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 arrive at the end of the line

Kevin Gausman did everything he could to hopefully extend the summer one more day for the Baltimore Orioles. At the very least to send the Birds and the fans into the off season on the heels of a win. But it wasn’t meant to be. Gausman’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K.

As I said, Gausman did everything that he could in this game. This was the line and the effort that I suspect the Orioles wanted to see out of Gausman on Opening Day back in April as opposed to yesterday in a meaningless game on the final day of the season. Nevertheless, he finished his season on a personal high note. And that might pay dividends going into next year.

Perhaps the most noteworthy part of Gausman’s start is that he didn’t suffer from the epidemic of going through the order once and falling apart. He was able to disguise his pitches and kept Tampa hitters off kilter for the most part. Casali’s solo homer in the fifth inning was the only run he surrendered.

And the fact is that when the bats are silent, that one run is all that’s necessary. Another hot topic this off season will be how it’s possible that great big league hitters can all go cold at the same time. And it happened at several points along the way this year. And it’s as much of a reason as to why the Orioles are now cleaning out their lockers as opposed to preparing for the post season as anything else.

After Gausman departed, Tampa really got to work. Longoria smacked an RBI-double in the eighth, followed by an RBI-single by Morrison. Later in the inning Ploufe walked with the bases loaded, followed by another bases loaded walk – this one to Casali. At the end of the day when the smoke cleared Tampa led 6-0.

And that was the final. Not just the final for the game, but the final impression of the 2017 Orioles. Kind of ironic that the big strength of this team was supposed to be the bullpen, but yet in their penultimate game they got a strong outing from a starter and the bullpen couldn’t get the job done. There’s a lot that derailed this team in 2017, not all of which was in their control. And as time goes on we’ll go over all of it until we find ourselves back in Sarasota for spring training.

And that’s all she wrote! Some seasons are good, and some lackluster such as this one. But one way or the other we made it through 162 games and we’ve now come to the end of the line. But stay with me here at THE ORANGE CRUSH, as we’ll have daily coverage of the Orioles throughout the off season.

And thanks goes out to you the fans for reading. Whether you cheered or boo’d the team, the passion of the Orioles fans is second to none. You care about your team, and you want them to succeed. As for me, I always take a few days to “digest’ the season before writing a formal season recap. But you can expect that this week.

Normally I close my game recaps by setting up the next day’s game. But this was the end of line, so there is no next day’s game. My next game recap will be in February after Opening Day of spring training. So in lieu of the pitching match up, I’ll just say that pitchers and catchers report in less than six months. And hope springs eternal!

Baltimore Orioles: Second time through the order sinks Birds again

The Baltimore Orioles gave Miguel Castro a start out of the bullpen last night, and while he was only in the game for a short time he produced mixed results. Castro’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Castro retired the side 1-2-3 in the first inning to get things started. He also pitched out of a small jam in the third.

However he gave up base hits left and right in the fourth. He also uncorked a wild pitch, and one hitter later surrendered a three-run homer to Miller to give Tampa a 3-0 lead. And in doing so, he became only the most recent Orioles’ starter to struggle after going through the batting order once.

I have to believe that if the Birds are giving Castro a start here in the regular season (and considering sending him to winter ball), they’re viewing him as a potential candidate for a starting job next year. He’s going to be a fascinating guy to watch throughout spring training. If there’s a rotation spot to be had, he might have an opportunity to rise up and take it.

But it seems throughout September, the one constant has been that Oriole starters can’t get out of the third or fourth innings. Teams start beating them around, and they go from striking out the side to an early exit. Why is that?

It’s something on which I’ll probably touch here and there throughout the off season. I mean, I have to find something to write about, right?! But I have to believe that opposing teams are picking up on something with every Oriole starter after going through the order once which is allowing them to tee off on them the second time through. And mind you that the Orioles were very much in the thick of contention during Labor Day weekend. So whatever it is, it helped play the Birds right out of the play off race.

Tampa would add an additional run in the seventh on a sac fly-RBI. In fact, the runner was only at third because Donnie Hart balked him there – another unforced mistake. And that run ended up being big, because the Birds made a run.

The O’s got runners on in the top of the eighth, and Pedro Alvarez‘s two-RBI single brought them home. That cut the Tampa lead to 4-2. They would add a sac fly-RBI in the ninth off the bat of Santander, but the third out was recorded before they could tie the game.

