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: A bludgeoning win before hitting the coast

Detroit didn’t really stand much of a chance against a Baltimore Orioles team bent on victory yesterday afternoon. When you hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the first inning and Ubaldo Jimenez is already dealing strong, you immediately put the opponent on notice that it’s not their day. Jimenez’s line: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Jonathan Schoop smacked a two-run homer in the first, followed in sequence by solo shots off the bats of Chris Davis and Trey Mancini. Before the crowd had even settled, the Birds led 4-0. One inning later they got an RBI-double by Manny Machado, followed by a solo homer by Rickard two innings later. And the rout was on.

Machado would add a two-run homer in that fourth inning – and again, the rout was on. The Birds would add numerous other runs until they hit twelve. That included a Beckham RBI-single, which means that he stayed hot since becoming an Oriole. Detroit would put two meaningless runs across in the top of the ninth, but the colors of this day were most certainly orange and black.

The Orioles finished the home stand with a 5-2 record, which is about all you can ask of any team. The issue of course is that they now head out on a ten-game road trip. Not only is it the longest road swing of the season, but it’s to the west coast. The Orioles will be on the road out on the coast for basically a week-and-a-half. And they won’t have a day off until they return home.

Manager Buck Showalter is well aware of how important this road trip coming up is, which he indicated in his comments after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

So, is the season over if we don’t do well on the West Coast? No. Our guys know what’s at the stake the rest of the season and that road trip includes that.

In a sense, the O’s actually lucked out this year. In 2016 they were out on the west coast on three different occasions due to playing the NL West in interleague play. However there’s little doubt that the distance, time change, etc. make this the toughest road trip of the season. The other issue is that the O’s will be light years away from their minor league system. If a roster move ends up having to be made, it might take awhile for a guy to join the team.

The road trip opens tonight in Anaehim. Dylan Bundy will be on the mound for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s JC Ramirez. Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Tim Beckham’s Mr. 10,000!

It’s hard to have a better introduction to a team (and a city) than Tim Beckham‘s had for the Baltimore Orioles this week. The Birds traded for him on Tuesday, and since arriving in town he’s gotten on base multiple times and smacked three home runs. One of those was the 2500th Oriole home run in the history of Camden Yards. And his homer last night was the epic 10,000th in franchise history.

The Orioles got a typical start out of Wade Miley last night. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K. Miley’s starts aren’t pretty, and he has to lead the century in getting into full counts. But on this night he got out of most of them. He gave up a two-run homer to Upton in the first inning – and that was it.

The Birds got on the board in the last of the third on a Schoop RBI-double to cut the lead in half at 2-1. Two innings later they tied it when Adam Jones smacked the 9,998th homer in franchise history to tie the game at two. It was also Jones’ 20th of the season, marking 7 straight years with 20 home runs or more for Jones.

The Birds took the lead in the last of the seventh on a solo homer by Welington Castillo, which put the franchise at 9,999 homers for their entire history. More importantly however, the O’s held the lead. And with their bullpen, that was a huge thing – especially seeing that this was a big swing game for the O’s.

And one inning later Beckham came to the plate, and exhaulted the Orioles into the history books with the franchise’s 10,000th home run. It’s a small feat for sure, but it sure meant something to the nearly 34K in attendance. Beckham was pushed by the fans and his teammates to take a curtain call, which was well deserved after that one homer as well as the week he’s had.

Rickard would add an RBI-double later in the inning to cap off the Orioles’ 5-2 victory. Some people might wonder if it wouldn’t have been more fitting for the Adam Jones’ of the world to have hit that historic homer. And while that’s a valid point, keep in mind that Baltimore’s a tough old blue collar town that’s been the home to many hard-working journeymen over the years. So perhaps it’s fitting for a guy like Tim Beckham to own that honor…

…the guy literally just showed up here – on Tuesday! He works hard, he hustles, and he does whatever he has to do to get on base. That’s kind of symbolic of the city of Baltimore itself. Some will say that 10,000 homers in franchise history just means your team’s been around awhile – since 1954, in this case. But it’s also a pretty cool moment for fans to think back on all of the great players over the years who have homered for this franchise – and that should bring a smile to people’s faces.

