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: That aside Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?

Something along the lines of that aside Mrs. Lincoln how was the play is probably not what the Baltimore Orioles would have wanted to ask Boston fans after last night’s game. Because in the immediate aftermath of paying top dollar to see the home team get bludgeoned by a division rival, many of those folks probably could have sympathized with Mary Todd Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865. But I digress in a way.

Jeremy Hellickson set the tone in a sense, but the fact is this night wasn’t about pitching – even Orioles’ pitching, which was strong. It was about the bats. Yet Hellickson turned in a quality start for the Orioles in a winning effort. Hellickson’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 earned), 0 BB, 2 K.

Interestingly enough, this game wasn’t all just the Orioles laying wood on the ball. Boston committed five errors in the game. Now in fairness, the Orioles committed three as well – but those are in essence forgotten because of the final score. For once, the O’s held a team accountable for their mistakes. And similarly, for once the Birds didn’t seem to have to pay the piper ten fold for theirs.

With the Orioles already leading 2-0 in the second inning, Mark Trumbo smacked a solo homer. However that was only a harbinger of what was to come. Manny Machado added an RBI-single, and an additional run later scored on a throwing error. However keep in mind that a 5-0 lead in the early innings at Fenway is hardly safe. And in fact, Boston closed to within 5-2 in the last of the second with a two-run homer.

And many Orioles fans probably figured that it was a foregone conclusion that Boston might come back at that point. But the Orioles continued along in the third, as Davis smacked a solo homer as well. But after that, Hellickson settled in and seemingly shut Boston down for the majority of the rest of his outing. Then came the fifth inning.

The O’s put up a seven-spot in the fifth. Yes folks, seven runs on top of what they already had. That included RBI-singles by Trey Mancini, Jonathan Schoop, and Adam Jones, and two-RBI singles by both Beckham and Smith. Again, this was a game in which the Orioles finally seemed to hold the opponent accountable for their mistakes. Whereas in past games if the Birds loaded the bases they might score a run on a sac fly and only net one in the inning. In this case the hits just kept on coming, putting two across at various points in the inning.

Mancini would triple home a couple of runs in the seventh as well, and at the end of the day the final score was 16-3 in favor of the Birds. Buck Showalter basically “offered up and excuse” after the game as to why it got so out of hand, almost blaming Boston’s schedule (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It looks like Chris and Trum are getting ready to … We caught Porcello on a down night. He’s been pitching well. And we also had the benefit of them having a night game in Cleveland. We’ve had that a lot, it seems like, where we’re playing a game and the other team’s already in the hotel. It’s just part of the schedule you don’t like to see, so I felt fortunate we caught them in a tough travel day. We know they’ll be back again tomorrow. They’re a good club and we just caught them on a down night. They’re a really good defensive team. We made a couple errors, too.

And that’s one of the reasons why Showalter is a good leader. He doesn’t make excuses for any loss or malady regarding his own team. But publicly at least he kind of winks at people when they win a game like that by finding a way to actually call out his opponent in a positive manner. Basically, it wasn’t really because the Orioles were good, it was because they caught Boston after a tough travel day.

The series continues this afternoon at Fenway Park. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

 

Baltimore Orioles: Zach Britton on the Boston trip

Zach Britton blew his first save in 60 attempts for the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. However all’s well that end’s well – the Orioles overcame that and won. I suspect that had the Birds fell to Oakland that day it would have been a much bigger story.

After the game we found out that Britton was going to undergo an MRI for some knee soreness. Britton later admitted that it had been there for a couple of years. However the results of that MRI boded well for Britton, although it’s unclear how long he might be sidelined – if at all.

Britton is on the current three-game road trip, in essence a series in Boston. Britton told the media that he’s had this soreness for the past two or three years, likening it back to the turf in Toronto in 2014 (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Gosh, I probably had it since like 2014,” Britton said. “I got my cleats stuck one time in Toronto on their turf and it’s something that was kind of bothering me. I think I pitched through it the last three or four years. So, (Dr. Michael Jacobs) kind of wants me to get it checked out.

The aforementioned series with Boston begins tonight at Fenway Park. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Rick Porcello. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Rest in peace, Mike Flanagan

It’s probably fitting that today is an off day for the Baltimore Orioles, as the franchise marks an anniversary that it would rather not remember. In 2011 I was penning the Birds Watcher column, and the Orioles were in Minnesota on a Tuesday night. Just prior to game time that evening news started to spread of a body found on the property of former Oriole great Mike Flanagan.

