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: The ballpark that forever changed baseball

Twenty-fie years ago the Baltimore Orioles opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the “ballpark that forever changed baseball.”

Twenty-five years ago (yesterday), I raced home from my sixth grade class to watch Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles. That was about par for the course for most of my school life over the years, but this wasn’t any old Opening Day. The Birds were opening the brand new Oriole Park at Camden Yards on this day.

I made it home in time to see President Bush throw out the first pitch, which famously bounced in the dirt. But credit to the President, he simply said that he threw a slider low and in. The ballpark looked magnificent on television from my perspective, and even moreso the first time I saw it in person. And for the record, it’s never ceased to look as such.

I remember my Dad commenting right away to the effect that they’re sitting on the wrong side of the field. In fact, the Birds were taking the first base dugout at Camden Yards, whereas fans had gotten used to them sitting on the third base side at Memorial Stadium. But that was due only to the fact that for a 7:30 game in the summertime, the sun would be in the direct vision of the team sitting in Memorial Stadium’s first base side for the first three innings. However in fact, the third base dugout is the traditional home side – but I digress.

If you live in cities such as Cleveland, Dallas (Arlington), Denver, or San Fran, you have Baltimore and the Orioles to thank for your beautiful ballparks. All of those parks were based on Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Cleveland and San Fransisco are probably the closest copies of the bunch, but they’re all similar. And Camden Yards is the prototype, and thus the original.

And that’s why five years ago for the twentieth anniversary the Orioles trademarked the phrase the ballpark that forever changed baseball. All of these parks are at some point going to start having their 20-25 year anniversaries in the near future. So why not remind them all that they were intended to be copies of Oriole Park at Camden Yards?!

For years people have done trips to visit various ballparks around the league. But Camden Yards became a destination park overnight. The idea was to build something that looked and felt old school – but in fact was new. And that’s a feel that was present immediately when the ballpark opened.

First off, it has an old time feel with how it appears to be carved into the neighborhood. The Warehouse certainly plays a big role in that, and if anything that in and of itself gives the park a more archaic feel to it. (And to think that the original plans had the Warehouse being demolished!) But so many fans over the years have felt what those in Baltimore call Orioles Magic from the moment they walked in.

You get the feel that something special could have happened there generations ago. At this point in time, that’s kind of true. I’m not sure about “generations ago,” but Camden Yards has hosted moments such as Murray’s 500th home run, and Ripken breaking the consecutive games played streak. And of course a few playoff games here and there – years ago and within the last few seasons!

Camden Yards was special from the moment it opened. But the fact that it’s been copied a few times in other cities tells us that Baltimore truly got it right. And all of those other parks are special as well, but not as special as their “mother park.” There’s only one Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and it’ll always be the ballpark that forever changed baseball.

New York comes to the ballpark that forever changed baseball this evening to open up a three-game set. Ubaldo Jimenez will make his first start of the season tonight, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Dylan Bundy dominates in win

If the Baltimore Orioles are able to get efforts out of Dylan Bundy (and all starters) like they got in last night’s 3-1 win over Toronto, they’ll be in good shape. There was zip on Bundy’s pitches all night, and he seemed to mow Toronto hitters down and get stronger as his outing went on. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

The zero walks and eight strikeouts are obviously what stands out the most. I often drop the line nothing good ever happens after a walk, so the best way to avoid that is to not walk anyone. Bundy kept people off base for the most part all night, minimizing the potential for Toronto to score.

They did put one run across in the top of the third on a Travis RBI-single. And if that’s any indication, it appears that the Orioles are going to lead the league in falling victim to softly-hit RBI-singles once again. Travis smacked a dying quail-type of shot that fell into the cushion between first and second base and right field. Ironically, had he hit it harder the runner probably would have been out at home plate.

But the Orioles didn’t trail for long. With a runner on in the bottom of that third inning, Adam Jones hit his first home run of the season. Suddenly it was the Orioles who were in the lead, erasing the memory of that softly-hit RBI. One inning later Chris Davis hit his first home run of the season as well – this one a solo shot.

And when you have pitching as good as the Orioles got last night, you don’t need to worry about scoring only three runs. The Birds did however have a bit of a scare in the ninth when Zach Britton loaded the bases with only one out. Not only that, but in doing so he went over the twenty pitch number, which is a danger zone for many closers. For a short period, it appeared Toronto had the O’s right where they wanted them.

