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: Power only works if it’s used

I talk a lot about the Baltimore Orioles being a power-hitting club. The fact is however that it’s only worth mentioning if they’re firing on all cylinders. And at the moment, the Orioles aren’t. They won on Monday, however you’d be hard-pressed to argue that they did so due to power.

The good news for the Birds is that this seems to happen every year – and right around this time if anything. Everyone seemingly looks lost at the plate, and the power just gets zapped. And everyone always seems to talk about how the entire team goes into a funk at once and so forth. Again, it seems to happen each year in late May or early June.

However in the case of last night’s game, the fact that Chris Tillman wasn’t really on his game didn’t help. Tillman’s line: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 B, 1 K. Two of the first three batters of the game (Gardener and Holliday) homered. They say that solo home runs won’t hurt you; but several of them might. Hicks would add an RBI-single in the second, and in his next turn at the plate Holliday added another solo home run.

NY would knock Tillman from the game later in the third after Headley’s RBI-single, running the score to 5-0. But New York hitters were simply teeing off on Oriole pitching on this night. Gardener added a second solo homer as well in the fourth, and Judge added an RBI-single. Before the game was half over, the O’s trailed 8-0.

But the silver lining on this game for the Orioles was that towards the end they made New York work. And by that I mean their bullpen. The last thing any team wants to have to do is use multiple relievers in a game that they had well in hand. Mancini got the Orioles on the board in the last of the sixth with an RBI-single, and RBI-singles by Rickart and Hardy in the eigth ran the final to 8-3.

However as I said, New York had to blow through several relievers – four to be exact. That’s probably about three more than they would have liked to have used with an eight-run lead at one point. They also used several relievers in Monday’s game, so again that bodes well for the Birds going into the series finale.

That series finale will be this evening at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Nw York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Dylan Bundy deals the O’s back in the win column

If it begins and ends with starting pitching, Dylan Bundy put the Baltimore Orioles right where they needed to be yesterday on Memorial Day. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K. Over the “late” seven-game losing streak, there were times the O’s did get quality starts. They just couldn’t muster runs.

Yesterday was in essence no different, as the O’s only put three on the board. But when your starting pitching limits the opponent to two runs, that’s going to be a win every time. With the victory, the Birds perhaps restored some semblance of normalcy to the universe.

The O’s took the lead right off the bat when Mark Trumbo smacked a first inning RBI-single. However keep in mind that losing streaks don’t go quietly. They usually go kicking and screaming. The following inning, Bundy hit Castro with the first pitch. It was unintentional, but it led to the game being tied.

But while you don’t want to lead off an inning in that manner, it’s not squarely on Bundy. Judge proceeded to fly out to right field. However both Trumbo and Rickart were converging on the ball, and Rickart didn’t call for it until well after he should have. Trumbo ended up catching the ball, and the two almost collided. But that slight miscommunication allowed Castro to tag up and go to second base – moving into scoring position.

Castro would go to third on a subsequent single, and Hicks’ sac fly-RBI would later tie the game. If not for that slight hesitation by Rickart and Trumbo, he would have never been in scoring position to begin with. Little mistakes can often turn into runs in games, but luckily Bundy minimized the damage.

However the Orioles took the lead back on a two-RBI single by Schoop in the last of the third. And after that Bundy shut New York down – save for a solo homer by Judge in the seventh. But the likes of O’Day and Brach closed the door in the eighth and ninth, allowing the Orioles’ ‘pen to function as it’s supposed to. Again with the win, the O’s snapped a seven-game losing streak.

After the game Bundy said that it’s all about competing and putting your team in a spot to win. And he couldn’t be more on point (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I mean, I just go out there and try to pitch my game and stick to my strengths and compete. And just keep the team in the game and we were able to do that today. I don’t know if we had to have a win today, but, yeah, you want to win every single day. You know, we were scuffling for a week or so or two weeks. But we’re ready to play every single day, so we’ll be ready tomorrow.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez saves the pen in loss

Ubaldo Jimenez did a huge service to the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen yesterday with his performance. And yes, there is some irony in the fact that this was to be Jimenez’s normal turn in the rotation, had he not been demoted to the bullpen. Instead the Birds turned to Alec Asher, who didn’t last long. Asher’s line: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 1 K.