And you know the rest. As the game went on it was confirmed that in fact the body was Flanagan’s, and that he was a victim of his own hand. This is a story that affected me very deeply. It’s something that I unfortunately had to write about and cover, but it was about as tough as anything I’ve ever seen as an Orioles writer.

Mike Flanagan was on the Oriole teams that I grew up watching as a child in the 1980’s. He was still of the generation where you played for a team and you moved your family to that city and became part of that community – raising your kids there and all. And until his dying day, Mike Flanagan was proud to call Baltimore home. He was a proud New Englander as well, but he loved Baltimore and he was very much a part of this community.

And that’s part of why it was so tragic that he died the way he did. Part of his issue stemmed from his belief that he had done irreparable harm to the franchise when he was the VP years ago. He felt that he had let Orioles fans down in a sense. Orioles fans, the very people who in reality loved him more than he ever knew.

It would be unfair of me to go into any more detail than that. You all know the story – we all do. However on that day six years ago I swore that so long as I covered this team, I’d always mark the day that Mike Flanagan died with a special article. Few will ever forget the so very honest and sorrowful reactions of his MASN associates that night, or the outpouring of support and love from the Baltimore community in the aftermath.

But there’s a slight redemptive spin on this story as well. 2011 was a lost year. However one year later in 2012, the Orioles returned to glory and returned to the post season for the first time in 14 years. Two seasons later, they won the AL East pennant. And there’s no team with more wins since 2012 than the Baltimore Orioles. Flanagan loved this franchise and this city. He would have been so proud.

Mike Flanagan’s death was tragic. But mind you that the real people who suffered were those who knew and loved him. Not the fans or the people who follow the team. Nevertheless, death is a part of life. And if the number of people who loved Mike Flanagan is any indication, he made a huge impact in this world. Rest in peace Mike, we miss you.

Baltimore Orioles win a frustrating game on Manny Machado’s walk off homer

The Baltimore Orioles were pushed to the brink yesterday by Oakland. That team seriously wouldn’t quit, and they never saw themselves as out of the game. Remember what I wrote about yesterday; if you don’t rise up and take what’s yours, don’t be surprised when someone else who may not be as good but is hungrier than you does. That almost happened again yesterday – almost. Then Manny Machado stepped to the plate.

Dylan Bundy was dominant for six innings yesterday. He lost it a bit in the seventh and was eventually pulled. But he dominated a pesky Oakland lineup who’s attitude was that they weren’t going to be denied. Bundy’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

The O’s had the lead from the third inning on (until the end) in this one. Mancini’s three-run homer in the third inning gave them a 3-0 lead. And honestly, it appeared that they were off to the races and weren’t looking back. Flaherty, who returned from the DL yesterday, made an immediate impact in the fourth with an RBI-single as well.

Oakland would get a run back in the sixth on an RBI-single, however Welington Castillo would provide what appeared to be the coup de grace for Oakland. His two-run homer in the bottom of that sixth inning gave the Birds a 6-1 lead. The O’s appeared to be on cruise control.

And ultimately, that was the problem. They felt that their jobs were done for the day, and in fairness at 6-1 going into the later innings that may not have been a bad feeling. But Oakland just doesn’t give up, and they ended up pushing the Orioles to the brink by just chipping away here and there.

They put three runs up in the seventh against Bundy, which seemed easily explainable because Bundy was tiring. However they also got a two-run homer by Joyce in the eighth, which brought them to within 6-5. The Birds also got one back on a Chris Davis home run in the last of the eighth, and again it appeared that could have been a fatal blow.

But as I said, these guys just refused to quit. They put two runs up in the ninth against closer Zach Britton, tying the game and ending his streak of games without blowing a save at 60. It’s a shame that happened, but the fact is that it’s a footnote since the Orioles ended up winning. The downside is that Britton is getting an MRI on his knee today due to some discomfort he’s been feeling. That’s obviously not good.

Luckily for the Orioles however, the home team bats last. Neither team seemed able to put anything across in the first two extra frames. But Manny Machado led off the last of the twelfth and smacked the ball out of the ballpark for a walk off homer and an 8-7 victory.

