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: Jackson Holiday leads a rain-soaked win

The Baltimore Orioles announced before tonight’s game at Camden Yards that Keegan Akin would act as an opener against Detroit. The Birds lifted him after one inning in favor of Chris Bassitt, who was the bulk pitcher. This in a game under a perpetual threat of rain. Akin’s line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, 0 BB.

The problem with the one hit was that it was a solo home run, this on the first pitch of the game by McGonigle. The literal first pitch of the game. And the Orioles immediately trailed, 1-0.

Bassitt would somewhat stabilize things, but he did give up back-to-back doubles in the third, with Lee’s being an RBI-double. However the O’s did start to get things going in that third inning as well. They put two runners on with one out, including Gunnar Henderson who reached on an error.

As often as we’ve talked about holding opposing teams not being held accountable for their mistakes by the Orioles, here was one instance where they did just that. Pete Alonso followed., unloading a deep shot to right the opposite way. And in an instant, the Orioles led 3-2.

However Detroit battled back. With one on in the fourth Torkelson’s double to left field put two runners in scoring position. And as we know, anything can happen when you have runners on base. McKinstry smacked a hard grounder that was smothered by Pete Alonso at first. Alonso fired the ball to home plate…

…and the tag was late by Adley Rutschman. Needless to say, the throw was there and the tag was just missed. Later in the inning Lee would strike a swinging bunt to third which Coby Mayo smartly put in his pocket. It went as an RBI-single, giving Detroit the lead back at 4-3.

Weird things can happen when you put people on base. Including a tag being just late. Or a guy getting a swinging bunt up the line with a runner at third. But two can play at the anything can happen with guys on base game.

Leody Taveras led off the home half of fourth inning with a bunt up the same third base line…and it worked. Following a Colton Cowser single, runners were at the corners. Incidentally the Orioles were facing Detroit’s Flaherty, who had ironically never been called for a balk. But there’s a first time for everything.

Flaherty balked home a run, sending Cowser to second. Later in the inning Jackson Holiday came up, and before you knew it the O’s had the lead back. Holiday sent a deep shot through the rain drops towards left. The ball slid underneath the foul pole. Yes, underneath. But despite being a softly-hit home run, it was still a home run. And the Orioles led, 6-4.

It was Holiday’s first home run of the season, for the record. Again, anything can happen when guys get on base. We’ve seen the Orioles be victimized by that premise so many times this year, including tonight. But for once they made the opponent pay. Maybe by a hair, but they made them pay.

That felt fairly final, especially with the rain around the ballpark. But there’s rain delay and eventual cancellation never came. Many, myself included, thought this would be a rain-shortened game. But somehow the umpires allowed the game to go on, and Pete Alonso’s sac fly-RBI in the sixth extended the lead to 7-4.

The Orioles’ bullpen reverted to the form we’ve seen most of the season. And a game that many thought would be rained out ended in a complete game Orioles win. Detroit may well have been the one team that was struggling moreso than the Orioles were coming in. But the O’s made sure they didn’t snap out of it tonight at their expense. And the eventual game-winning rally began with a bunt, which does still have a place in baseball – as evidenced tonight.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Framber Valdez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM (weather permitting).

Baltimore Orioles: Two-out rallies and interesting management

Kyle Bradish pitched well enough to win tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. He had a rough first inning in terms of pitch count, but he hung in there afterwards. And he was rewarded with a loss, with which he had very little to do. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Bradish had the lead before even getting on the mound at Tropicana Field. Taylor Ward smacked a solo home run on the second pitch of the game to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. A lead that was short-lived.

Bradish quickly recorded two outs in the last of the first. He proceeded to throw approximately 36 total pitches in the inning to record the final out. He would walk Aranda, and then surrender a perfectly-placed RBI-double to Diaz to tie the score at one.