The Orioles actually had a 3-0 lead in this game, which if you look at the box score lasted about as long as it took Houston to go through the batting order once. After everyone got a look at Asher, they seemed to figure him out. But the Birds got a two-run homer from Jonathan Schoop in the first to take a 2-0 lead.

Schoop would come to bat again in the second inning and smack an RBI-single to make it 3-0. The O’s looked like they were off to the races, and ready to break their six-game losing streak. However that second inning overall cost the Orioles the game. The O’s loaded the bases and had seven men come to the plate – yet they only scored one run.

They also say that your enemies get fat on what you leave behind. In the last of the second, Asher issued a lead off single. He then proceeded to have Beltran right where he wanted him in the next at-bat at 0-2. But Beltran wasn’t about to get cheated, and ended up drawing a walk. Singles and/or walks are easily fixable in the minds of the Orioles because a ground ball double-play is in order. But it’s also exactly what a small ball team like Houston covets, because every base runner is a potential run.

Asher would proceed to strike out Gattis, but the pitch got away and ended up a wild pitch. The two runners on base both advanced into scoring position, and would score on Gonzalez’s subsequent two-RBI double. Gurriel’s RBI-double a moment later would tie the game, and Houston took a 5-3 lead on Springer’s two-run homer.

Before the smoke cleared in that second inning, it was 6-3 on Altuve’s RBI-single. Mind you, the Orioles had an opportunity to blow the game wide open. But the Orioles aren’t hitting-for-power right now – and incidentally, Minute Maid Park has always been a house of horrors for this team. The Birds couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity that they had, and Houston was happy to oblige instead.

That inning ended Asher’s day, and the Orioles turned back to Jimenez, who appeared to get out of the third inning unscathed after a 1-4-3 double-play. But Houston challenged that the runner was out at second base, and the call was overturned. Again, Houston seems to take advantage of every opportunity it gets. Gurriel smacked an RBI-single to run the score to 7-3.

Later in the inning, Jimenez uncorked a wild pitch which scored a run and suddenly it was 8-3. However while that was ruled a wild pitch, to me it was one that the catcher Castillo should have gotten and smothered. It went right between his legs.

Other than that, Jimenez was solid. And he completed the remainder of the game for the Orioles, saving the rest of the bullpen. That shouldn’t go unnoticed. The Birds had to fly back to Baltimore last night, and they have an afternoon game against the NY Yankees today at Camden Yards – so a quick turnaround. Had this been a game where they had to use three or four relievers (even in a winning effort), they might have had to make a roster move before today’s game.

Incidentally, Mark Trumbo smacked a solo homer in the eighth to make the final score 8-4. It’s worth mentioning that just prior to that home run Manny Machado was rung up on a 3-2 pitch that was clearly off the plate. So all things being the same (and yes that’s a tough sell especially given that the pitcher would have been working out of the stretch with a runner on base) that should have brought the Orioles to 8-5. And you never know what happens from there.

The Orioles are obviously struggling right now, but it seems like every year right around May or June they go into a tailspin. At some point they always right the ship. So am I telling fans not to worry? It’s fine to be concerned, because they always right the ship…until they don’t, I suppose. But the track record of these players indicates that they will. So in a sense, yes I’m saying not to worry – too much, at least.

The O’s now open a three-game set at home against New York on this Memorial Day. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 1 PM this afternoon.

Baltimore Orioles: Houston we have a problem

The Baltimore Orioles have never played well against Houston – at least since the ‘stros have come to the American League. It’s somewhat reminiscent of games with Tampa from years ago. Houston has hitters that refuse to give in at the plate, and will sit there fouling pitch after pitch off to stay alive. That eventually wears down your pitching. On the flip side, their pitching in turn seemingly wears down your hitting.