Oakland pushed the Orioles as far as they could have without beating them yesterday. This is something on which the Orioles really need to work – in terms of taking what’s theirs. You can be the greatest team on earth, however if you hit the cruise control button and you’re playing a team with the mentality that they’re world-beaters, you’re going to find yourself in trouble. But at the end of the day, the O’s took two-of-three from a subpar Oakland team. And maybe this game is the launching point of an epic September for all we know.

Baltimore Orioles: Take what’s yours or someone else will make it theirs

The Baltimore Orioles have struggled with the same issue for most of the season. No, not pitching, hitting, or any other on the field issue. The biggest issue they’ve had is stepping up and taking what’s rightfully theirs. Whether it’s a game, a series, or anything else. And if you don’t take what’s yours, it’ll eventually cease to belong to you.

Ubaldo Jimenez got banged around a bit in the first inning yesterday, and in fact ended up setting the tone for the game. Jimenez’s line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 4 K. Jimenez gave up a two-run homer to Lowrie and then a solo shot to Healy in the first inning. Healey would also add a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Birds trailed 5-0.

They got back into it in the last of that fifth inning however, when Manny Machado smacked a two-run homer. Jonathan Schoop would also add on a two-RBI single in the eighth to bring the Birds to within one. The O’s ended up allowing Oakland out of the inning with the lead however, as they were unable to put a final run across to tie the game.

And Oakland took advantage of that. Davis’ solo homer in the top of the ninth all but iced the game. However the O’s did have the tying run at the plate at one point in the last of the ninth. But they allowed Oakland to pitch out of it, dropping this one 6-4.

Make no mistake that the Orioles attempted a valiant comeback in this game. However they’re a much better team than Oakland is (on paper). Heck, they’re a better team than a lot of the teams ahead of them in the standings – again, on paper. So…why have they struggled all year to keep their heads above water?

Because as I said earlier, if you don’t stand up and forcibly take what’s yours, it’ll cease to be yours. There’s always someone else waiting in the wings who’s hungry and audacious enough to step in and make what’s rightfully yours into what’s theirs. And that’s what happened to the 2017 Orioles. Teams who in theory shouldn’t even be in competition with the Birds have actually been hungrier – and they’ve found ways to get ahead.

Here’s a real life example – and this is a true story. A close friend of mine is established in his/her job, and is good at it. An intern came in and literally started acting like s/he owned the place – demanding respect, and in essence asking for top billing as a member of the department. My friend started seeing his/her own experience used against them in the sense that the intern was using my friend’s stories in the field as their own.

I immediately told my friend that this person was gunning for their job. And my advice was to step up and make it very clear that this person was just an intern and couldn’t get top billing in the department. Luckily for my friend, s/he listened to me and did just that. When the intern was confronted, s/he admitted that s/he was hoping that my friend would quit and s/he’d get hired. Said intern has since left the country for another job. Funny thing was, this ticked my friend off so much that s/he did at one point consider quitting. The intern almost succeeded.

That obviously has nothing to do with baseball. But it illustrates that this is a dog-eat-dog world. It’s unfair and it’s wrong; but sometimes what’s rightfully yours comes under attack. And if you just “ho-hum it along,” you’re going to lose what’s yours. Challengers are always hungrier – think of the 2012 Orioles.

So if the Birds want to have a shot at the postseason, they need to stop dropping games like this to teams such as Oakland. There’s no reason they should have split that series out on the west coast, and there’s no reason they should have lost last night. As I said, take and defend what’s yours, or someone else will.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Daniel Gossett of Oakland. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles lifted by Adam Jones’ two homers

The Baltimore Orioles are tough to beat when their offense is firing on all cylinders. Especially when you’re a team like Oakland who just doesn’t have the horses right now. And when Adam Jones, the de facto team captain, smacks two homers in the game, you know that it’s going to be a long day.

Wade Miley turned in a solid outing that was good enough to qualify both for a quality start and a win. Miley’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K. Oakland actually held a bried lead in this game after Chapman’s RBI-double in the second inning. However that also shows you how an inning can snowball in a sense. It got started innocently enough, with an infield hit. In theory not a big deal; but a walk and another base hit later, the Orioles trailed 1-0.

However they responded in the last of the second on Trumbo’s sac fly-RBI. Two innings later, Jones gave the Birds the lead for good with a solo homer. However Oakland managed to load the bases in the fifth which challenged the Orioles lead with one down. But Miley induced an inning-ending double-play, and the Orioles held onto the lead.