There are two points on this play. First and foremost, it’s another situation that starts innocently enough, but ends up a two-out rally. The Orioles absolutely CANNOT put people away with two outs and/or two strikes. There has to be something that’s being tipped to opposing teams. It’s almost impossible for that not to be the case, because we’re well past the point to where it could be coincidental. Yet two consecutive coaching staffs and an Ivy League Front Office have been unable to get that figured out.

The second point is the fact that the play in question split two outfielders and went all the way to the wall. We saw this a lot last year – not quite as much yet in 2026. The Orioles play their outfield deep and dramatically to pull. This opens up holes in bad places; holes that opponents always seem to find. No doubles defebse is good late; not so much with two outs and a runner on first in the first inning.

To Bradish’s credit, he stabilized. He had a few shut down innings, not surrendering a run. He made it through five innings with over 90 pitches – which was much less than his pace in the first inning. He was aided by Samuel Basallo seeming to buck the trend of not using ABS challenges on anything to record the final strike and out in the fifth. But he made it through five.

Inexplicably, he was sent back out for the sixth. He promptly surrendered a solo homer to Diaz. Is it fair to suggest that he should have been pulled? Maybe, maybe not. Needless to say unless he had a clean and quick inning he wasn’t going to last the entire sixth.

That’s where it’s important to have feel for the game in terms of coaching. Of course the player is always going to say he wants to go back out there. Obviously the Sabre Metrics were on that side as well. But do either of those points take into account where a pitcher is in terms of fatigue or anything else? Again, feel for the game has to take over at a certain point.

The Orioles’ offense was never going to be able to find a way to come back in this game. But similar to what we saw last night, Tampa was going to take a mile every time they were given an inch. Yennier Cano recorded two easy outs in the eight. But again the O’s found themselves at that dreaded two out spot.

Cano would hit Diaz with a pitch, giving Tampa a two-out base runner. Again, conventional wisdom says you move past that and quickly mop up the situation. Instead, Tampa and their intense joie de vivre won out. Rico Garcia replaced Cano, and promptly surrendered an RBI-double to Palacios off the wall in right. However Diaz didn’t get a good read on the ball, yet was sent to score anyways. Colton Cowser relayed the ball in, and Samuel Basallo was positioned in front of the plate to receive the relay throw. The runner was safe, and Palacios sensed up at third.

Palacios would immediately score on DeLuca’s RBI-single, giving Tampa a 4-1 lead – which was the eventual final. The DeLuca hit was dumped in – very softly, to left field. Again, the number of two-out rallies, and opponents’ ability to dump balls in precisely where Oriole fielders aren’t located is uncanny.

Again, Craig Albernaz needs to look closely at how he’s positioning his fielders – first off. Secondly, he needs to study hard and long at how his team gives up so many two-out rallies. It’s almost as if opponents are waiting for two outs to put their offense in motion. Again, this is something Albernaz can’t grasp for now; neither could Brandon Hyde. Neither seemingly can the Ivy League-educated front office. There is however a common denominator in that algorithm.

The series concludes tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: In a parody of errors sort of game, the challenges stand out

Trevor Rogers got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening on the opener against Tampa at Tropicana Field. Needless to say, it wasn’t what anyone wanted to see. To Rogers’ credit, he stabilized himself very late in the outing. But the damage was done. Rogers’ line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R (7 earned), 2 BB, 3 K.

Rogers was greeted coldly from the beginning as he gave up a leadoff double. That runner went to third on an error, and later scored on Vilade’s sacrifice fly. Tampa continued their barrage on a two-RBI single by Diaz in the second. Caminero wouls add an RBI-single, and DeLuca a two-RBI single before the inning ended, extending the lead to 6-0.

Adler Rutschman would get the Orioles on the board in the third with an RBI-single. Yet Tampa didn’t let that bother them. And maybe that’s part of their secret; they just play and keep playing no matter what. Vilade’s RBI-triple in the fourth gave them a 7-1 lead. It would run to 8-1 on an infield RBI-single by DeLuca.

