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: Nibbling won’t get the job done

Dylan Bundy looked really good for the Baltimore Orioles yesterday afternoon against New York – the first time through the order. Bundy’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 5 K. After that first time through the order however, New York hitters figured something out about Bundy, which incidentally was true of Oriole relievers yesterday as well: they were nibbling.

Nibbling may well be an okay strategy here and there or from time to time. However it’s not a game plan. Nor should it be. New York hitters eventually recognized what was going on, and just laid back and allowed Bundy and the Orioles to in essence beat themselves.

The Birds took an early lead, as Tim Beckham led the game off with a solo homer. One inning later Chris Davis smacked a two-run homer of his own following a New York error. So it appeared that the Birds were going to be off to the races in this game. Then as I said, the second time through the order New York figured out what was going on.

Gregorius smacked a two-run homer in the fourth, and Ellsbury an RBI-single. That tied the game at three. Now to his credit, Bundy went from cruising to being on the ropes in that inning. At the very least he salvaged a tie as opposed to surrendering the lead.

However he did surrender the lead an inning later as Castro’s two-run homer gave New York a 5-3 lead. And that closed the book on Bundy for the day. However as I said, the Orioles’ bullpen seemed to have the same strategy of nibbling on the corners. And it had the same results. New York would put two more runs across in the sixth, and Castillo would homer in the ninth for the O’s to close out a 7-4 loss.

When you nibble on the outer edges of the plate, eventually the opponent is going to take notice. That gets you into more hitter’s counts, and it allows the hitters to sit on fastballs when in the end you have to throw a strike. And here’s the other thing; nibblers don’t get calls. As the game went on almost all borderline pitchers were going New York’s way. On the flip side, when New York would be in the field pitches in the same location were being called strikes. It’s a by-product of living on the outer edges of the plate.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s C.C. Sabathia. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Biggest win of 2017?

The Baltimore Orioles wouldn’t have been out of the playoff race had they lost to Toronto yesterday. In fact, they still would have had the same fighting chance they have today – however at 2.5 games out of the wild card as opposed to 1.5. But the fact is that whether it’s true or not, some wins just feel bigger in the grand scheme of things. This game was one of them.

Chris Tillman struggled as Toronto was able to grab an early lead. Tillman’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K. Yes folks, it begins and ends with starting pitching. But in these September games with the post season on the line, it’s as much about the bullpen and every other aspect of the game as it is starting pitching. Tillman lasted four innings, but if a starter isn’t hacking it after two, it’s not uncommon for him to get pulled. Especially when you have a bullpen like that of the Orioles.

Following a walk and a base hit, Tillman gave up a three-run homer to Donaldson in the third. But in a moment of foreshadowing of more than one type, Welington Castillo gave the Birds some hope with a solo home run in the last of the third. And to double-up on that foreshadowing, Mark Trumbo followed in the fourth with a solo shot of his own. Mancini would add a sac fly-RBI in the sixth, and we were tied at three.

However Toronto managed to put one across in the seventh to get the lead back. Saunders’ infield RBI-single ticked off of Davis’ glove at first, yielding a run. And it’s unconventional plays like that which have plagued the O’s this year. As I’ve said many times, anything can happen when you put guys on base. Orioles’ opponents have taken that to another level it seems, scoring runs off of plays like that, bloops, broken bat singles, etc.

But you play through it if you can. Unfortunately, it appeared that this game was destined for a loss, which would mean that an all but hapless Toronto team had come into Camden Yards and taken three-of-four from the O’s – a team in the playoff race. They say that’s why they play the games and so forth – incidentally, it’s also why they play all of the games in their entirety.

Remember how I said above that Welington Castillo’s homer in the third foreshadowed something?! Castillo led off the last of the ninth, and promptly smacked his second solo homer of the game to tie it up at four. And just like that, the playoff race was on! And as if these two teams didn’t go long enough past nine innings on Friday night, it took until the last of the twelfth to decide it. Mark Trumbo came up with runners at the corners and two outs, and his RBI-single to left won it for the Birds, 5-4.

Again, there are some wins that just feel bigger. I would point to last year’s come-from-behind win at San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon (in which the Birds trailed 7-1 in the seventh inning), as well as an early September win against New York in 2012. You like to point back to points in the season and say that maybe something began there. If I had to point to anywhere it would be the walk off win two weeks ago against Oakland. But with the standings being what they are at this point in the season, this one felt just a little bigger for the O’s.