All things being equal, if not for that balk the game would have been tied. It’s attention to details like that (or lack thereof) which win and lose you games. And that ties back to the first and second time through the order bit from above. Whatever opposing teams are picking up on after going through the order once, they’re paying close attention to detail. And perhaps the Orioles are not – in the sense that they’re allowing teams to pick up on something. Things to consider for 2018.

It’s hard to believe that this afternoon’s game is the end. It’s been a tough year for the orange and black, but it hasn’t been without it’s lighter moments also. But we can discuss all of that and more in the six months or so between now and Grapefruit League play. But needless to say, when you’ve been charting games since the end of February, it’s hard to believe it when you get to the final one.

The series and the season concludes this afternoon at Tropicana Field. Kevin Gausman will make the penultimate start of the year for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Blake Snell. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles issue ten walks in loss

Some fans might excuse the Baltimore Orioles in a sense if some of them are already looking to next week. With the season drawing to a fast conclusion, many players are undoubtedly looking towards potentially being on a golf course or a beach somewhere. This after being tied up with baseball since February. Having said that, while many people might understand the mentality, it certainly doesn’t look pretty on the diamond.

Wade Miley got the start for the O’s in Tampa last night, and not with the greatest results. Miley’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 6 K. As a team, the Orioles issued ten walks last night. Half of those came from Miley. And true to form for Orioles’ pitchers, it was the second time through the order that got him.

Tampa loaded the bases in the third, and Longoria’s RBI-ground out gave them a 1-0 lead. They loaded the bases again in the fourth, and Robertson took a walk to give them a 2-0 lead. They ran it to 3-0 on Bourjos’ sac fly-RBI. Longoria would lead off the fifth with a solo homer as well.

And Tampa would put three more runs on the board in the last of the seventh before they were done. This was the Orioles’ 17th loss in 21 games. However unfortunately there was more to this overall game story.

Tim Beckham potentially injured his hamstring running out a ground ball in the eighth inning. Granted if you’re going to have an injury this is the time to do it, however it’s just one more injury in an injury-plaqued year for the Birds. The scary part is that Beckham is seen as being part of the Orioles’ future, and he’s a younger player. It’s one thing when Davis or Jones is hurt – you expect that of older players.

Part of the sequence that ended up with Miley loading the bases in the fourth was Tampa’s Puello hitting a ball into the catwalks of Tropicana Field. It hit off of a set of stairs and was lost in the roof – umpires awarded Puello an infield hit. Buck Showalter addressed this after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

None of the four umpires could tell if it hit it. The problem is, our replay has no angle that goes up to correct them. That ring’s in foul ground, which should have been a foul ball, but when they tell me that all four of them couldn’t tell if it hit it or not and where we were, it was obvious that it hit it. So, we were trying to go to replay to correct it and help them out, and replay has no angle that shows that it hit it. It leaves me no course of action to go to replay to correct it, so another flaw in the ballpark.

“It’s been that way for a long time. And a flaw in the replay angle. They just don’t have a camera up there. There’s a lot of places here you’d have to put a camera to correct it, with the many things that happen.

Admittedly I’m not a fan of the Trop – and neither is Buck Showalter. I’ve always said that Oakland is the worst ballpark in the big leagues, but Tampa’s up there. A ball that should have been foul literally couldn’t be seen on replay to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was foul, so the call remained fair. Let that one sink in.

The series continues this evening at Tropicana Field. Miguel Castro is going to get a start out of the bullpen for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Chris Archer. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Back to the beginning

The Baltimore Orioles train in Sarasota, which is a little less than an hour south of Tampa, Fla. Of course Sarasota is where the journey this season began, as it does every year. So perhaps it’s fitting that the Birds find themselves back in the greater Tampa area again this weekend for the end.

It seems like such a long time ago at this point – spring training, that is. The majority of the games were at 1 PM, with my game recaps written by 4:30 and the rest of my evening free. Early to bed, early to rise. That’s been my motto most of my life, although now during the season it’s more like late to bed, early to rise!

Perhaps there’s a parallel to be drawn so to speak with returning to the Tampa area for the end of the season for the Birds. However I’d draw a line more so to spring training next year. People love to use the term meaningless exhibition game, however those spring training games in 2018 mean more than do these games this weekend right now.