However Britton’s not the type of guy in whom you want to lose faith. The guy who didn’t blow a save last year kept his streak alive, and induced a game-ending double-play. When asked about Britton after the game, Buck Showalter didn’t hesitate to take up for his closer (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I love the fact that he found a way to get it done. It’s hard. The ninth inning’s hard. You’re facing one of the best parts of the lineup anywhere in the American League. It’s hard. He gives up a sharp-hit ball to left field and a ground ball found a hole. A walk. Got a big strikeout on (Troy) Tulowitzki and he’s always a pitch from getting two outs.

It’s not always as easy as it may seem. It’s a different inning, it’s a different inning, and not just anybody can pitch it.

One way or the other, the O’s are now 2-0 on the incredibly young season as they go into yet another off day. It’s tough to say this means anything more than face value – starting the season 2-0. During spring training I said if you’re going to play exhibition games you might as well win them. So the same still applies; if you’re going to play these early season games, you might as well win them.

Baltimore Orioles: A disjointed start to the season

Everyone understands why the Baltimore Orioles and most other teams have the traditional day off after Opening Day. The fact is that you never really know what’s going to happen with the weather. As last week wore on the forecast seemed to improve – because it wasn’t always  supposed to be a beautiful day.

It kind of works against a team like the Orioles however, because they had this big dramatic win on Opening Day, and their first instinct is to continue the momentum. Now granted, it’s tough to argue with a free day, especially when eventually you’ll be into the stretch of the season.

Having said that, the Orioles have a very strange beginning to the season this year, unlike anything I’ve ever really seen. They had the off day yesterday, and then they take on Toronto again tonight. It’s actually a truncated two-game series, and Toronto packs up and leaves after tonight’s game. So the series actually ends.

Then the Orioles have off again tomorrow, before New York comes in for the weekend. Once that series is over, guess what happens? You guessed it, another off day on Monday before they head to Boston on Tuesday.

It’s really tough to get momentum going in general with a schedule like that. In fact, it almost gives the feel that the players are back in spring training – where veterans only play in home games for the most part. Play Monday, off Tuesday, play Wednesday, off Thursday, play Friday, etc.

The issue however is that the major league teams only get a certain number of days off during the season. And even those are subject to change as needed if you need to reschedule rain outs. Days off can turn into game days, and regular days can turn into twin bills.

So while the momentum thing is a concern, the bigger one is that the Birds are blowing their days off this month. In full, they have five off days in April. Compare that to August when they have two. Last year they had a flurry of off days in September, which I suspect really helped them in their chase for October. But at the end of the day, this is the schedule the league office gave them. Everyone plays 162 in some manner.

As I said above, the series with Toronto concludes this evening. Dylan Bundy will be on the mound for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 7 PM. Fans can follow along on Twitter (@DomenicVadala) for game updates.

Baltimore Orioles right an old wrong in Opening Day win

Mark Trumbo’s walk off home run on Opening Day gave the Baltimore Orioles some payback over Toronto after last year’s wild card game.

As the Opening Day ceremonies came to a close and it was time to PLAY BALL, Baltimore Orioles fans most likely flashed back a few months. The untimely end to the 2016 season was still fresh in a lot of people’s mind. This especially seeing that the O’s were playing the same Toronto Blue Jays – who walked the Orioles off on the AL Wild Card game.

The ironic thing is that Toronto has lost pieces year-over-year, and the O’s have remained largely the same (for the most part). Yet pundits are still in love with Toronto, and still not digging what the Orioles are throwing out there. So in all of these senses, perhaps it was fitting that these two teams met on Opening Day at Camden Yards.

The Orioles started Kevin Gausman, and with mixed results in a sense. Gausman’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K. Gausman actually pitched better than those numbers indicate, although you want your starter to go deeper than 5.1 innings. The four walks were also a bit much. However save for the fifth inning when he struggled and threw a lot of pitches, Gausman was fairly solid.

The Orioles got on the board first in the last of the third on Chris Davis‘ RBI-single. Mark Trumbo would add an RBI-double later in the inning, and the O’s had a 2-0 lead. However as I said, Gausman struggled in the fifth inning, issuing several walks. One of those came with the bases loaded, which cut the Orioles’ lead in half.

Gausman was able to record one out in the sixth before he was lifted in the wake of allowing a base runner. However after Gausman’s departure that base runner would come around to score on an RBI-double, tying the game. That run of course was charged to Gausman.