And in fact, you could look at Castillo’s at-bat there in the ninth and say that it might have been one of the most important at-bats of the season. Ultimately if the O’s make it into the post season, all of that will be true. If they do not, it’ll be an afterthought.

The Orioles now open a huge series with New York at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Bats stay cool in loss to Toronto

Unfortunately for the Baltimore Orioles, their bats stayed cool last night amid a dense drizzle all game long. And for much of the game, this seemed to work fine, as Wade Miley kept Toronto in check. That is, until he didn’t. Miley’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Those aren’t bad numbers per se. The only problem was that as I said above, the O’s didn’t put anything up offensively. Perhaps it was the chill in the air, or the semblance of an early season game. But the offense just never really came alive.

The teams played to a scoreless tie until the fifth inning when Toronto started to figure Miley out. Pillar smacked a solo homer, which given the game on Friday night and how this one was going seemed fairly big. One inning later Morales’ sac fly-RBI gave Toronto a 2-0 lead. And that would be the end for Miley, after that sixth inning.

The big blow however came in the seventh, when Toronto had two runners on. Donaldson came up to the plate, and promptly smacked a three-run homer to left field. Toronto would add three more before all was said and done. The O’s would also get a solo homer out of Smith in the eighth, and an RBI-single out of Trumbo in the last of the ninth.

For the Orioles’ sake, you have to hope that perhaps that little burst of offense in the final two innings leads to something starting today. If you’re going to struggle at the plate, you can still win games if your pitching shuts the opponent down. And for a good part of this game, Miley did – as Buck Showalter indicated after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Wade pitched well, Wade pitched well. I thought when he wiggled out of that jam in the sixth, it might be the difference in the ballgame right there. You like your chances 2-0, but we didn’t put much together offensively all night. It’s one of those, September baseball at its best where people are pitching that are good pitchers, good prospects, but there’s a lot of unknown and you get ambushed this time of the year easily.

It’s just that time of the year with baseball with the way the rules are in September. But that didn’t have anything to do with tonight. We just didn’t swing the bats very well.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman will be on the mound for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Brett Anderson. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Walk off win by Jonathan Schoop in the twilight zone

Jonathan Schoop won the game for the Baltimore Orioles – in the twilight zone. I’ve said many times that when baseball games go past twelve innings they go into “the twilight zone.” Strange things are liable to happen, as eventually fatigue takes over. And whomever has that happen first, loses.

Kevin Gausman pitched a gem for the O’s, and it’s a shame that he couldn’t get the win. Gausman’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. It’s rare that a pitcher is going to toss a shutout and not get the win. It’s also worth mentioning that Buck Showalter matched up perfectly in this game regarding the bullpen. Admittedly it’s easier to do that after September 1st when rosters expand, however a lesser manager wouldn’t have had the savoir faire to do it the way Showalter did.

This game had a bit of everything – except runs, that is. But we did see a lot of fine defensive plays on both sides which in theory kept the game and the 0-0 draw going. But perhaps none more so than Trey Mancini‘s catch in the top of the 13th to end the inning. On a liner to left field, Mancini was off balance; yet he reached up and back and caught the ball. And that’s what can happen folks…in the twilight zone!

And that set up the last of the 13th. Machado led the inning off with an infield single. That brought Schoop to the plate, and his RBI-double walked the Orioles off winners by the score of 1-0. These are the types of games that teams win when they’re in the playoff chase. And the Orioles are very much in that chase.

One interesting point from this game was Adam Jones earning his second career ejection after arguing balls and strikes in the dugout in the first inning. Jones is generally not the type to do that, however he felt that both he and his team were falling victim to an inconsistent strike zone. And quite honestly he probably had a point, as it seemed that any borderline pitch was going Toronto’s way for awhile – regardless of who was pitching and who was in the field.

That right there should have indicated that this game was destined for the twilight zone. However Jones’ replacement, Craig Gentry, had to leave the game also. He injured a finger attempting to bunt in the third inning. Later we found out that the finger was fractured. Gentry now appeared headed to the DL.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marcus Stroman. Game time is set for just after 7 PM. And that’s it for now…on the twilight zone.