Which means that to players such as Jones, Davis, et al (guys who will definitely be on the roster next year), these games mean a lot. Look no further than 2011 and 2012 to see what finishing strong can do to bring you into the next season. And perhaps the same is true of last year into this season. So much was made of Showalter leaving Britton in the bullpen in that AL Wild Card Game; and it’s something from which the Orioles never seemed to really recover.

The Tampa series begins tonight at Tropicana Field. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jake Odorizzi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles swept out of Pittsburgh

There are a lot of fans who are probably going to say that the Baltimore Orioles have thrown in the towel on the season, and maybe aren’t even trying. However I would challenge fans to take a look at the lineup before saying that. Guys like Chance Sisco are getting a shot at some playing time with the team out of contention. And justifiably so.

However the more striking issue is that for the truncated Pittsburgh series, the O’s have gone with an all-rookie outfield. In essence they’ve had to, given the fact that Adam Jones is resting his sore legs, and they have to surrender their DH in a National League ballpark. Last night it was Mancini, Hays, and Santander. Granted Mancini’s been in the lineup all season, however you get the point. The Orioles’ offense can’t be whatever it is with the amount of inexperience that’s in the lineup.

Gabriel Ynoa got the start last night, and only lasted a few innings. Ynoa’s line: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Ynoa wasn’t stellar, however the fact is that the Orioles are trying to get a look at different people in an attempt to fill starting rotation slots next year. In essence with the team out of contention, these are spring training games.

Ynoa gave up an RBI-single to McCutchen in the first inning, and the Birds trailed 1-0 early on. However they battled back right away. Cisco and Santander smacked RBI-doubles, and Hardy grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI. Suddenly it looked like the baby Birds were onto something.

However one inning later Pittsburgh got back to within one on Polanco’s solo homer. In the third Ynoa issued a harmless two-out walk in a sense, only to have Bell smack a two-run homer to give Pittsburgh the lead back. They would add a run on Marte’s RBI-single in the seventh to win it 5-3, sweeping the series.

With that two-out walk Ynoa fell victim to something that’s plagued Oriole pitchers all season long. It’s understandable that they aren’t trying to walk guys with two outs, however I do wonder if perhaps the team doesn’t collectively let their guard down just a bit once they hit two outs. Or even two strikes. Walks happen sometimes, and that’s okay. They’ve just seemed to happen at the wrong time to this team in 2017.

To add to the quirkiness of the schedule in this final week of the season, the O’s are off again today. So in a sense this is the final off day of the season for the Orioles, however after this weekend of course they’ll be off until late February of next year.

Baltimore Orioles fall in Pittsburgh

Kevin Gausman of the Baltimore Orioles struggled last night, in what could be his final start of the season in Pittsburgh. Gausman’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K. The Orioles have another off day (tomorrow) this week, meaning that in theory Gausman wouldn’t need to start again Sunday in Tampa. However if I were manager Buck Showalter I’d send Gausman out there again to give him another shot at finishing the season strong.

Gausman allowed two runs in the last of the first on two consecutive RBI-doubles. One of those came off the bat of McCutchen, who ended up with eight RBI on the night overall. It’s tough to win when one guy drives in eight runs. However that sequence got started as Gausman made an errant throw on a pickoff attempt at first base. Gausman was charged with the error, but it looked like Chris Davis just whiffed on the throw when he tried to catch it.

McCutchen’s grand slam in the last of the second broke the game wide open, giving Pittsburgh a 6-0 lead. Pittsburgh would also pick up a run on a fielder’s choice in the fifth, although Chris Davis would smack his 26th homer of the year in the sixth to cut the lead to 7-1. But that’s as close as the Orioles got, as McCutchen smoked another homer over the wall in the seventh. This one of the three-run variety.

Buck Showlater said after the game that Gausman’s issues were command-related. And in fact, he was unable to put hitters away as he missed a lot of spots (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I hate to keep … it’s a command issue. You’re trying to go down and away and you throw it middle middle, you’re going to pay a price to hitters at this level. Kevin’s shown that he’s very capable of pitching very solidly at this level. I’ve said many times, some of the best development of players happens in the off-season. You step back and you go, ‘OK, here’s reality.’ Because sometimes at this time of year reality doesn’t quite hit you like it will in about a month.

The Orioles will complete this short series in Pittsburgh this evening at PNC Park. Gabriel Ynoa gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Chas Kohl. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Toughest schedule in MLB

The Baltimore Orioles head to Pittsburgh this evening to open up a two-game series. It’s actually a return engagement in a sense, as the two teams played a two-game set back in June at Camden Yards. The wonders of interleague play I suppose. I’m actually a proponent of interleague play, but I do think that they should look at how they do it.