The fifth inning is what should give fans some sort of hope – at the plate at least. Weston Wilson smacked a solo home run, and Pete Alonso’s two-RBI double almost went out. But it did plate two, cutting the lead in half at 8-4.

I say that should give Orioles fans some hope because of the fact that they have put out some runs the last two games. Going back to the Yankee series last week, that’s doubly true. However that’s a small consolation with how the games end up.

You also have to do all the intangibles to win games. To be clear, none of this directly equaled a loss tonight, but every little bit counts. The O’s led off the last of the fifth with a 3-1 count to Tampa’s Walls. What was clearly strike three was called ball four…with no ABS challenge from pitcher Cameron Foster or Adley Rutschman.

It was strike three. It would have been the first out. But it was inexplicably called ball four. What’s more inexplicable is that the Orioles almost infernally refused to challenge the call. Worse yet, the next hitter (Palacios) got a gift ball three call on a 2-0 count, again with no ABS challenge.

Whether that would have yielded two outs is another story. The Walls pitch most certainly would have been an out. The Palacios call needless to say wouldn’t have been a four-pitch walk. Instead, Tampa plugged on, not willing to be limited. Aranda’s RBI-groundout extended the lead to 9-4. Caminero followed that up with a three-run homer.

By this point, Rogers was long gone. But his pitch track shows him with a lot of balls either on the fringes, or well off the plate. And with those balls getting down for hits. Which makes you wonder if he isn’t tipping his pitches. Others may be as well.

Tampa refused to give up no matter what. Adley Rutschman would smack a solo home run in the seventh, and Blaze Alexander an RBI-double in the eighth. But Tampa didn’t stop until they had 16 runs, and a 16-6 win over the Orioles.

The lack of challenges didn’t lead to this loss. Not in any way, shape, or form. However it does show a glaring lack of attention to detail in how the Orioles operate. Or perhaps, it’s the opposite. They may be SO detailed and SO tuned in, that they can’t see simple facts. There were countless other pitches that could have been challenged. But the two aforementioned led to a barrage of runs that blew the game wide open.

Are the players being told flat out to NEVER challenge? I don’t know. And I hope not. I do think you need to be conservative in how you challenge – especially in the first few innings. But you have to challenge when necessary. The Orioles limited themselves tonight by refusing to challenge calls.

It also shows that the O’s may not be as good as they want people to believe in terms of judging the strike zone. The Orioles, right or wrong, refuse almost infernally to NOT pitch on the fringes of the plate. And the fact is they can’t always hit the corners. Which furthers the point that someone might be tipping pitches.

However on the flip side, when a pitch is borderline they don’t challenge. They’re thus telling the umpire that they can call anything and everything a strike with no protest. It also tells opponents that they can command the fringes of the plate – which is EXACTLY what the Orioles want to do themselves.

Jackson Holliday was activated just prior to this evening’s game, and is now on the active roster. It would stand to reason that we’ll see him tomorrow. Adley Rutschman was also caught by a backswing…late in the game on a pitch from Weston Wilson – a position player. Rutschman didn’t appear to be injured, but it does show how you aren’t running from risk by bringing in a position player. Will the next analytical aspect of the game be to just forfeit at a certain point so nobody gets hurt?

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Griffin Jax. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sunday is for the Birds in DC

Brandon Young was taxed with setting the tone for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Nationals Park, with the Baltimore Orioles already having dropped the first two games of the series. While he didn’t stick around long enough to qualify for the win, he did set the tone. Young’s line, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s, after two incredibly frustrating games, got at it early this afternoon. Gunnar Henderson ambushed a pitch in the first inning and sent it into the seats for a solo homer, giving them a 1-0 lead. Coby Mayo would lead off the second with a single, and he would score later in the inning on a two-run homer by Coby Mayo.