Baltimore Orioles fall to Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles had their seven-game win streak snapped last night at the hands of their division rivals, Toronto. All good things must come to an end, folks. Jeremy Hellickson was battered around over the course of his start, but even the Orioles’ bullpen yielded four runs. Hellickson’s line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 2 K.

Adam Jones got things started in the first inning with a two-run homer. One inning later Tim Beckham‘s RBI-single gave the O’s a 3-0 lead. However Toronto wasn’t about to be outdone, as they have some power as well. They got a two-run homer by Morales in the third, bringing them to within 3-2.

The Orioles were in fact able to extend their lead to 5-2 on a groundout and an RBI-single, but Toronto chipped away. Morales came up again in the fifth and smacked an RBI-single, which was followed by Montero’s two-RBI double. Suddenly before you knew it the game was knotted at five.

Montero came home on Pillar’s two-RBI double, and before you knew it Toronto had the lead. Chris Davis would add a solo homer in the last of the fifth, however Toronto wasn’t through yet. Another at-bat by Morales, and another homer – again of the two-run variety. And would you believe that he also hit one in the eighth?! While that one was a solo shot, it was also the backbreaker for the Birds.

The O’s however did attempt to come back, as Beckham added an RBI-single in the eighth. He took second base on a fielding error, and was plated by Schoop’s RBI-single. It begins and ends with starting pitching however, and the O’s couldn’t get the job done last night. Usually when you score eight runs you win. However it’s also true that usually when you surrender 11 you lose.

Timm Beckham is certainly sad to see the calendar turn to September, as he finished August with 50 hits. He talked about that after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Yeah, man, it’s wild, it’s wild. It’s a blessing. Everything that’s happened. I thank God above for that. We need to keep it going and get this team to the playoffs.

Needless to say, Beckham’s provided this Orioles team with a shot in the arm since arriving at the trade deadline. As much as Dan Duquette’s moves are criticized, this was a good one.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Joe Biagini. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Seattle sleepless at the yard

What would you have said a month ago if I had told you that the Baltimore Orioles were going to rattle off seven straight wins? Heck, what would you have said a week ago?! While none of this means that the Orioles will finish the regular season with a birth in the playoffs, they are in fact coming on strong at just the right time. To draw a comparison, basketball for instance is a game of runs. Whomever has their run last generally wins.

You know that we’re starting to get down to crunch time when starters are being pulled at the first sign of trouble Ubaldo Jimenez didn’t last long in this game, however the fact is that we’re at a point of the season where results mean more at the end of the day than does how a starter looked. Jimenez’s line: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took the lead in the last of the second on a Mancini solo homer. Welington Castillo added an RBI-double, and the O’s held a 2-0 lead. However one inning later Jimenez got in trouble as Seattle loaded the bases. Jimenez appeared to induce Cruz into a ground ball in the infield which would have ended the inning, however as I’ve said many times funny things happen when guys get on base…

…the ball hit second base itself. And I’m not sure you could do that if you tried. Nevertheless that tied the game at two. Seattle would plate four more runs in the inning, and when the smoked cleared Jimenez was on the bench and the Birds trailed 6-2.

But when you’re in a pennant race you don’t let things like that phase you. Castillo smacked a two-run homer in the fourth to bring the Birds back to within 6-4. Gentry added a solo shot of his own, and the O’s were within one. And an inning later in the fifth, we had a tie game once again as Jonathan Schoop smacked a solo homer of his own.

The O’s took the lead back in the sixth on Machado’s sac fly-RBI, however a solo homer in the eighth off the bat of Haniger tied things up once again at seven. There have been times over the course of the year where the O’s struggled to put teams away, however while the Orioles earned a series sweep in this instance Seattle just didn’t want to go away – until the very end.

And it was an RBI-single by Schoop in the last of the eighth that put Seattle away for good. The 8-7 win gave the Birds a series sweep, and their seventh straight victory. Mind you that the winning streak at some point will have to end. But it’s made the O’s a very dangerous team in terms of the wild card race. While they’re still 1.5 games back, if they keep winning you have to assume that they’ll be in.

