays, because that’s the future. But a lot of that will be contingent on how guys look in spring training. Both offensively and defensively.