Washington would also get one back that inning on a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, but the O’s persisted. A walk and a Gunnar Henderson single gave the Birds runners at the corners in the top of the fourth, and they would extend their lead to 4-1 on Pete Alonso’s sac fly-RBI.

The O’s put up what might be thought of as early insurance in the fourth. To be clear, that’s a bad term; insurance runs don’t kick in until later innings. But given that teams now match up in the earlier and middle innings, maybe it’s fine to use a term like that. Needless to say, Colton Cowser’s two-run home run extended the lead to 6-1. And make no mistake that it was a big moment in the ballgame.

However Washington loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half of the frame, in a sequence that also saw Brandon Young chased from the ballgame. Ruiz would tack on a sac fly-RBI, and Oriole pitching would combine for two strikeouts to end the threat. And the Orioles held onto their lead at 6-2.

That’s a high leverage sort of moment, despite being only in the fourth inning. The game easily could have gone caddywampus in a sense. But regardless of anything else, the O’s pitched their way out of it. Brandon Young and Anthony Nunez after him both combined to attack the strike zone after the bases were loaded. That’s a key – attack the zone instead of attacking the fringes. And make no mistake it saved the game.

Washington would tack on a sixth inning run on an RBI-single by Abrams. However it was Gunnar Henderson in the ninth who produced a true insurance run with an RBI-single. And that’s another key – the O’s went home (or onto Tampa) winners today in part because of the insurance runs. Washington would get a runner to second in the last of the ninth, but that insurance run allowed the Orioles to attack the zone even with a runner on base.

The Orioles now open up a three-game set with Tampa tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Shane McClanahan. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Late rally falls short

Shane Baz may have pitched his best game as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in DC tonight. It was far from perfect, but it was a quality start. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

That’s a quality start for Baz. He also threw 108 pitches. Both teams made solid contact on balls all night. The Orioles’ shots either ended up foul or in a fielder’s mitt. In short, Washington starter Litell has struggled this year. But he mowed down Oriole bats.

Baz allowed the first two hitters to reach in the fourth, putting runners at the corners. House’s sac fly-RBI gave Washington a 1-0 lead. The good news was it should have been a base hit. Tyler O’Neill made a diving catch resulting at least in an out.

Baz would walk the leadoff man in the sixth – obviously a no-no. Following a flyout, Lile smacked a two-run homer, giving Washington a 3-0 lead. Nothing good ever happens after a walk.

That felt fairly final. But it wasn’t. As often as analytics have allowed the Orioles to get in their own way this year, it almost worked in reverse at the end. The Birds loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Jeremiah Jackson’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead to 3-1.

Washington then was one out from a win. And they changed pitchers to bring in a southpaw to face Gunnar Henderson. I have no doubt the algorithm said that was a favorable matchup – and it doesn’t take a genius given that it was lefty-lefty. But…

…burning a reliever for one out? Granted, an important out, the winning out (from Washington’s perspective). But the computer will burn through a bullpen if you let it.

And go figure, Gunnar Henderson smacked an RBI-single and cut the lead to 3-2. The O’s would eventually load the bases again before Adley Rutschman struck out to end the game. Too little too late for the Orioles.

We’ve seen the O’s play the algorithms and lose out – a lot. This year and last. This time it almost worked in their favor. But that should serve as a warning. As I said, a computer doesn’t take into account the number of bullpen relievers you’re using. How tired your bullpen is, etc. It only says if you bring in this relievers you have a higher probability to record an out.

People act like that’s a no-brainer. Needless to say, it comes off as such. But the computer can’t overrule good baseball sense. If you need one out with a three-run lead, you have to rely on the guy YOU put in the game to get that out.

The series continues tomorrow at Nationals Park. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Washjngton’s Cade Cavalli. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: One bad inning…plus letting NY off the hook

Trevor Rogers returned from the IL to start tonight against New York for the Baltimore Orioles. End of the day, Rogers had one bad inning. One. Rogers’ line: 4.0 I, 6 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

For starters, we found out just prior to game time that tomorrow’s game time has been changed. The Orioles coordinated with the league and with the NYY and changed tomorrow’s game to a 1 PM start time. This due to the threat of rain late in the day tomorrow.