The O’s will attempt to split the series this afternoon. Ubaldo Jimenez will be on the mound for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles waste a great Kevin Gausman effort

The Baltimore Orioles got a great outing out of Kevin Gausman last night. In fact, they got a winning outing out of Kevin Gausman. Or what should have been a winning outing at least. Gausman’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

When he was at LSU, Gausman was what was referred to as the Friday Night Starter. In other words, he was the ace; the guy that you wanted on the mound on Friday nights when the stands were packed. And he certainly pitched like an ace last night.

Gausman however was greeted rudely in the top of the first when he gave up a solo homer to Adduci right off the bat. However mind you, they say that solo home runs don’t beat you. And that’s generally going to be true.

Tim Beckham continued his hot play for the Birds, smacked a solo shot of his own in the last of the second to tie the game. Beckham had hit the Orioles fairly tough all year, hitting a few homers off of Orioles’ pitching in fact. And that’s part of why the Orioles wanted to acquire him, because he does hit well at Camden Yards. He’s certainly been a shot in the arm since arriving.

One inning later, the Orioles had the lead on a solo homer by Manny Machado. And with how Gausman was pitching, it appeared that the game would stay that way. Even after Gausman turned it over to the bullpen, this was the Orioles’ bullpen – right?

Even the Orioles’ bullpen is stocked with mere mortals. Human beings sometimes make mistakes. Mychal Givens came into pitch the eighth, and two hits and a walk later, the bases were loaded. That brought Upton to the plate with one down, and he lined a grand slam over the left field fence, giving Detroit the lead. And in fact, that gave Detroit the win at 5-2.

This is where you have to look at guys’ track records and almost look the other way after a game like this. Givens has been very reliable and very solid all season. And as I said above, we’re dealing with human beings here. After the game Buck Showalter addressed Givens’ performance (quotes courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

He pitched well. He was the victim of a couple broken-bat singles to right field. Can’t really fault him for that. He made good pitches and they fisted them out over the infield where Joey can’t get to them. It’s just one of those well-placed balls. I think he threw one or two breaking balls the whole inning. That’s how good of a fastball he was carrying. Unfortunately, one got a lot of the plate there with the left fielder, Upton. But he’s been throwing as good as anybody. You put a long list of relievers together, he’s right there with them. But tonight just bit him.

These next two games against Detroit are very important for the Orioles, and not only because they don’t want to drop the series. After tomorrow’s game the Birds embark on their annual west coast trip, and they’ll be gone for nearly two weeks. You don’t want to go into a trip like that on a low.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Wade Miley gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Drew VerHagen. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado starts a triple play in loss

If you stayed until the end of last night’s Baltimore Orioles game, you get “fan of the year.” That would have meant that you stayed through two rain delays, Detroit getting a large lead, and the Orioles almost coming back. But at the end of the day (no pun intended), it also would have meant that you  were just at the ballpark for a long time.

Chris Tillman just didn’t have it last night. Tillman’s line: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R (5 earned), 2 BB, 1 K. Now while you don’t make excuses for players, it is fair to point out that after the game began 45 minutes late due to a passing storm, the first rain delay was called after Tilman only recorded two outs. The second one was almost right after the first one. So there was a lot of starting and stopping.

However before those first two outs had been recorded and the game halted, Kinsler and Upton had both smacked two-run homers for Detroit. So the fact is that Tillman just didn’t have it last night. But again, starting and stopping isn’t easy.

When the game finally did resume for good, Orioles fans were treated to a rarity in the field, which ironically had already occurred this year. The Birds turned an unconventional triple play earlier in the season, however Manny Machado was able to start a traditional one in the top of the second last night. With nobody out and runners at first and second, Machado fielded a ground ball and stepped on the bag at third for a force out. He then began the relay around the horn in the infield, recording all three outs on one play.

Triple plays happen, but they’re considered special in baseball. So to anyone who was in the park last night, you saw something that doesn’t happen everyday. Unfortunately for the Orioles, that was the only early highlight. Detroit would put five more runs up in the third (only three of which were earned due to an error) to take a 7-0 lead.

But the Birds did fight back. Machado got them on the board with a sac fly-RBI in the last of the third, and Schoop added an RBI-double as well. Castillo added a sac fly-RBI of his own in the fourth. Machado would also plate another run on a fielder’s choice in the last of the seventh.

