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: Bronx Bombers can’t outslug the Birds

The Baltimore Orioles made their lone visit to George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to play New York yesterday in the spring, and they ended up beating NY at their own game. While New York hasn’t exactly been the Bronx Bombers in a few years, they’re certainly making an effort to return themselves to that status. But it didn’t exactly work out that way yesterday afternoon with the O’s in town.

Dylan Bundy got the start for the Birds, and ended up getting beat around just a bit. Bundy’s line: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 K. Bundy struggled with his control at times, but that’s also what these spring games are about in a sense. He gave up an RBI-single and a two-RBI double in the last of the third, and New York got out to a 3-0 lead. However one inning later the Birds showed that they came to play, as Pedro Alvarez smacked a solo homer.

Chris Johnson would add a two-run shot later in the inning, and suddenly the O’s were tied with the noveau Bronx Bombers. However Alvarez wasn’t done quite yet. In the top of the seventh he added an additional solo home run, giving the O’s a 4-3 lead.

New York would tie the game in the eighth with a solo shot of their own – off the bat of McKinney. But Rule 5 pick Aneury Tavarez was having none of that per se. His solo home run in the top of the ninth gave the O’s a 5-4 lead, which turned into a 5-4 win.

After the game Alvarez revealed to the media that he’s been working on his cutter this spring, and used it a lot in yesterday’s game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

I think I bounced a couple, but that’s better than leaving them up. It’s getting better slowly. I plan on using it during the season. We haven’t talked too much about how much and if we’re going to limit using it.

And that really illustrates why we need to take these spring results and stats with a grain of salt. Often times guys go into games with an idea to work on a certain pitch or even location. So while the results weren’t what Bundy and the Orioles probably would have liked, odds are he used that cutter and some off speed pitches at a much higher rate than he would have in a regular season game.

And that type of thing is often the game within the game during spring training. Yes Bundy gave up four hits, three runs, and three walks. But he worked on his cutter a bit, and in that sense it was a successful outing from his standpoint. Obviously he hopes to use it much more effectively come the regular season, but that’s why he’s working on it now.

The Orioles will return to Sarasota and the home crowd this afternoon when Detroit comes to town. Kevin Gausman 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: Spring games in the division meaningful?

The Baltimore Orioles make their first and only visit to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa this afternoon to take on the NY Yankees at their spring facility. New York visited Sarasota on February 27th. That was their only visit to Ed Smith Stadium as well.

So…do these spring games against division foes mean just a little bit more? On one hand, I would say definitely not. Players around the league are still trying to get ready and to prepare for the season. So this isn’t the two teams playing in mid-season form. Throw in the fact that many Oriole regulars will stay back in Sarasota today, AND some players are still in the WBC; that takes some of the intensity away I suppose.

However on the flip side, it’s still a division foe. I also find it very interesting that the Birds are only playing New York twice this spring. It’s as if the tems scheduled a home-and-home, similar to as is done in college basketball. I have to believe that was done by design.

Ultimately players are there to play and compete between the lines. When the umpire yells play ball!, it’s game on. You’re hard pressed argue to someone that it’s only an exhibition game, and that it doesn’t count. Plus if you’re trying to make the team, it really does count – big time.

As I said the O’s will travel to Tampa to take on NY this afternoon. The Birds will throw Bundy, while New York will counter with Sabathia. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kissing your sister just in time

The Baltimore Orioles had a forgettable and almost a regrettable evening last night at Ed Smith Stadium against Philadelphia – until Sean Coyle came up to bat in the last of the ninth. However even before that, it wasn’t looking good given the fact that the Birds were getting no-hit. Now mind you, these games still don’t count. But getting no-hit is getting no-hit, no matter how you spin it.

The state of Maryland appeared to take it on the chin yesterday overall, with the Maryland Terrapins getting bounced from the first round of the NCAA Tournament the same night where the Birds almost got no-hit. But notice I said almost; which means it didn’t happen. So there’s that.

Chris Lee made his maiden start for the Orioles this spring. Lee’s line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Lee did have some issues finding the plate at times, as was evidenced by Buck Showalter‘s comment after the game (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Chris was OK. I think sometimes, his ball moves so much he tries to almost locate a little too much instead of attacking the center of the plate and letting the natural life take over. Those things will come. But he brings some things. He’s left-handed, he holds runners, he works fast, he’s a strike-thrower through his career.

Lee is one of a handful of candidates who could in theory end up in the starting rotation – possibly. It’s unclear what the Orioles are going to do regarding that quite yet with Tillman out, although I’m sure that Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette have an idea. And that’s probably why Lee got the start last night.

Philadelphia led 2-0 through most of the middle innings. However the story of course was that the O’s were being no-hit. I’m going off of memory here, however I seem to recall Philadelphia almost no-hitting someone a few years ago in Grapefruit League play. So it’s not unprecedented; it does happen. While it’s usually forgettable when it does, that’s not to say you want to be on the losing end of it.