The O’s played from behind from the get go. Rogers surrendered a solo homer to Goldschmidt on the first pitch. He ambushed the ball, setting the tone for the ballgame. However Rogers sent New York down with only a base hit surrendered in the wake of that for the remainder of the inning.

New York loaded the bases in the third, and Bellinger grounded into a fielder’s choice which scored a run. It was almost a double-play, but the angle just didn’t allow the Orioles to turn it. Rosario would tack on an additional run in that sequence with an infield RBI-single. He grounded the ball to Coby Mayo at third, but again the angle just didn’t allow him to record an out.

I said an additional run in that sequence. That doesn’t mean those were the only runs in the inning. Grisham’s three-run home run extended the lead to 6-0. I think people have a naive idea that you can simply record outs on the base paths at will when runners get on. But the fact is that anything can happen when just get on base. And for the past few years, anything HAS HAPPENED to the analytics-driven O’s with guys on base.

New York committed multiple errors in the last of the third, allowing the Orioles to load the bases with nobody out. For a brief moment it appeared that the O’s had a shot to get back in the game. Remember how on Saturday they loaded the bases with nobody out against the Athletics, and they let them off the hook? Yeah, about that…it happened again. Taylor Ward flied out and Adley Rutschman grounded into a double-play.

You can’t let your opponents off the hook. Especially when they themselves aren’t in a giving mood. There isn’t one mental or physical mistake that the Orioles have made over the last two years, for which they haven’t been held accountable. Yet opposing teams make similar mistakes, and they get away with it.

The O’s would put two on the board in the last of the sixth. Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single followed by an RBI-double by Tyler O’Neill cut the lead to 6-2. Which ended up being the final.

Incidentally, the Orioles are also going on something like 20 or 21 straight innings without challenging a pitch with the ABS challenge system. To be clear, I think it’s smart to be conservative when it comes to this. You want to have at least one challenge in the later innings. That’s a no-brainer,

But the Orioles are letting obvious bad pitches stand without a challenge. Even at moments when it would be okay to challenge them. I’m not sure if players are being told never to do it, or if there’s a computer algorithm which says the probability of winning is greater without a challenge. But bad calls are being allowed to stand. And opposing teams are having them overturned, to the Orioles’ chagrin.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Ysrds. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by New York’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A win with a side of Mayo

Everyone with the Baltimore Orioles remembers last weekend’s series against New York in the Bronx. Needless to say, the O’s sent Brandon Young out there this evening at Camden Yards in the first game of three against New York. Young wasn’t stellar, per se. But not awful either. Young’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

New York, despite what they did to the Orioles last weekend, came into the game having been swept over the weekend in Milwaukee. And Young, despite having a long first inning, seemed to play on that for awhile. He did issue a walk in the third with one out, followed by a two-run homer by Rice. And the O’s trailed, 2-0.

But that was Young’s only real blip in the radar. He did keep the Orioles in the game. Oriole bats, that is, who couldn’t even muster a hit for some time. NY starter Weathers threw low changeups all night. And the Orioles swung through many of them.

However with Weathers tiring in the last of the seventh, Adley Rutschman hacked away at yet another changeup down low. But this time he made contact, and muscled the ball into right field. At the very least, the Birds wouldn’t be no-hit on this night.

Tyler O’Neill walked, giving the O’s two on. New York lifted Weathers, and Coby Mayo strode to the plate. Mind you, Mayo has been much maligned of late – and perhaps rightfully so. He also wasn’t in the original lineup – one hour before game time Craig Albernaz inserted him into the lineup in lieu of Samuel Basallo – who’s knee was injured after the play at the plate yesterday.