The Orioles were given the toughest schedule in baseball this season. One of the factors in that designation was the fact that they had two games in the final week of the season in a National League ballpark. However the fact is that someone has to do it, given the fact that the league has an interleague game on every day of the season.

Obviously the point was that if the Orioles were in a playoff race, is it exactly fair to them to have to play two games in the final week where they surrender their DH and the pitchers hit? The fact is that the Birds are now eliminated from the race, however you get the point. But again, someone has to do it.

Personally I liked the way that they did interleague play prior to the changes that were made a few seasons ago. The games kind of came in blocks, with a large chunk of interleague games surrounding Memorial Day, and another one later in June. And I felt that kind of localized teams having to prepare for these games – meaning only in certain parts of the season as opposed to anytime.

If the O’s were still in contention, I suspect we would have heard a lot about that this week given that they’re in interleague play. It’s not the first time they’ve had a strange September schedule. In 2015 they had a similar situation, with a three-game set in Washington the third week of September. Going all the way back to 2012, they had a major road trip to the west coast in the middle of September as they were gearing up for the playoffs. You take the schedule as it comes, I suppose. But maybe while you don’t look for breaks per se, you do look not to be put at a disadvantage either.

The series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh begins tonight. Kevin Gausman takes the mound for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Trevor Williams. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A win and a bow for J.J. Hardy

The tone for the day was set when J.J. Hardy came up to bat for the first time yesterday, and the entire Baltimore Orioles’ dugout stood and applauded. That eventually spread to the crowd, and even the opposing Tampa dugout. Hardy, in the final year of his contract, may well have been playing his final game at Camden Yards yesterday. And staying true to the script, he saved the day.

Dylan Bundy was supposed to have started yesterday’s game. However he was a very late scratch with a sore hamstring. So instead, the Camden faithful also got perhaps their final look at Chris Tillman (who started in place of Bundy), who’s also in a walk year. Tillman’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Perhaps indicative of his entire season’s worth of struggles, Tillman surrendered a homer to Tampa’s Kiermaier in the game’s opening at-bat. But luckily for him, Oriole bats showed up yesterday. Adam Jones gave the Birds the lead with a two-RBI single in the last of the first. Chris Davis and Pedro Alvarez each added RBI-singles, and suddenly the O’s led 4-1.

However Tampa just refuses to be outdone. They put a three-spot on the board in the second, tying the game at four. That type of team has to be frustrating to play against. As I’ve said, teams such as Tampa’s attitudes are anything you can do I can do better. Luckily, the fact remained that on this day, they couldn’t do it better.

Hardy came up to bat in the last of the fourth with the game tied, and looking like the J.J. Hardy of old, smacked a two-run homer to left field. Mind you that when Hardy first came to Baltimore, he was hitting 20 or so homers a year. But Father Time is undefeated as they say. However he took a timeout on this day, as Hardy gave his team the lead for good in what could be his final game at what’s been his home yard.

Newly called up catcher Chance Sisco also got into the act, with a two-run home run in the sixth. Davis would add another one inning later on an RBI-groundout, and the Birds cruised to a 9-4 victory. But the takeaway from this game was the Hardy standing ovation, which of course was well deserved.

There are few players as good as Hardy both on and off the field. If in fact his days with the Orioles are nearing their end, he’s a guy who will be sorely missed. After the game Hardy spoke of how much that moment and day meant to him (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

We’re talking about it like 100 percent I’m not coming back here. I know they’re not going to pick up my option, but I feel like there’s probably still a small chance that I could come back. Definitely, I feel like I’m an Oriole. I’ll be an Oriole for life. These seven years have been, I couldn’t have asked for more.

I’m really appreciative of Buck writing my name in the lineup as much as he did, the Angelos family for signing me to two extensions, all my teammates. I’m a person that really cares about what people think about me. To see the way that they reacted today was really special.

And I suspect that many of the fans felt the same way. The Orioles are an organization that’s always done a great job of honoring the past. Yesterday they had the opportunity to do it while the past was still the present, and before it slipped away.