As a power team, the Orioles are impatient at times. And in reality, there’s nothing truly wrong with that. However as a result they’re suseptible to pitchers who are good at fooling hitters – like Houston’s Keuchel was last night. Wade Miley found himself in a struggle early on against Houston’s lineup, who as I said fouls off pitch after pitch – after pitch. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

The way that Houston wins games is by getting little one and two-run leads early on and hunkering down. Sure enough, they got an RBI-double by Altuve, and an infield RBI-single by Correa in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Correa single had a shot at being an out, but it was hit so hard that it careemed off of Chris Davis‘ glove at first. By the time the Orioles recovered, the runner was safe and the run had crossed the plate.

The O’s were able to attempt a comeback in this game, unlike Friday night’s, however. Welington Castillo‘s RBI-single in the third cut the lead in half at 2-1. But the last of the third brought several elongated at-bats, which drove Miley’s pitch count up. Sure enough one inning later, Springer took advantage of that and smacked a two-run homer which ran the Houston lead to 4-1.

The Birds would net a second run following a Davis triple in the seventh, when he (Davis) was able to score on a wild pitch. However Correa’s RBI-single in the botto of the inning put the lead back to three at 5-2, which is how the game ended. The best the O’s can do now is salvage a game in this series this afternoon, and they’ve now lost six straight games.

I’ll never understand how teams dedicated to in essence piecemealing runs together here and there can defeat a power lineup like that of the Orioles. After Houston took a 1-0 lead on Friday night, I tweeted that it might be all they needed. Sure enough, they won the game 2-0. Somehow it defies logic.

Adam Jones was out of the lineup last night with a sore hip and ankle. He apparently sustained these injuries in Detroit, and they had progressively bothered him. The Orioles are hoping that a day or two out of the lineup will help him to heal without having to send him to the DL.

The series concludes this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Alec Asher will get the start for the O’s (with Jimenez now in the bullpen), and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles waste a good Kevin Gausman start

Kevin Gausman gave the Baltimore Orioles exactly what they needed last night in Houston. The Birds got a quality start out of Gausman, who pitched a great game. Gausman’s line: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

The issue was that they didn’t score any runs. If you can’t put runs on the board, you literally have no shot at winning. NO SHOT. No matter how good your starting pitching and bullpen is.

They say that solo home runs won’t kill you. But they will when you can’t score in a game. Houston got a solo homer from Marisnick in the last of the third, and an additional solo shot from Beltran in the last of the sixth. And that was the ballgame.

The most incriminating part of the game for the Birds was the top of the eighth. The O’s got a double from Kim, and singles from Schoop and Hardy to load the bases before an out was even recorded. It seemed that the Orioles had Houston right where they wanted them…but they (the O’s) let them off the hook. Smith struck out for the first out, and Jones and Machado both flied out.

On the Jones fly out, my personal opinion was that the runner at third (Kim) should or could have tagged up and tried to score. The scouting reports on Reddick (the Houston left fielder) indicated that he has a great arm without a doubt. However I thought he would have had to make a near perfect throw to nail Kim at the plate. Sometimes you have to take risks like that, especially when you’re struggling.

And I suspect that right there you see a big difference between a team like Houston and the Orioles. Part of the mentality of not sending the runner there was the hope that Machado might smack his third double of the game and tie it up with one swing. Had that been a small ball team like Houston hitting in that exact situation, they probably would have tagged the runner up. Because in small ball you take what the defense gives you.

Believe me folks, my personal strategy about baseball is that power rules the roost. But I do think the O’s made a mistake in not at least trying to send Kim on that play. I thought the ball was deep enough to where it was a decent bet that he would have scored. But hindsight is always 20/20.

The series continues tonight at Minute Maid Park. Wade Miley gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (who will be fresh off the DL). Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Where does Adam Jones rank?

Adam Jones is by far the leader of the Baltimore Orioles, as well as the captain. Neither of those titles are official, however they both belong to him. In fact, Jones is probably the first member of the Orioles to reach the type of status he has since Cal Ripken Jr.