At one point the Orioles had 15 straight hitters retired by Toronto pitching. While that’s not good, it’s also a bi-product of a pitcher’s duel. While Gausman was long gone as the game wore on, the Orioles showed off one of the big strengths of the team: the bullpen. Through 5.2 innings pitched, the Orioles’ pen gave up six hits, two walks, and no runs. And that folks is outstanding no matter how you want to spin things.

As the game went to extra innings it took on the feel of last year’s AL Wild Card game more and more. And the players had to have noticed the similarities. Presumably Toronto had to think that at some point their heroics would push through just as they did the year before. But the Orioles sat in their dugout hoping to flip the script.

This time around, the Orioles found a way to work Zach Britton into the game, and he pitched two innings. However this Opening Day game will be remembered for two things: how it ended, and what foreshadowed how it ended. Toronto threatened in the 10th inning with runners at first and second. The Camden faithful seemed restless, as Toronto seemed to have the Oriole exactly where they wanted them. To add insult to injury from last year, was Toronto really going to at the very least take a lead against the Orioles and possibly beat them again on Opening Day (at their place)?

And the answer ended up being an emphatic NO! With Pillar at the plate, a bouncer was hit to Manny Machado guarding the line at third base. It was a tough angle, and in fact Machado was perhaps the only player in the game who could have made a play on the ball. With most third basemen, that would have been an infield hit. Instead, Machado fielded the ball, and from his knees threw Pillar out at first base.

That gold glove-caliber play put Toronto on warning that their heroics weren’t going to be enough. New day, new year. However the game did end in similar fashion to that wild card game last year – just with a different team celebrating. The Orioles had the heart of the order coming up in the 11th inning, and it didn’t disappoint…

…Mark Trumbo came up with two outs and nobody on. However the home team bats last, and all the Orioles needed was one run. And Trumbo connected, reminding the Orioles and the fans why the club re-signed him. His solo homer gave the Orioles a 3-2 walk off win on Opening Day at Camden Yards.

Trumbo addressed his heroics after the game, and admitted how special of a moment this was (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Pretty special. It’s a whole lot of fun. We battled tooth and nail today. It was a great game all the way around. Was happy to come through and take us home.

Perhaps saying that this was payback from the Orioles’ perspective in the wake of a sudden death loss in the playoffs is a bit of a stretch. However several players and manager Buck Showalter pointed out how similar this game was to the playoff game last year. It merely unfolded in reverse at the end.

The fact is that nobody can take away that moment from the Toronto Blue Jays last year. But the same is true with the Orioles’ moment yesterday. And quite frankly, while that was a playoff game, yesterday’s moment was a lot more relevant to the here and now.

Baltimore Orioles: This is The Oriole Way

Here we are, Baltimore…Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles. The rosters are set, the players are ready, and all of you fans are presumably excited. Today is a holiday across the nation – but especially in Baltimore.

Every team has traditions that they feel are special. However I would submit that NOBODY does Opening Day like the Orioles. NOBODY. The image of the players and coaches running onto the field from center field on that orange carpet never seems to get old for Orioles fans. But let’s back up a moment and go back to pregame…

…when many fans gather at Pickles and Sliders across the street. The Orioles alway hold Opening Day at 3 PM, which gives people time to spend much of the morning and early afternoon “pregaming.” This is something that happens before each of the Orioles’ 81 home games – it’ll go on prior to Wednesday night’s game. But things are a bit different and a bit more special on Opening Day.

Then the fans stream into the yard, and see the players enter on that orange carpet. However the one thing that always gets me is actually the day’s lone somber moment. As part of the pregame pomp and circumstance, the Orioles read the names of the members of the organization who have passed on since last year’s Opening Day. Does it put a temporary damper on the day’s festivities? Yes. But this is an organization that values it’s history, and that includes all of the people who are and have been a part of it. So in my view that’s an important part of things.

Once the teams have been introduced, the national anthem sung, and the first pitch ceremony concluded, it’s time to PLAY BALL! At that point, it’s just baseball. In essence, it’s no different than any other game. But it’s still Opening Day, which makes it special.

And on that note, the Orioles will today open the season with a truncated and in effect a disjointed two-game set against Toronto. Kevin Gausman gets the nod on the mound for the Birds this afternoon, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marco Estrada. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

I’ve had people tell me that the Orioles overdo it on Opening Day. Why all the pomp and circumstance? Why so much paegentry? Why not just introduce the players on the base lines and that’s it?