Baltimore Orioles fall out of playoff contention

In my season preview I predicted that the Baltimore Orioles would at the very least be in playoff contention until the end of the season. At the end of the day, I was technically right – however with last night’s 9-6 loss, the Orioles were officially eliminated from the playoff picture. With one week to go in the season, the O’s are now playing for pride.

Jeremy Hellickson was tagged with the loss, however he pitched a quality start and put the O’s in a position to win. Hellickson’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K. I mentioned this yesterday, however Hellickson seemed to fit the mold of making it through the order once, and then having some trouble. There’s something that Oriole pitchers are doing which is easily picked up by other teams, as once they’ve gone through the order once they seem to figure them out.

The Birds got on the board first as Schoop scored after Adam Jones‘ single. Both runners were allowed to advance after a two-base error. And that lead stood up for a couple of innings until the third, when another Oriole bugaboo popped up. The Birds have seemingly let their guard down all year it seems when they seem on the verge of getting out of an inning or an at-bat. With two outs in the third, Hellickson allowed a base hit. And then another…

…and then he allowed Duda to have a fairly epic at-bat, working the count full, and he then smacked a three-run homer. And that’s what Tampa’s done to teams’ pitching for years. They wear out your pitching and eventually they give in and throw a pitch that Tampa wants. And that’s how they win.

Tampa would put up two further runs in the seventh, and four in the ninth. They just don’t quit, until that third out in the inning is made. And yes, that’s to their credit. However from the Orioles’ perspective it has to be frustrating to play against.

But the O’s did show some fight in the last of the ninth. Welington Castillo‘s RBI-double cut the lead to 9-2. Austin Hays added a two-RBI double, and Manny Machado an RBI-single – as did Chris Davis. At the end of the day however, while the Birds had the tying run on base in the ninth, it goes as a loss. And one that guaranteed that the Orioles’ season would end next Sunday at that.

The Orioles will attempt to split the series with Tampa, in the final game at Camden Yards this year. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Chris Archer. Game time is set for just after 1:30.

Baltimore Orioles fall, worry about Manny Machado’s contract

The biggest question around town this week wasn’t whether or not the Baltimore Orioles would make the post season (that ship has probably already sailed), but what would happen with Manny Machado. We all know the situation; next year Machado will enter the last year of his contract. The Orioles have said publicly that he’s not on the trade block, however reportedly owner Peter Angelos hasn’t decided whether or not to offer Machado a mega-deal either. So what gives?

I’m the first one to tell you that if they decide that they won’t be able to sign him, they need to trade him. Whether that happens at the winter meetings or just prior to spring training is irrelevant. But my personal opinion is that the best way forward for the O’s is by signing Machado long-term, and keeping him. Easier said than done, for sure.

This hung over the Orioles as they prepared to play Tampa last night, and as Orioles fans watched Ubaldo Jimenez struggle perhaps for the final time at Camden Yards. Jimenez’s line: 3.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 3 K. One thing we’ve seen a lot of this year from starters across the board is that in many cases they’re fairly solid first time through the order. However whatever they’re doing is quickly being snuffed out by opponents and they’re pouncing on the Birds the second and third times through.

Tampa’s Ramos smacked a grand slam in the second, followed by a Longoria homer in the third. However in between the Birds put up two runs also. Hays added a sac fly-RBI, and Mancini scored on a wild pitch. Chris Davis would lead the fourth inning off with a solo homer to run the score to 6-3, but that’s as close as the Orioles got. Tampa’s Dickerson smacked an RBI-double in the fifth, as did Duda in the ninth. The Orioles hit several batsmen in this game, many of which came into score. Again folks, mind you that Tampa’s a small ball team. If you find a way to get on base, they’ll find a way to get you home.

Going back to Manny Machado, a team official was quoted this week as saying that it would take 35 years to find another player the quality of he (Machado). That’s why I say that the best way forward is to keep him. However there are also reports out there that while the Orioles almost signed him a few years ago, they insulted him with a low ball offer. And I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how true that could possibly be…

…we didn’t start getting into the big contract numbers ($300-$400 million) until this year. At the time, the Orioles were reportedly $8-$9 million away from what Manny wanted. It seems to me that at some point they could meet in the middle. However that aside, my prediction is that the Orioles do in fact make Machado a legitimate offer sometime between the end of this season and next year’s all-star break. Whether he takes that offer is up to him, but that’s just my prediction.

The Tampa series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Jeremy Hellickson (himself a former Tampa Ray) gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Jake Odorizzi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.