One good sign for the Birds was that Tim Beckham smacked a solo homer in the eighth to bring the O’s to within 7-5, but that’s as close as they got. Beckham played in his third game as an Oriole last night, and he’s made an impact in each of them. Thus far at least, it’s been a good trade for the O’s, needless to say!

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman heads to the bump for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Justin Verlander. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles sweep Kansas City away behind Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson wasn’t a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 when they were unceremoniously swept in the ALCS by Kansas City. However there had to be a few Orioles who were thinking about that last night as the Birds swept Kansas City behind a dominant effort by Hellickson in his  Orioles’ debut. Hellickson’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Sweeping a regular season series isn’t payback per se for a playoff sweep. But given that this is a Kansas City team that was often seen gesturing towards the Orioles’ dugout in a taunting anner in that series among other things, odds are a few Orioles thought back to that. Ultimately when you don’t yield any runs, there’s no chance of losing. That’s a truth that’s been proven in baseball time and time again.

The Orioles’ other new acquisition, Tim Beckham, got the scoring started in the last of the second with an RBI-double.A few moments later Caleb Joseph smacked a two-run homer, and the O’s led 3-0. However in the middle of the third a rain storm hit Camden Yards, sending the game into a rain delay.

The delay lasted all of 35 minutes, and was more of an annoyance than anything else. But it didn’t change how dominant Jeremy Hellickson was looking in his Orioles’ debut. He mowed Kansas City hitters down left and right, and the Orioles’ 3-0 lead seemed to stand up. He did run into some trouble in the sixth with two runners in scoring position and nobody out, however he pitched out of it.

The Birds would add to their lead in the last of the eighth, cementing the win and the sweep. Chris Davis‘ two-RBI double ran the score to 5-0, and Tim Beckham smacked an RBI-triple to run it to 6-0. Beckham’s looked well worth his price as well since coming to Baltimore. Granted he’s also gotten on base consistently which is good to see, however if there’s one thing that’s striking about him it’s his speed. With most other players that RBI-triple probably would have been a double. Not with Tim Beckham. He’s fast as the day is long – and the Orioles could use that type of speed.

Kansas City was pretty hot coming into the series, but the Orioles made them look pedestrian. And as we know, teams will go through bad spurts over the course of a season. They’ll hopefully also go through good spurts, which is what we’re now seeing out of the Birds. It’s up to them whether or not that continues, and for how long.

The Orioles will now open up a three-game ser with Detroit at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Matthew Boyd. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Another quality start, another victory

Dylan Bundy gave the Baltimore Orioles another quality start last night against Kansas City, and the Birds certainly took advantage of it. Bundy’s line: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 earned), 1 BB, 5 K. It’s no coincidence that the O’s have won four straight games now, and the pitching has been solid. It begins and ends with starting pitching.

But you also rely on your offense to score you runs. If Oriole bats had remained silent last night and Bundy had turned in the same effort, the O’s would have lost 2-0. In fact that’s probably the type of game that Kansas City would have expected coming in. But it’s certainly not what they got.

The O’s jumped on it early as Jonathan Schoop smacked an RBI-single in the last of the first. Trey Mancini followed with an RBI-double, and the O’s led 2-0 right off the bat. However Kansas City cut that lead in half in the third with an RBI-single off the bat of Merrifield. Still, from the Orioles’ standpoint, no reason to worry.

Adam Jones, the birthday boy (who turned 32 yesterday), gave the O’s their two-run lead back an inning later with an RBI-single. Smith added a two-RBI single, and Castillo an additional RBI-single, both in the fifth. Smith would also add an additional run in the seventh, before Kansas City got one back in the ninth. However that came with two outs in the ninth, and the game long over.

This game seemed to roll the way that the Orioles were hoping a lot more of their games would go this year. Especially with Bundy on the mound, who seems to be coming into his own. And there’s nothing like a dominant eight-inning performance to cement that.

The win put Buck Showalter in sole possession of 24th place all-time for wins as a manager with 1,481. He passed none other than Orioles’ great, Earl Weaver, and he addressed this after the game (quote courtesy of Jeffrey Flanagan and Brittany Ghiroli, MLB.com):

One, it was way too short, but he loved the Orioles and he had time for me. He didn’t have to, believe me. Getting to take him around to some of our drills in [Spring Training in] Sarasota, he was so in his element. You could see some of the challenges we all get as we get older, but once he got in between the lines and around grass and around players, you could see there was a whole different comfort level.