First off I would refer you to the famous Terrence Mann quote fro Field of Dreams:

America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

This is America’s pastime. Yes people love to suggest that the NFL is now king in America. But it’ll never be America’s pastime. Opening Day is a celebration of the return of baseball, but also a celebration of America, and everything for which she stands. It’s a celebration of summer, good times, beach trips, barbeques, and family. And yes, a celebration of baseball…the sport which like America, marches on like an army of steamrollers. The sport which reminds us of all that once was good – and will be again.

And if that’s not enough for you, this is just how things are done in Baltimore on Opening Day! Every team and every city has it’s tradition – this is part of what makes the orange and black so great. This my friends, is The Oriole Way.

Baltimore Orioles: Multiple Opening Days around baseball

Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles is tomorrow. I have fond memories of Opening Day from when I was a kid; I’d always run home as quickly as possible to be in front of the television by 3 PM. If I could be there earlier to see the first pitch ceremonies (which often in Baltimore involved the President), even better.

The entire league seemed to open up on Monday, save for a few teams who would open on Tuesday if they played in indoor stadiums. And of course many teams would be off on Tuesday for the potential rain date. Somehow it just worked out, and it was always an unofficial national holiday.

And for the record, Opening Day still is an unofficial national holiday. However it’s evolved a bit, and in my mind that’s not necessarily a good thing. But it’s evolved, one way or the other.

In 2004, MLB tried an experiment with having a “Sunday Night Opener” for the first time, with the rest of the league opening on the traditional Monday. That first Sunday Night Opener was played at Camden Yards, and the Orioles beat the Red Sox that night. And that’s something that continues to this day, with the Sunday Night Opener often involving the defending champion.

And quite frankly, I like that concept. The NFL mirrors it with their Thursday Night Opener, and I think it’s kind of a cool quirk. However last year they further evolved things a bit, and that’s kind of where I draw a line. Now as opposed to the one game on Sunday night, there are also two afternoon games…

…this year it’s the Yankees at the Rays at 1 PM, the Giants at the Diamondbacks at 4 PM, and of course the Cubs at the Cardinals at 8:30 PM. Now let me be frank; seamheads such as myself will watch all of these games since they’re on. But that’s beside the point.

In my view, by having now three games today, the league now in effect has created rolling Opening Day. Most teams will still open tomorrow, and then be off on Tuesday. Then you’ll have some teams who’ll open on Tuesday and be off tomorrow if they play indoors. Such is life in the newly “evolved” world of MLB.

Some folks might ask why it’s such a problem, ESPECIALLY since I all but admitted that I’ll watch the games today. While I do appreciate instant replay in the game, I’m a traditionalist for the most part. Years ago, you appreciated the fact that kids in cities across America were doing the same thing you were doing: racing home to watch their hometown team’s Opening Day game. I would submit that with a slate of games now on Sunday, that concept is dulled just a bit.

Granted, the majority of the games are still held tomorrow (on Monday). However is today really “Opening Day,” or is it just a run-of-the-mill Sunday afternoon in Major League Baseball? Because if I were covering one of the teams in those games, I’d view it as just another Sunday in baseball.

I would also add that the league couldn’t have picked stranger matchups in their slate of games for today. Again, people like me will pay attention because it’s baseball. But outside of that and fans in the cities represented, are there that many people who are looking forward to sitting down and watching the Yankees and Rays or the Giants and Diaondbacks? Would it not have behooved the league to perhaps pick some games with a bit more pizzazz to put on National television?

In that same spirit, the Chicago Cubs also seemingly got the short end of the stick. A team who didn’t win for 108 years is a very compelling story, and one that’s well worthy of having on the Sunday Night Opener in the wake of them snapping that streak. Not to mention that they’re playing their most hated rival. However how can MLB look at itself while not having this game at Wrigley Field? In essence they’re saying, …great job after all those years, Cubs. As your reward you’re getting to open up on Sunday Night Baseball in front of a national audience, AT your most hated foe and in front of their screaming fans who hate you!

Somehow that doesn’t seem like a fair narrative. Then again, life’s not always fair. My opinion about that as well as my opinion about today’s games is irrelevant. It’s going to go down that way whether I like it or not! But the call of PLAY BALL! will ring out in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon, which is how it should be.