However it’s always interesting to put players like Jones up against the likes of guys like Ripken, or Brooks Robinson among others. Baltimore’s a city that’s seen it’s share of beloved athletes – same as most cities. I’ve already named two others from the Orioles, but you can also throw in Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, and Eddie Murray, along with Ray Lewis, Raymond Berry, Jimmy Orr, Johh Mackey, and of course the great Johnny Unitas.

And mind you, there are plenty of other athletes that I didn’t name who could be on that list of “beloved” in Baltimore. I might also hesitate to throw in a few Maryland Terrapins such as Juan Dixon, Len Bias, etc. Maybe even Coach Gary Williams or the old Left Hander (Charles “Lefty” Drisell). Point being that it’s a very relative list – heck throw Joe Flacco on there if you want. But I think I got most of the basics.

So again, where does Jones rank on this list? The answer is that it’s really tough to say. Of all the old Orioles and Colts/Ravens I named above, they all had something in common: a world championship. It’s worth mentioning of course that while Unitas did win a Super Bowl later as a part-time starter (sharing time with Earl Morall due to an injury), he quarterbacked in the 1958 title game – the greatest game ever played.

Jim Palmer won three World Series’ with the Orioles, Frank and Brooks won two, and Cal and Eddie one. Obviously to this point, Jones doesn’t have a championship to his name. But that doesn’t make him any less of a player.

Again, Adam Jones is the leader of this team. He kind of took over the role that Ray Lewis played in terms of being the star player in town. That’s not to say that there aren’t other Orioles or Ravens who aren’t great players and great ambassadors for the city. But when Jones talks people listen.

If we’re talking pure Baltimore sports “royalty,” I’d have to put the likes of Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr, Johnny Unitas, and Ray Lewis in categories of their own. You could make a case for any of the men I’ve listed above, but notice the term I used. There’s a difference between “beloved player,” and “Baltimore sports royalty.”

But I would put Jones in the same category with the Eddie Murrays, Raymond Berrys, Ray Lewis’, and Jim Palmers of the world. Keep in mind that in saying that, all of those men are either already hall of famers, or in Lewis’ case will be a hall of famer. Will Jones be a hall of famer? Win a World Series and I think he might have a case. But the fact remains that he’s beloved in the city, and he’ll always be fondly remembered in the Baltimore sorts landscape.

The O’s head to Houston tonight for a three-game set. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Joe Musgrove. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles continually out-done by small ball

Keep in mind, the Baltimore Orioles seemingly have no issue with power-hitting clubs like themselves. They handle New York, Boston, and Toronto fairly easily. The same is true of Washington when the teams play, among other teams. It’s the small ball teams with whom they struggle.

And my theory is that the issue lies in the name; small ball is just that: small. Teams such as the Minnesota Twins don’t look for the big blasts or the majestic home runs. They’re happy with just the one run here or there. So while teams like the Orioles are sitting on fastballs that they can hit out, small ball teams look just to get on base and they’re happy with that.

Small ball or not, Chris Tillman needs to be better than he was in today’s game. Tillman’s line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K. The issue was that at the beginning Tillman was throwing ball one almost immediately to every batter. That enabled Minnesota hitters to work from ahead, and they could in fact sit on pitches they wanted to get on base.

Minnesota put three runs on the board in the first, and two in the second. That drained the energy from the crowd right off the bat. Granted however, the Birds did make a comeback in this one to make it close. They got solo home runs off of Hardy in the third, and Davis and Schoop in the seventh. They did have the go-ahead run at the plate in the last of the ninth, but they recorded the final out and the game was over.

One mark of the Orioles has also been that they seem to be forced into playing their opponents’ game, which in this case was small ball. Yes they hit three home runs this afternoon – but three solo home runs. They couldn’t get anything in with any runners on base.

So why is it that small ball always seems to come up and bit the O’s? And the answer to that is even the worst Oriole hitter is looking to hit-for-power. So they’ll let pitches go by unless they think there’s a chance the ball can be driven. And that’s why strikeouts can be so high.