Earl loved Baltimore, he loved the Orioles. Anybody who didn’t share that didn’t get along too well with him.

The O’s will go for the series sweep tonight at Camden Yards in the series finale. Jeremy Hellickson will make his Orioles’ debut on the mound tonight, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jason Vargas. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez with a gem in walk off win

You aren’t going to see Ubaldo Jimenez pitch better than he did for the Baltimore Orioles last night. You just aren’t. This was the second consecutive start in which the Orioles’ beleaguered right hander put the Birds in a spot to win. The difference is that this time around he didn’t end up a hard-luck loser. Jimenez’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Few people would have thought that the Orioles would have gotten into a pitcher’s duel with Jimenez on the mound against Kansas City – and won. Admittedly, the game started somwhat inauspicious for the O’s. Jimenez allowed a base runner early, and Hosmer’s RBI-double gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the first. However Jimenez pitched out of it, and mimized the damage to just that one run.

Other than that, Jimenez was flawless. While it’s understandable that some fans wanted him DFA’d long ago, it’s also worth throwing in that last night wouldn’t have been possible without Jimenez. The Orioles still would have paid him for last night’s game, but he wouldn’t have been playing. And the effort the team got out of him last night wouldn’t have happened.

That 1-0 for Kansas City stood up until the last of the fifth when Jonathan Schoop‘s RBI-single tied the game up. And on we played. In fairness, Kansas City’s pitching was equally as good. This is an Orioles team that put up ten runs in Texas on Sunday. For the most part they were stymied last night.

With the game tied at one in the last of the ninth and Joseph on first, Ruben Tejada broke an 0-for-19 string with a base hit. It also sent the winnin run to second base in the form of Joseph. But could the Orioles close it out with the bottom of the order up?

You can’t look at it that way in that situation. You have to look at it from the perspective of all you need is a base hit. And luckily for the O’s, Craig Gentry came through. His RBI-single up the middle scored Joseph and walked the Orioles off winners, 2-1. The victory brought them within three games of .500, and started the home stand off right.

The Orioles’ bullpen was used a bit more than they would have liked on Sunday, and the effort that Jimenez gave the team last night really freshened up a few arms in the ‘pen. It’s just a shame that he couldn’t get the win, which instead went to closer Zach Britton. But them’s the breaks. The O’s were only in a spot to win the game because of Ubaldo Jimenez’s effort to begin with.

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

Baltimore Orioles keep Zach Britton, acquire Tim Beckham

Zach Britton wasn’t traded by the Baltimore Orioles today as the trade deadline came and went. The rumors were out there, as were the suitors – Cleveland, Houston, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were all rumored to be interested in Britton. As apparently were the Washington Nationals, however according to one national writer the O’s wanted double from D.C. what they would have hoped to get from anyone else.

With that said, did the Orioles make a mistake? Los Angeles settled on Pittsburgh’s Tony Watson as opposed to Britton, as an example. No doubt that the price on Watson was lower than it would have been on Britton – and the O’s were intent on the idea of getting a haul for Britton. But again, was that a mistake?

I still say no. If you’re going to trade someone away, you’d better get what he’s worth. The Orioles are 100% right in keeping a guy as good and as talented as Britton, if they weren’t getting the right deal. That’s what a lot of fans can’t quite grasp. You can’t allow other teams to de-value your players. To their credit, the O’s didn’t do that.

This isn’t to say that they didn’t make a move this afternoon, however. They acquired infielder Tim Beckham from the Tampa Rays in exchange for a minor league pitcher. Beckham, 27, is hitting .259 on the year, and can play both second base and shortstop. If twitter is any indicator, this is not a popular move. Needless to say, it does make one scratch their head.

However all they gave up was minor league pitcher Tobias Myers (formerly of Aberdeen), and this is also an upgrade in the infield in the absence of Hardy. Is it the ideal and perfect move? No. However it does give the Orioles some added depth in the infield. Furthermore Beckham could in theory be the Orioles’ shortstop of the future. He’s under team control until 2020.

So there you have it – the Orioles at the trade deadline. The Britton non-move was spot on if they weren’t going to get what they wanted in return. And the Beckham move is somewhat interesting in a sense, however we’ll just have to wait and see what the future brings. But for now, the O’s have a game to play against Kansas City tonight, and my recommendation to the fans would be to concentrate on that!