Baltimore Orioles’ 2017 season preview

Buck Showalter‘s Baltimore Orioles have broken camp, and they’re now back in Baltimore eagerly awaiting Opening Day. But what do we make of this latest version of the Birds? Questions have surrounded this team since their sudden exit from the American League playoffs last October, with Zach Britton waiting in the bullpen. How will 2017 play out?

I can’t tell you that right now. But I’ll start with the team’s one apparent weakness, and that’s starting pitching. That isn’t to say that the Orioles have no pitching whatsoever, because that’s not true. Chris Tillman looks to anchor the rotation, with Kevin Gausman right behind him. However as we know, Tillman is on the DL right now, which means Gausman’s the Opening Day starter.

Beyond those two, there are questions about who’s going to be able to step up. If the Orioles are going to be successful this year, Dylan Bundy is going to have to make strides. And Ubaldo Jimenez isn’t going to have the luxury of being inconsistent. All of that aside, starting pitching is this team’s one glaring weakness. If they can work around that, they’ll win games this year.

At the plate and in the field, the Birds are a-okay. The likes of Machado, Hardy, Schoop, and Davis form one of the best infield defenses in baseball. Not to mention Adam Jones out there patrolling center field. Oh, and they can all hit as well.

The name of the game offensively for the Orioles is going to be power. And we know that they have a lot of that. Nobody expected Mark Trumbo to return, yet the O’s managed to ink him to a new deal. Throw in Davis, Jones, Schoop, and Machado, and the Orioles should be able to keep up with or out-slug anyone.

Their other strength is their bullpen, which is anchored by the likes of Zach Britton at the back. However his supporting cast is going to be pretty strong as well, with guys like Brad Brach, Darren O’Day, et al. However this is also where they need the starting pitching to step up. If that’s inconsistent, the Orioles’ bullpen will end up getting overtaxed. And then they’ll struggle as well. So the key is getting starters to go six plus innings in games. If they can do that, the bullpen will continue to be light’s out.

I haven’t given you anything earth-shattering here. So the question everyone wants answered in these season previews is where will the Orioles finish? And I can’t tell you that – yet. We know that they’re in a very competitive division, and they’re given no respect by any of the pundits. But my personal prediction for this Orioles team is…

…they’ll be in the playoff hunt until the end. Whether that gets the to the post-season or not remains to be seen. But that’s my prediction. Some of you are wondering how this team with lackluster starting pitching is going to get to that point. And the answer is simple…

…Buck Showalter. The biggest competitive advantage the Orioles have sits in the dugout. This is a team that’s defied the odds since 2012. That’s no coincidence. He knows exactly which buttons to push for the most part and when. And there’s no bigger competitve advantage that any team could have than that.

Baltimore Orioles: That’s a wrap for camp!

The Baltimore Orioles officially break camp this morning in the wake of yesterday’s Grapefruit League-closing game, a 7-3 loss to Detroit. Worse things have happened, folks. Weather permitting, they’ll be at Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA at 3 PM this afternoon to play a final exhibition against the Tides. Really pay attention to that weather permitting part; it’s supposed to pour for much of the day up and down the eastern seaboard today. My guess is that there’s no game played.

The final roster is starting to take some semblance of shape. The O’s sent Wade Miley to the 10-day DL yesterday. Miley has dealt with some illness over the course of camp, so they want to give him some additional rest. Chris Tillman will join him on the DL, however Miley is expected to pitch in the first week of the season. This means that the Birds will break camp with only three starting pitchers. But as I’ve said numerous times throughout camp, that’s really all they need for the time being – with three off days in the first seven days of league play.

One thing that surprised me is that Pedro Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, which is where he’ll start the season. I suppose I assumed that while the O’s signed him to a minor league deal, it was all but predetermined that he would be in the bigs. Especially after he had such a good spring at the plate. However I suspect we’ll see him at some point.

The Orioles will break camp with both Trey Mancini and Joey Rickard on the roster, and it appears that Craig Gentry has made the team as well. And for that I’m really happy. Gentry was given an extended look this spring due to the WBC, and he really took advantage of it. He has good speed and a good bat, and he should really make a difference for the club down the stretch.

Now keep in mind that all of this is subject to change. The waiver wire always pops at this time of year, and sometimes things just happen. But this looks to be how things are going to go for now.