What could have been expected of Mayo in the moment is beside the point. He sent a high drive towards the left field foul pole. It was a matter of whether it stayed fair…as it wrapped itself around the pole for a three-run home run, Coby Mayo sent Camden Yards into a frenzy. And the hometown team led, 3-2.

That’s as big a moment in a game as you’re going to see. Especially for a guy who’s struggled mightily in games to this point. And for one who wasn’t supposed to be in the game at all. Needless to say, he played a crucial role in bringing it home this evening.

Rico Garcia replaced Detrich Enns (who pitched well in relief, and was credited with the win) for the eighth. And he was thrown right into the fray, but sent New York down 1-2-3. He struck out Rice and Bellinger, and in between he induced a Judge fly out on the second pitch. That in and of itself might have been the most important moment of the game.

It also meant that Anthony Nunez was through the heart of the order in taking the ball in the ninth. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, however. With one out McMahon sent a deep shot to right, which appeared to be out at first glance. However Tyler O’Neill felt he had a shot. And he caught the ball jumping right up against the wall. A game-saving catch.

New York did get a runner on however, in the form of Goldschmidt. New York pinch-ran Caballero, who’s about to go back to NY tomorrow for an MRI on his finger. But they used him in that capacity for his speed. After two throw-overs by Nunez, Caballero tried to steal second. He was called safe, but the Orioles challenged. The replay clearly showed Blaze Alexander fielding Adley Rutschman’s throw and just glazing Caballero’s jersey, meaning he was out and the game was over.

That’s a big win. This on the heels of last weekend’s series. But as many individual plays and players combined to win this game, none was bigger than Coby Mayo. He’s had a tough go of it lately. Many fans and analysts alike have called him out both at the plate and in the field. For one game at least, he played the hero.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: With an assist from Leos Taveras

The Baltimore Orioles changed things up this afternoon and started Keegan Akin as an “opener.” While I’m not a fan of the practice myself, it was by all accounts a success. Akin’s line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Chris Bassitt was the pitcher of substance, however. Technically in relief, but he was outstanding. He gave up one run, the result of an error he himself committed. The run came in the second on a Cortes sacrifice fly.

Home plate umpire Carlos Torres was the victim of scrutiny from both dugouts all game. Samuel Basallo appeared to challenge a ball in the second, and the ump didn’t grant it. As a result, infield coach Miguel Capri was ejected. In fact, he had to be restrained. While both teams raised questions about the umpiring, that was the only ejection.

Dylan Beavers snagged second base after an infield single in the third. He would later score on Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single to tie the game. Gunnar, the team, AND the crowd needed that.

The O’s put two in in the sixth – two runners in scoring position, in fact. Dylan Beavers worked a nine-pitch at-bat, culminating in an RBI-single. That gave the O’s their first lead in the series, at 2-1.

However it was the next inning which in effect won the game for the Birds. This in the field. With two outs and a runner on second, Gelof sent a single to center. Leody Taveras fielded it and came up throwing. Throwing home…

…Samuel Basallo fielded the ball on one hop and tagged the runner out at home plate. It took a perfect throw and a perfect tag. Both happened. Both preserved the lead. A lead that turned into a win.

That’s the sort of play that can rally a team. The Orioles needed this game. And it was plays like that which delivered it for them.

The Orioles now open a three-game set against the New York Yankees tomorrow night at Camden Yards. The O’s haven’t announced a starter, but NY will toss Ryan Weathers. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Colton Cowser prevents a shutout

Maybe it was the 14-pitch at-bat that got Shane Baz and the Baltimore Orioles today. However Baz also struggled from the beginning, giving up a double to start the game. That set the tone. Baz’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Langaliers’ RBI-single following the leadoff double gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead. However the real turning point in the game was Soderstrom’s at-bat with two on and nobody out in the third. Soderstrom fouled off just about everything that Baz threw up there. To the tune of 14 pitches.