With one gone in the last of the ninth. Chris Dickerson broke up the no-no with a base hit. At that point, win or lose at the very least the Birds wouldn’t post a zero in the hit column. That brought Coyle to the plate, and his two-run homer tied the game and gave the Birds somethin other than a zero in the runs column as well.

After the ninth inning Philadelphia appeared confused as to whether or not the game would go a token extra inning. Whereas the O’s were ready to play, Philadelphia decided it was time to hit the showers. I suppose a tie never looked so good from the Orioles’ perspective.

The Birds will head to Bradenton this afternoon to take on Pittsburgh once again. Gabriel Ynoa will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Drew Hutchinson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall just short of comeback vs. Pittsburgh

Ubaldo Jimenez had a bit of a rough outing this afternoon in Bradenton, as the Baltimore Orioles fell to Pittsburgh, 6-5. The Birds found themselves down big early on, however they tried to fight back. Jimenez’s line: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 5 K. Jimenez said that he felt he was too often throwing off speed pitches while working from behind in the count (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I think I was throwing too many breaking balls when I was behind in the count, something you want to work on in order to get your breaking balls ready for the season. Two of those walks that I got were on fastballs and the other three were with breaking balls behind the count, 3-2 pitches. I wanted to get my breaking balls down and I couldn’t. I was working on that.

The Orioles actually had an early 1-0 lead on Chris Davis‘ fielder’s choice-RBI. Pittsburgh would tie it up in the third on a sac fly-RBI. However what ended up killing Jimenez were the five walks. In the wake of several walks, Pittsburgh managed an RBI-double and a grand slam in the fifth. Two of those additional runs were charged to Jimenez, however they did score after he left the game.

However the O’s did in fact battle back. Janish and Tavarez smacked RBI-singles in the seventh, and Mancini grounded into a force out which scored two runs – in a sequence that included an error. But in the end it wasn’t enough, and the O’s fell to Pittsburgh in Bradenton, 6-5.

The key for Jimenez and all Oriole pitchers is to keep the walks down. That’s really what it boils down to for the Birds. If they can keep guys off base, the odds of the opponent scoring goes way down.

The Birds will return to Sarasota for an evening affair tomorrow night against Philadelphia. Chris Lee will take to the mound for the Orioles, and Philadelphia hasn’t named a starter to this point. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles catching a break with David Price out?

The Baltimore Orioles are catching a break in the American League East with the likes of Boston’s David Price potentially sitting out to start the season. There’s no if’s and’s or but’s about that. The Orioles obviously have their own concerns with Chris Tillman, however the fact that they aren’t the only one in this situation does help.

At this point, Price has yet to appear in an exhibition game, similar to Tillman. Manager John Farrell told reporters that he felt it would be tough to envision Price being ready to go on Opening Day. The difference with the Orioles is that we knew that all along with regard to Tillman. Boston’s just starting to deal with that realization now.

So in effect, one cancels the other out. Boston’s down an ace, as are the Orioles. Some might argue that’s more of an advantage for Tampa, Toronto, or New York, and they might be right. However the fact remains that one of the Orioles are going to be at less-than-full strength. And now it appears that one of their division rivals will be in the same boat.

The Birds ended up falling to Tampa yesterday afternoon, 9-6. Even with their reserves, Tampa played their normal game of bleeding the Orioles to death with simple paper cuts. They put together four consecutive two-out singles against starter Wade Miley in the first inning, which was enough to score two runs. And they were off to the races.

As we know, these small ball teams give the Orioles absolute fits. Whereas the O’s are looking to come up to bat each time and smack the ball into oblivion, teams like Tampa, Kansas City, Cleveland, and others are just looking to get on base. And the fact is that the Orioles pitch in a manner that would be consistent with a big ball team. Them’s the breaks, I suppose.

The Birds will travel to Bradenton this afternoon to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ubaldo Jimenez will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Jameson Taillon. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Joseph and Rickard key in win vs. Philadelphia

Last spring it was a foregone conclusion that Joey Rickard would break camp with the Baltimore Orioles. He was a Rule 5 pick, and would have to be sent back to Tampa if he was sent down. That’s not the case this year, however Rickard’s making his case to be on the Orioles’ roster one way or the other this spring.

Kevin Gausman got the start this afternoon against Philadelphia, however while he did struggle I think his numbers are a bit deceiving. Gausman’s line: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 3 K. Gausman in essence had to record five outs in the first inning because of two errors – one of which cost the Orioles a run. Caleb Joseph misplayed a throw home on a grounder in the infield, allowing a run to score on a fielder’s choice and an E2.

Point being, Gausman probably would have thrown one additional inning, and perhaps a bit better across the board if not for that first inning. He also allowed an RBI-single to Saunders in the third which gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

However the Orioles battled back, and Joseph atoned for his prior mistake. His third inning solo homer put the Orioles on the board, and cut the Philadelphia lead to 2-1. They’d extend that to 3-1 in the fourth on a wind-aided homer by Stassi, but that was nothing more than false hope if you were rooting for the boys from the city of brotherly love.