 

Baltimore Orioles hold on and defeat Texas

The Baltimore Orioles won a big game yesterday in Arlington, TX, and now head back home to open up a home stand. Wade Miley turned in a typical Wade Miley-type game, however this time it wasn’t several good innings and one bad one (which cost the Orioles the game). Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Miley may have somewhat set the tone, however it was Oriole bats that won this game for the Birds. Trey Mancini‘s RBI-single in the fourth got them on the board, which was followed immediately by an RBI-single by Chris Davis, and another by Welington Castillo. Tejada would later reach on a fielder’s choice which scored another run, and before you knew it the O’s led 4-0 in the fourth. Texas however would tack on two in the bottom of the inning, just reminding the Orioles that they were still there.

And the O’s hadn’t forgotten, incidentally.They knew that they had to keep scoring. And they did just that in the fifth. Jonathan Schoop smacked a two-run homer, followed later in the inning by a three-run shot by Castillo. That broke the game wide open as the O’s opened up a 9-2 lead. One inning later Schoop would deliver once again with an RBI-single to run the lead to 10-2.

But Texas wasn’t done quite yet, and they still felt they had a run in them. Odor smacked a solo shot in the last of the sixth, and Mazara followed with a two-run bomb in the eighth. Still no biggie, right? The O’s still held a six-run lead in later innings. Odor came back up in that eighth inning, and added a two-run shot of his own.

The Orioles’ bullpen labored through those final two innings, and in the end they had to go to Britton to record the final two outs with two on in the last of the ninth. You’d rather not have to do that, however that’s what the O’s had to do to win the game. And win the game they did, 10-6.

So while the finale wasn’t as easy as it was cracked up to be at first, the O’s did take two-of-three in Texas. And they did so against a team that’s struggling perhaps as much as the Orioles at times. However that’s momentum that they need to take home with them if they’re going to make a run at a playoff spot. At the end of the day, you’d like to be able to point back at this game or this series as a catalyst.

The O’s now return home to open up a three-game set with Kansas City. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Danny Duffy. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman’s Saturday night delight

You aren’t going to get a better outing than what Kevin Gausman gave the Baltimore Orioles last night. It may well have been his best outing as a pro. And certainly it was what the Orioles thought and were hoping they’d be getting from Gausman all these years. Gausman’s line: 8.2 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K.

Gausman was masterful, and he dominated a Texas lineup that had looked pretty darn potent the night before. But you’re only as good as your next day’s starter, and in this case that means the Orioles were good last night. And while they didn’t put up runs in bunches, they certainly put up enough to make Gausman a winner.

Trey Mancini smacked a solo homer in the second inning which put the Orioles on the board at 1-0. But wouldn’t you know it, the Orioles weren’t done – in that inning. Caleb Joseph‘s solo shot doubled the Orioles’ lead, and gave them a 2-0 advantage.

One inning later Mancini came up again and managed to yield a run by grounding into a force out. And Seth Smith added an RBI-single before the inning was out, to give the Birds a 4-0 lead. And that was your final.

But the story of the day was Gausman. Luckily for him the Orioles were able to put runs on the board, because you’d hate to waste an effort like that. Gausman did have just a bit of help in the last of the third when Texas tried to get back into the game. As Gallo sent a deep shot to straight away center field, Adam Jones reached over the wall and brought the ball back.

Buck Showalter spoke after the game, and seemed to want to allow Gausman to finish the game. However after putting two guys on base, that wasn’t an option (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I think everybody did. Should have figured out a way to catch a pop up. Big double play. Manny (Machado) and Jon (Schoop), my gosh, they turned a couple tonight. That last one. They make them look easy, I hope everybody appreciates how hard that is. Those are hard. The one thing that Manny does that nobody else does, is the amount of velocity he can create on the ball from a lot of different angles. It’s like they tell the kids don’t try that at home. But he deserved to finish. Like to see him get that last out but he was in the area. We had 110 on him tonight and you know, just trying to create margin of error there with Zach (Britton) hadn’t pitched in a couple of days. It’s unfortunate. We got to figure out a way to catch that ball.

The O’s will attempt to take the series this afternoon in the finale. Wade Miley gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Martin Perez. Game time is set for 3 PM.