Soderstrom eventually popped out. However a few pitches later Rooker hit a three-run homer. Rooker, who’s hitting below the Mendoza Line. Did that long at-bat do Baz in?

The short answer is probably. Even though Naz recorded the out, that took its toll. On top of that, Langaliers’ sac fly-RBI in the fifth extended the lead to 5-0.

The O’s looked poised to battle back. They loaded the bases in the last of the fifth with nobody out. Yet, they let the Athletics off the hook with a strikeout and two fly out’s.

They had to score there. One big theme the last two years has been the O’s not holding their opponents accountable. That and their opponents refusing to return the favor.

Before the Athletics would tack on an insurance run in the ninth, the O’s did get on the board in the eighth. A single and a double put two runners in scoring position. Colton Cowser pinch-hit for Coby Mayo, and snacked a two-RBI single. But the O’s fell, 6-2.

Mayo’s hitting .158, and has multiple errors in the field under his belt. Between Cowser pinch-hitting, Pete Alonso taking ground balls at third before the game, and Jackson Holliday taking grounders at third (on his rehab assignment), it stands to reason that Mayo is trending downward. Is a move imminent? No idea. But it’s not sustainable.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish done in by analytics?

Kyle Bradish pitched outstanding this evening for the Baltimore Orioles against The Athletics. It was by far Bradish’s best start of the season, and maybe one of the best of his career. And it was for naught. Bradish’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 10 K.

The Orioles are the only team in baseball who’s never won this year against a southpaw starter. And that continued this evening. Yet all things being equal, it probably should have been a 2-1 Orioles’ win.

Pete Alonso continued his hot streak with a solo home run in the last of the fourth to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. But it came unglued in the fifth – through no fault of Bradish. Wilson began the inning with a softly-hit but perfectly placed infield single to first base. Butler would then single to left, and suddenly the Athletics had a rally going. It started that innocently. And Gelof’s RBI-single tied the game at one.

Later in the inning a two-RBI triple by Kurtz gave the Athletics the lead at 3-1. The O’s would get one back in the sixth on a solo homer in the sixth. Bradish would leave after seven, and the newly called-up Kyle Gibson (who took the roster spot of the injured Cade Povich) would surrender a softly-hit RBI-single by Wilson. And the O’s fell, 4-2.

The Gelof single to left field I mentioned above in the fifth inning; it was curious. According to various internet stats’ sites, Gelof is a guy who a lot of teams play to bunt. That’s what the analytics say. And the Orioles appeared to do that, expecting a Gelof bunt.

However Gelof swung away. And he grounded the ball to Gunnar Henderson at short. Henderson did get to the ball; but he didn’t have time to quite get to it, and it trickled into left field. That set up an inning of consequence in the game, which ultimately led to an Athletics’ win.

Henderson would later bobble what should have been a double-play ball, further setting the inning up for the Athletics. That turned into a fielder’s choice, meaning it wasn’t an error. However that’s a play that has to be made. It would have been a double-play. Instead it was only one out.

Did the Athletics see the analytics behind Gelof’s at-bat and reverse-engineer it? Every opposing team knows the Orioles are married to these analytics. So would it not stand to reason that they would weaponize it? They think I’m bunting, so I’m going to swing away. And when the ball was put into play, the Orioles were slightly out of place.

This might be part of the reason for the struggles the past two years. Since June of 2024 in reality. To me it stands to reason that many teams just look at their own tendencies and try in many cases to do the opposite. They think we’re going to bunt, so we’ll do everything BUT. That’s why you have to use some situational awareness in games, as opposed to dealing only in stats.

And when Samuel Basallo smacked an RBI-single in the last of the ninth, all of the runs truly mattered. Perhaps the line between winning and losing is at times that fine. Especially when you consider that the Orioles had the winning run on base in the last of the ninth.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by the Athletics’ Aaron Civale. game time is set for just after 4 PM.