The Orioles now open a four-game set with Toronto at home. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the O’s in game one, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marco Estrada. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Bundy blanks Seattle as Birds soar

Dylan Bundy certainly picked an opportune moment to pitch his best game as a pro to date. The Orioles of course find themselves in what amount to a pennant race for an AL wild card spot. Due in large part to Bundy’s effort last night, the O’s are now better than .500 and only 1.5 games back. Bundy’s line: 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K.

I mean…you just aren’t going to get a better outing than that. A complete game on-hit shutout. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! As I said, this was Bundy’s best game as a professional by far, and it came right at a moment when the Orioles needed it most. Does this mean that the Orioles will end up in the post season? Not necessarily. But they won their sixth straight game last night, and as I said they’re getting hot at just the right time.

Ironically, this game was a pitcher’s duel in a sense. The Orioles used four solo home runs to win this game. Jonathan Schoop got things going and gave the Orioles an early 1-0 lead with his solo shot in the first inning. And in effect, that lead held up for the entire game – because Bundy was so good.

Manny Machado smacked his first solo homer of the night in the last of the sixth, and one inning later Welington Castillo joined the parade. Just for good measure, Machado gave the Orioles an insurance run in the eighth with his second solo shot of the game. However not even Manny Machado hitting multiple home runs in the game could overshadow Dylan Bundy, who threw 116 pitches on the night to get the complete game win.

While speaking to the media after the game Buck Showalter sung Bundy’s praises, and with good reason. He also reminded people that Bundy had a few things working against him in this game, such as a short rain delay and the fact that he had just come off the bereavement list after dealing with a death in the family (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

He was outstanding, obviously. That was fun to watch. Especially when you think about everything that was at stake for both clubs. Everybody’s operating … Also, he flew in late last night and landed about midnight. Had to work through the rain delay, too. There were a lot of things that could have been a challenge for him and he doesn’t let it be, he’s so strong mentally. That was outstanding, obviously.

If you would have told a lot of people a month ago that the O’s would be right there in the thick of the race at the end of August, I’m not sure a lot of folks would have believed that. Granted to move up the standings the right teams have to lose on your behalf, and some of that has happened of late. But the O’s have also gotten it together at the right time. A lot of teams have surges over the course of the season. Teams such as Minnesota, Seattle, etc. had stretches where they could do no wrong earlier. The O’s are picking the right time to have theirs.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Ariel Miranda. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Big wheels keep on turning

The Baltimore Orioles continued their hot ways of late, returning home last night and besting Seattle in game one of three. As I said yesterday, this might well be the most important series of the season given the wild card standings. The O’s now stand 1.5 games out of the final wild card spot, and only a half game back of Anaheim at that.

Chris Tillman got the start, and with mixed results at that. His final stat line wasn’t much to write home about, however he battled – as did the entire Orioles team. Tillman’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 1 K. Seattle didn’t want to go away – and the fact is that they knew the stakes also.

And Seattle actually had the lead early in this game, as Valencia smacked a soo homer in the second inning. However that didn’t last long. Welington Castillo‘s two-RBI single in the last of the second gave the O’s the lead at 2-1. Jonathan Schoop added an RBI-single of his own, putting the O’s ahead 3-1.

However as I said when the Orioles were on the west coast, many of these western teams don’t buy much into the concept of a coup de grace. In an AL East game the Birds would have taken that 3-1 lead, maybe added a couple more, and perhaps the opponent would have added a run or two. These western teams are scrappy and they don’t take no for an answer. Gamel smacked a three-run homer in the fourth, putting the Orioles behind suddenly, 4-3.

However in the bottom frame of that fourth inning the Birds took control back. Gentry lined an RBI-single which tied the game and loaded the bases. Beckham was then hit by a pitch, and the Birds had the lead again, 5-4. As I’ve said many times, funny things can happen when guys get on base. One inning later Adam Jones gave the O’s what we thought was some padding in their lead with a solo homer.

But again, Seattle didn’t go away. And again it was Gamel. His two-RBI single tied the game at six in the sixth inning. However it was Chris Davis who ultimately gave the O’s the coup de grace for which they had been looking against Seattle. His RBI-double in the seventh put them ahead 7-6, which was the final.