Instead, teams like Minnesota and Kansas City don’t let good pitches go by. Their attitudes appear to be that just getting on base makes a difference. And of course, it does. So whether they can drive the pitch or not, they’re looking for balls they can put in play.

I think it’s overly simplistic to suggest that the O’s should simply play small ball. Keep in mind that they’re a roster full of poewr hitters. If you try to take guys out of their element things will get worse. So the only way forward is to continue with big ball, and hope their bats snap out of the funk in whcih they’ve been.

Baltimore Orioles make a hard-luck loser of Dylan Bundy

Don’t blame starter Dylan Bundy for the Baltimore Orioles’ loss last night. It’s really tough for a starting pitcher to hold things together when the bats don’t provide for any runs. Bundy turned in a quality start in fact and on paper last night, and he more than put the Birds in a spot to win. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

You just aren’t going to be much better than Dylan Bundy was last night, especially in a steady drizzle that was omnipresent during the game. Unfortunately however, one guy was just slightly better: Minnesota’s Santana. He pitched a complete game two-hit shutout against one of the best offenses in baseball. That shouldn’t take anything away from Bundy, however of course it did mean he took the loss as opposed to winning the game.

Minnesota got on the board in the top of the fifth with an RBI-single from Buxton. Two innings later they got a solo homer from Dozier. And that’s your ballgame in the sense of scoring The Orioles did take six walks, but combined with only two base hits they never really threatened. And unfortunately they’ve now dropped the first two games of the series.

But the good news is that with an afternoon game today, the Birds only used one reliever. Bundy was able to go seven innings, which really helped save the bullpen for today’s game. Buck Showalter discussed this after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

There’s just a rhythm to it, but like I’ve said many times, your momentum is who’s pitching for you and who you’re facing. You can be swinging the bats as good as can be swung and you get a guy like that on top of his game and it can make you look that way. That’s what’s frustrating about last night, because you knew you had two pitchers that had kind of been struggling. One of them was going to kind of semi-right the ship and one of them wasn’t.

The real benefit is that the Birds can be a bit more cavalier with the bullpen in a sense this afternoon, because tomorrow is an off day. So one way or another, the bullpen will be rested going into Friday’s series opener in Houston. So in that sense the O’s are in a good spot.

The aforementioned series finale with Minnesota is this afternoon at Camden Yards, as the O’s will try to salvage one. Chris Tillman gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez struggles again

The chorus of fans calling for the Baltimore Orioles to release Ubaldo Jimenez grew louder during and after last night’s 14-7 loss to Minnesota. Jimenez’s line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Jimenez seemingly pitched from behind in almost every count. The outs that he did record were a struggle.

However the most incriminating part was that he gave up a five-run lead. An RBI-double by Mancini and an RBI-single by Hardy in the second inning got things started. It appeared that the Orioles were heading in the right direction. Adam Jones then followed with a three-run homer later in the inning. That was his 125th career home run at Camden Yards, which makes him the ballpark’s new leader.

However Minnesota started to chip away at an Orioles lead they would eventually overtake. Mauer grounded into an out which scored a run in the third, and Kepler’s solo homer in the fourth cut the lead to 5-2. But it looked as if the Birds were going to keep tacking runs on as well, as Machado’s RBI-double in the last of the fourth ran the score to 6-2.

However Jimenez loaded the bases in the fifth with nobody out, and after Minnesota scored two runs in the inning he was removed. Minnesota would go on to put up four runs in that fifth inning, and when the smoke cleared the game was tied. The question is whether or not this was Jimenez’s last start. Time will tell.

In fairness to Jimenez, Minnesota didn’t let up once they got going. Many fans are going to say that Jimenez gave them confidence and so forth – maybe they’re right for all I know. But I think it would be different if the deluge of runs had ceased once Jimenez left the game. If anything, it got worse.

Minnesota put up six runs in the sixth, and then two more in the ninth on a two-run homer. The O’s did get one back in the last of the ninth on an RBI-single by Joseph. But the fact is that Minnesota hitters were just seeing the ball very well last night. Was Jimenez good? Not in the least. But again, had Minnesota been shut down immediately after he left the game, it would be different.