And just for good measure, Jonathan Schoop busted the game wide open in the botto of that fifth inning. His three-run homer gave the Birds a 5-1 lead. Jones would hit his second solo homer of the game later in the inning, and the Birds led 6-1. Oakland would get two runs back on Lowrie’s solo homer in the sixth and Powell’s in the eighth, but that made little difference.

Oh and if you were waiting for a coup de grace in this game, Welington Castillo smacked a solo shot of his own in the last of the eigth to round out the scoring. At the end of the day, the O’s crusied to a 7-3 victory in game one of this series. As has been the case for much of the season, so goes Oriole bats, so go the Orioles.

After the O’s dropped two-of-three to Anaheim, this is a very important series. They’re almost in a position where anything less than sweeping Oakland is to their detriment. So this game was a good start towards that goal. And needless to say, the goal is always to win…everyday.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s Paul Blackburn. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall late to Anaheim

The Baltimore Orioles had Chris Davis back in the lineup yesterday after he had been ill for a few days. And that helped things offensively, as Davis was able to smack a home run in the game. But even that wasn’t enough, as the O’s fell to an Anaheim team that apparently just wasn’t going to be denied on this day.

Chris Tillman came out of the bullpen to make the start, and with less-than-favorable results. Tillman’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 2 K. The six walks are obviously what sticks out, and the worst part is that the bullpen issued three other ones after Tillman departed. Anaheim was just very patient yesterday, and they all but mandated that the Orioles throw the ball over the plate.

Anaheim took the lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Calhoun. One inning later it was 2-0 after Pujols’ RBI-single. And this is how it’s been all series long for Anaheim. They’ve never had more than a two-run homer, and they never mustered anything that in theory cleared the bases. But a solo homer here and there or an RBI-single all added up eventually.

The Birds would get back into it in the last of the third when Davis launched a solo homer of his own, cutting the lead to 2-1. However rather than spark the Orioles, things stayed right where they were for a few innings. And it was Anaheim who eventually extended their lead – on a sixth inning two-run homer by Simmons.

However that in and of itself seemed to inspire the O’s to come back. Jonathan Schoop‘s two-RBI single in the last of the sixth cut the Anaheim lead to 4-3. Later in the inning Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-double tied the game, giving the O’s a chance to win. However it was Anaheim with the late heroics this time around. Following a couple of walks, Maybin’s RBI-single gave them a 5-4 lead, which stood up until the end.

And as I’ve said previously, when you get guys on base you really never know what’s going to happen. That’s why issuing walks is so dangerous. While it in essence serves the same purpose as a single, it gives the team at-bat a bit of an advantage in that they have a leg up on the pitcher in terms of his control.

The O’s will now open up a three-game series with Oakland at Camden Yards. Wade Miley gets the ball in the opener, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s Chris Smith. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles foiled by homer parade

It’s rare when the Baltimore Orioles can’t keep up with home runs. But it happened last night. As I said, it’s rare – not unprecedented. Kevin Gausman didn’t have his “good stuff,” although when it gets hot and humid the ball does of course fly out of Camden Yards. Gausman’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 3 K.

The damage began in the first inning right off the bat. Guasman surrendered a solo shot to Trout, and the Orioles trailed 1-0. Now the one thing you can say about Gausman last night is that at the very least he only gave up solo shots and two-run homers. They say however that solo home runs aren’t going to hurt you per se. That’s true – so long as you don’t give up several of them.

In fairness to Gausman, the Orioles couldn’t muster much as the plate. Anaheim’s Ramirez really shut them down. Their one run came in the last of the first when Tim Beckham scored on a wild pitch. Yes, folks…Beckham was on base again. It’s really amazing the impact this guy has made since coming to the O’s, and thus far he’s looking like a great acquisition.

It also shows how good things can happen when you get guys on base. I’m a firm believer in winning games primarily with power  which is what Anaheim of course did. So in a sense, singles don’t mean as much in the moment. But when guys get on base you just never know what’s going to happen. A wild pitch or a pass ball can get him into scoring position, or in this case score him from third.

One inning later however, Anaheim had the lead back for good on a solo homer by Valbuena. Trout would smack a second home run in the third (another solo shot), as would Valbuena in the fourth – this one of the two-run variety. And that’s your ballgame. While the home run parade got to Gausman, the Orioles couldn’t put any further runs across to make a game of it.