While this game was a win, Seattle put the Orioles on notice that they’re going to be in a dog fight every game along the way this week. And that’s what a pennant race (or wild card race) is all about. Needless to say, the O’s got off to a good start last night leapfrogging Seattle in the standings.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Erasmo Ramirez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep Boston away at the Fens

If you would have told me that the Baltimore Orioles would have put two runs across in yesterday’s game and that Wade Miley would only go five innings, I would have assumed that the Birds would have lost. But I’d be wrong. Furthermore, those two runs came in the first inning; Miley and the Orioles’ bullpen really did a great job keeping Boston at bay. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Adam Jones opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI-double that gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Trey Mancini would then hop one over the wall for a ground-rule double, which scored Jones. Before you could blink the O’s had a 2-0 lead.

But little did we know that would be all they’d put across. It’s somewhat surprising given the way that the other two games in this series went, however on the flip side a pitcher’s duel is also a nice change of pace. This is not to say that Boston never threatened. Devers’ RBI-single in the sixth cut the Orioles’ lead to 2-1. Boston would later load the bases, however Betts struck out to end the inning.

The win puts the Orioles right back at the .500 mark for the season. They’ve struggled to get back there, yet all it took was a weekend trip to Fenway. They’re also two games back of the final wild card spot. The team immediately in front of them? Seattle. And they come to Camden Yards starting tonight. This could be the most important series of the year.

Make no mistake about the fact that this was a big win for the O’s, and a big series sweep. Nobody would have blamed them for dropping the finale and going back home after taking two-of-three. That’s kind of the modus operandi in baseball. But this team was determined to get the sweep, and they did.

Buck Showalter opined afterwards on the atmosphere and feel of the game, and how it felt like a pennant race (quote courtesy of Rock Kubatko, MASNsports):

It felt like a game we were going to try to … We had first and third and nobody out in the fourth and didn’t push a run across, and that usually bites you here. We walked eight of their guys. That usually bites you. We were lucky to catch them with some of their key people hurt. Sometimes, you catch a break there. But our guys did what it took. As far as the atmosphere, they’ve done great things this year and we’re fortunate today. You usually don’t win those types of games.

The O’s now head home for the aforementioned huge series with Seattle. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Marco Gonzales. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Coming on when it counts?

The Baltimore Orioles and Kevin Gausman are in the spot in which they find themselves due to a lackluster May and June. Some might not even call it lackluster; they’d say the O’s flat out were poor. But had the O’s won more games in those months, odds are they’d be in the playoffs right now if the season ended today.

But mind you that three games is all but meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But are the Orioles in the midst of coming on when it counts the most? They won a hard-fought game on Wednesday against Oakland, they bludgeoned Boston on Friday night, and they really took it to the same Boston team yesterday. (And had that Oakland game been back in May or June, odds are the O’s would have lost simply by default.) So are these three games the beginning of something memorable? We don’t know right now. However if the O’s are able to muscle into the post season, you might look back at this point in the schedule.

Gausman dominated the Boston lineup yesterday, keeping them off the board and for the most part off the base paths. Gausman’s line: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K. Again mark this down in your minds; this was the Orioles’ third consecutive quality start. And it begins and ends with starting pitching.

The story of the game was in essence the second inning. Mark Trumbo and Craig Gentry got the Orioles on the board with RBI-singles to start things off. However the big blast came off the bat of Tim Beckham, who smacked a three-run homer and gave the Birds a 5-0 lead.

And if you want to go back even further, perhaps Beckham supplied the Birds with a shot in the arm also. He’s streamlined the offense because now they have a bona fide lead off man at the top of the order. He’s also incredibly fast, which makes the offense even better. And since he’s been here, he’s done nothing but get on base.

After that second inning Boston seemed to settle down a bit. However the Orioles had already done their damage. And Gausman was dealing, which made it tough for Boston to come back. And the fact is that they went away with nary a whimper. Gausman and the bullpen were that good.

Just for good measure, the O’s got a solo homer by Jonathan Schoop in the eighth, and another RBI-single by Trumbo in the ninth. While Boston mustered no offense in this game, it never hurts to have a few insurance runs. Again, does this mean that the O’s are on the way for a historic run to the post season as we move into the final five weeks of the season? No. But it doesn’t mean that they aren’t on their way towards that also. This is just a point in the season to which one might look back if they make a run.

The series in Boston concludes this afternoon at Fenway Park. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Doug Fister. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.