I’ll be interested to see how long they wait things out in Norfolk before the game is called today. Seriously folks, I wouldn’t hold my breath. The Orioles will have an off day tomorrow, during which guys will presumably get settled or resettled at home in Baltimore. They’ll have a team workout on the field at Camden Yards on Sunday, and the Opening Day of course is scheduled for Monday at 3 PM. Rain is in the forecast for both Monday and Tuesday, but we’ll just have to wait and see how that works out. One thing I’m sure of however…the O’s aren’t looking for a repeat of last year’s Opening Day which featured two lengthy rain delays.

Baltimore Orioles: Laid a big number

The Baltimore Orioles surrendered 12 runs in the sixth inning of yesterday’s 15-6 loss to Tampa. That’s not going to win you many games. However once again, the Birds had sent two low-A farmhands out in that inning against a big league lineup. So it’s tough to expect much more.

Kevin Gausan seemed a little wayward in his final spring start, however his outing was shortened by having to throw more pitches due to errors being committed behind him. Gausman’s line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned), 4 BB, 5 K. Gausman’s next start of course will be Monday at Camden Yards on Opening Day.

Kim and Dickerson each notched homers for the Birds, however it was an otherwise forgettable day. Showalter said after the game that it was obvious that guys were ready to go home. That means they’re ready to head north. It won’t be long.

The Orioles also put Aneury Tavarez on waivers, which means that any team who claims him has to keep him in the big leagues since he was a Rule 5 pick. If nobody claims him, he can go back to the Boston organization and be sent to the minors. The Orioles of course are notorious for keeping Rule 5 guys over the course of a season, however it didn’t appear to be in the cards this year.

The Birds have one final game in Sarasota this afternoon against Detroit before they forally break camp. They’ll make a quick stop in Norfolk on Friday to play the Tides, however that’s weather permitting. They’re calling for rain in the Hampton Roads, VA area on Friday afternoon. The Orioles would be fine with not playing that game, as they’re just trying to get home without sustaining a serious injury at this point!

Detroit comes to town for the final Grapefruit League game this afternoon. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Matt Boyd. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Gentry, Mancini, Asher, et al

The Baltimore Orioles made a trade yesterday with Philadelphia, acquiring minor league pitcher Alec Asher in return for a PTBNL or cash. Asher has a career record of 32-33 in the minor leagues, with a 3.39 ERA. He also made five starts for Philadelphia last year at the big league level, going 2-1 with an ERA of 2.28.

Asher comes with two minor league options. This is a move that adds some pitching depth to the organization, and the Orioles are thinking that Asher’s a guy who could help them out in the big league’s this year. And that’s a great thing about being traded to the Orioles; they use the entire 40-man roster unlike any other team in the majors. If you get traded here, there’s a good chance you’re going to have an opportunity to play in “the show.”

The Orioles also have some big decisions looming in terms of the Opening Day roster regarding several players. We know that Mike Wright won’t be there, as he was optioned to Norfolk before yesterday’s 5-4 win over Atlanta. However while nobody will make a commitment to this, it appears that Wade Miley will begin the season in the rotation after yesterday’s outing. Miley’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Again, nothing’s set in stone as of yet. However Miley looked pretty good yesterday in what shapes up as his penultimate spring outing. But with that said the only thing we know thus far is that Tillman will start the season on the DL, and that Gausman and Bundy are in the rotation. Anything else is technically still up in the air.

One guy who’s had a great camp has been Craig Gentry. He got some extended playing time due to the WBC, and he really took advantage of it. In my mind the Orioles have to find a way to bring Gentry north with them – if they’re going to bring the best 25 guys to Baltimore, that is. Gentry earned a spot on this team; hopefully he gets it.

Trey Mancini is another guy to watch. Similar to Gentry, he’s earned a spot on the roster. However you have to hope that the fact that he has options and is still young doesn’t work against him. The Orioles are very happy with the progress he’s made in terms of converting to the outfield in camp, and again in my mind he’s earned a spot on the roster.

The urgency of some of these decisions may be waned in the immediate future if the O’s decide to play a “roster game” or two. And quite frankly I would recommend that. As I’ve said several times previously, they don’t need a fifth starter until mid-April. In fact, they have three off days in the first seven days of the season. Could they even come north with just three starters?

Point being that a Mancini or a Gentry could start the season with the Orioles in the absence of the necessity of a full rotation. Obviously that means that they might get sent down at some point, and that’s certainly a shame. But there are worse places to be than on a big league roster on Opening Day.

The Orioles will play their final road game of the Grapefruit League season this afternoon in Port Charlotte against Tampa. Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman will get the nod on the bump today, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Erasmo Ramirez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.