So while Gausman was off, it’s tough to point at him and say that allowing all of those homers lost the game for the team. Every win and every loss is always a team effort – and that’s true in every sport. The bats needed to step it up last night, and they couldn’t do it. But of course one of the great things about baseball is that the next day brings another chance to win a game.

The O’s will try to take the series in this afternoon’s finale at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman will come out of the bullpen and make the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Parker Birdwell (formerly of the Orioles’ organization). Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ magic by Manny Machado in grand fashion

Manny Machado demonstrated one of the reasons why the Baltimore Orioles need to sign him to a long-term deal last night. And by any means necessary at that. The Birds can’t allow Machado to walk; not for what he does in the field, and not for what he can do at the plate. Machado is a prime time player, and he demonstrated that in grand fashion last night.

Home run was the word of the day at the yard last night. Jeremy Hellickson dug the O’s into an early hole, however the fact is that the ball flew out of Oriole Park all night on both sides. Hellickson’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 2 K. Hellickson was throwing strikes – if anything, he was getting too much of the plate. Before having played an inning-and-a-half, Anaheim had hit three home runs and the O’s trailed 5-0.

Mark Trumbo‘s solo homer in the last of the second got the Orioles on the board and cut the Anaheim lead to 5-1. One inning later Caleb Joseph added a solo shot, followed by a two-run homer by Machado. Suddenly the O’s were right in the thick of the game, trailing only 5-4.

But Anaheim’s a team that has it’s share of weapons, one of which is a guy named Trout. He smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to give his team a 7-4 lead over the Orioles. That could have been the coup de grace in a sense. But maybe the O’s learned from playing games out on the west coast against pesky teams. It’s not really over until it’s over.

Machado would foreshadow his eventual heroics in the last of the fifth with his second home run of the game, this one a solo shot. That cut the Anaheim lead to 7-5, but the O’s still had work to do. The Orioles’ pen held things where they were through until the last of the ninth. And as we know, the home team bats last.

The Birds had the bases loaded after two hits and a walk with one gone. And that brought Machado to the plate, trailing 7-5. When a guy comes up in that situation who’s already smacked two homers, it’s in the backs of people’s minds that he might smack a third. But…does the law of averages not say that odds are it won’t happen? Orioles fans would have settled for a single, which probably would have tied the game. But instead…

…they were in fact treated to Machado’s third home run of the game – this one a grand slam. And a walk off grand slam at that! Both the Birds and the fans went home happy last night, with the Orioles winning in shocking comeback fashion, by the score of 9-7.

After the game Machado said all of the right things in that he was trying to take what the defense would give him. However it had to be in the back of his mind that he could end the game (in grand fashion) – and he did (quote courtesy of Brittany Ghiroli, mlb.com):

You try to get one [run in] at least. That’s my mentality going up there, which is at least, ‘Get one guy in with less than two outs,’ with a guy like that. Just put the ball up in the air. I’ve been fortunate to have a little more power and get a little stronger as the years go on and those fly balls keep going a little bit.

At the end of the day, that’s a great win for the Orioles. And a great moment for Manny Machado. Again, the Orioles need to see him and this situation for what they are. Through any means necessary, Machado needs to be an Oriole in the long term.

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

Baltimore Orioles: Turnabout is fair play

The Baltimore Orioles are back in Charm City, and that’s a very good place for them to be right now. On Wednesday the Birds finished up a ten-game road trip, all games of which were out west. Luckily for the Orioles, they got all of the west coast games done in the one fatal swoop. No multiple trips out to the west coast this year.

So now the tables turn a bit, as the O’s get set for series’ with Anaheim this weekend, and Oakland early next week. All of those west coast teams seemingly will come through Camden Yards and the east coast. So yes, turnabout is fair play!

I’ve long said that teams such as the Orioles, Anaheim, Oakland, Seattle, New York, Boston, etc. should get special concessions in a sense. It’s tough being on the opposite coast and far away from any of your affiliates. Would it kill MLB to allow teams to put one or two minor leaguers on a taxi squad who in theory could step in at any point?

These are tough road trips for sure. The O’s probably squandered opportunities in each of the games they lost, and perhaps the distance played a role. So in theory, those breaks should not go the Orioles’ way. At least one would think.

The home stand opens tonight as Anaheim comes to town for a three-game set. Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Andrew Heaney. Game time is set for just after 7 PM this evening.