You can’t blame Jimenez for the six-run fifth, which in my view broke the Orioles’ back. You can’t blame him for the fact that one of those runs scored on a balk when Crichton fell off the mound as he was winding up. Yes, he needed to exit the game when he did – there’s no question. But let’s be fair about critiquing him; furthermore, the fact that Oriole bats went to sleep after he left isn’t something that attributable to him.

Am I saying that Jimenez isn’t struggling mightily? No, because he is. And that would need to change for him to stay in the rotation. I’m merely saying that it’s never one person’s sole fault that a team wins or loses. Put blame where blame is due – but not blame that doesn’t befit that person.

So…should the Orioles remove Jimenez from the rotation? The first question is with whom do they replace him? I suspect Asher might be the answer if that route is taken and Jimenez is sent to the bullpen. Another option is for them to defer the decision and simply skip Jimenez in his next turn in the rotation. The O’s have an off day Thursday, so that’s a possibility. In the mean time he could work long relief out of the bullpen and give the O’s an additional arm out there. My personal opinion is that this is the best option. (The fringe option would be that they could invent an injury and send him to the DL.)

The one option that the Orioles shouldn’t consider is DFAing him or outright releasing him. As I’ve said many times, the Birds are on the hook for his salary whether they like it or not. It would be an incredibly poor decision from a business standpoint for the to decide to cut him and be forced to continue paying his salary. Worse yet, someone else would have the option of picking him up – on the Orioles’ dime.

The Orioles will try to even the series tonight at Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Ervin Santana. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Wade Miley done in by an error

Wade Miley pitched a good game for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. A very good game. Miley’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (0 earned), 1 BB, 3 K. The problem was that Toronto’s Estrada didn’t just pitch well (like Miley did). He pitched in an unbeatable manner.

The O’s couldn’t muster nary anything off of Estrada. To his credit, he pitched to the strike zone that was set out by the umpire – as opposed to what he thought the strike zone should be. But in a certain sense, the O’s are lucky they were able to get a hit off of Estrada.

In games like these, unfortunately someone has to be the hard-luck loser. And today it was Miley. But save for one bad pitch, it was through no fault of his own per se. He retired the first two hitters in the game, and had the third in essence retired on a semi-routine ground ball to Schoop at second. However Schoop bobbled the ball twice, and had to eat it – allowing a runner to reach base.

Following a subsequent single, Travis smacked a curve ball over the left field fence, giving Toronto a 3-0 lead. If you’re going to commit an error, doing so with two outs and nobody on is the way to go. But as we saw today, even that can snowball. As I said above when I gave Miley’s pitching line, all three of those runs were unearned.

They were also all that Toronto needed. At the time, you felt that perhaps the O’s had a shot at coming back given the power their lineup represents. But Estrada shut Oriole bats down all day long. Adam Jones smacked a solo homer in the last of the fourth, but other than that the bats were fairly quiet and the Birds fell 3-1.

Incidentally, that home run was Jones’ 124th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He’s now tied with Raffy Palmeiro for the most all-time homers at the ballpark. Buck Showalter commented on this after the game (quote courtesy of Mandy Bell and Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com):

Think about all the people who have played here in the past 26 years. He’s going to be hard to catch. He’s such a post-up guy. He comes in here and very quietly has thee hits. But he’s got really great recuperative power, and he loves to play. He knows how much we depend on him. He doesn’t shirk that responsibility. I don’t think it surprises anybody, but it’s a reminder of how good he’s been for a long period of time here.

While you never want to lose games, the Birds took two-of-three from Toronto this weekend. If you keep winning series’, you’re going to find yourself in good shape. Especially when your next opponent is playing a doubleheader at home to make up a rain out today before flying to Baltimore late this evening.

And the opponent I referenced are the Minnesota Twins, who come to Camden Yards for the first of three tomorrow night. Ubaldo Jimenez gets the start for the O’s, however Minnesota has not yet announced a starter for game one. (Presumably due to the doubleheader.) Game time is set for just after 7 PM tomorrow evening.