Mark Trumbo‘s RBI-single in the last of the fourth cut the lead to 3-2, which brought Rickard to the plate later in the inning with Trumbo and Mancini on base. Rickard’s three-run homer put the Orioles in the lead for the first time on the afternoon at 5-3. One inning later Hyun-Soo Kim would add an RBI-single, and Phialdephia would get one back in the eighth on a homer by Williams. But this was the Orioles’ day at the end, and they fought to a 6-4 win.

At one point it was almost accepted that Rickard would probably start the season in the minors. However he’s putting a lot of pressure on the club to bring him north when the time comes. And that’s a good problem to have if you’re the Orioles. You want people to be banging down the door to get to or stay in the big leagues. So hitting the go-ahead and eventual winning three-run homer this afternoon certainly helps.

As I’ve said previously, if you’re going to play these games that don’t count, you might as well win them. And Rickard did his part to ensure that the Orioles did that today. Incidentally, J.J. Hardy got his first start of the spring this afternoon, going 0-for-2 at the plate with a walk. The Orioles are hoping to get him 40 at-bats or so before they head north.

The Birds will remain in Sarasota tomorrow with Tampa coming to town. Wade Miley will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Blake Snell. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Chris Tillman headed back to square one

It’s looking increasingly like Chris Tillman is not going to break camp with the Baltimore Orioles. It’s unclear if Tillman is destined for the DL or perhaps extended spring training, however the idea of him pitching in the first week of the season isn’t looking good. Tillman was supposed to play long toss at Ed Smith Stadium yesterday, and he was shut down with further discomfort in his right shoulder after only a few throws.

This is turning into a bit of a problem for a franchise that’s relying on Tillman to do great things this year. Tillman has been the Orioles’ ace the past few years, and in many cases he’s been the only pitcher who’s shown any sort of consistency for the team. Whether he can do that this year is very much in doubt.

This was also to be big year for Tillman himself, as he’s fast approaching the time when he’ll need a new contract. The last thing that he personally is going to want is an injury attached to his name or his performance. Buck Showalter said that in his mind the worst-case scenario is that Tillman starts over from scratch in terms of ceasing baseball activities (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

The worst-case scenario for me, well, not worse, is that he kind of starts over from scratch and stays down here in extended spring. It looks like he’s got a chance to be left here with (minor league medical coordinator) Dave Walker, but I’m hoping something changes here in the next week. He may try it again, I don’t know, or we may get back and he’s headed for another opinion. Because this is a big year for him. That’s when you know there’s something wrong.

With all of this said, read a bit between the lines there. What Showalter did not say was that Tillman would need to have surgery or anything along those lines. That’s not to say that surgery isn’t an eventuality, but I suspect that’s not on the table right now. But needless to say, this is a major concern.

Meanwhile, the O’s defeated the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers yesterday afternoon, 8-6. Catcher Austin Wynns‘ two-RBI double in the top of the ninth broke a 6-6 tie, and put the Birds in the lead. The Orioles led for all of about 20 minutes in this game – yet it still counts as a win.

Dylan Bundy struggled in this game however, having to exit earlier than he would have liked. Bundy’s line: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 1 K. After his outing Bundy admitted that he was catching too much of the plate with his pitches, however keep in mind that’s why we’re playing these games. Given the Tillman situation, the Orioles are going to be relying on Bundy to be a sturdy part of the rotation moving forward. No pressure or anything…!

The O’s will return home to Ed Smith Stadium this afternoon to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Kevin Gausman will get the start, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Jeremy Hellickson. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: David Washington walks Pittsburgh off

David Washington is quietly having a very good spring for the Baltimore Orioles. While it’s hard to get overly excited about a wind-aided off home run in a spring training game, a walk off home run is a walk off home run. It allowed the Orioles to defeat Pittsburgh yesterday, 7-6.

Starter Mike Wright was slated to go four innings yesterday, however his pitch count seemed destined to prevent him from doing so. Wright’s line: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 earned), 1 BB, 0 K. Wright had a few struggles in the game, however one thing that was good to see was that he kept his composure. That’s been an issue here and there for the young right-hander.

The Orioles got things going early on RBI-singles by Kim and Trumbo in the last of the first, and they led 2-0. However Pittsburgh would take those two runs and raise the Orioles to three with an RBI-single and a two-RBI single in the second. Obviously they came to play, not go away.

With Pittsburgh leading 4-2 in the sixth, the Orioles started battling back themselves. Giavotella’s RBI-single cut the lead to 4-3, and he would later score on Santander’s two-run homer which gave the Birds the lead back at 5-4. However Pittsburgh would later tie the game, and then in the top of the ninth take the lead with an RBI-double.

But the home team bats last, and that’s where Washington’s heroics came in. At first it appeared to be a lazy fly ball to right field, however it got into the wind and it carried out. And that can happen in spring training quite frequently. In that case, it obviously benefited the Orioles.

The Orioles also made some news yesterday when they re-signed Pedro Alvarez (to a minor league deal). It’s unclear whether or not Alvarez is expected to break camp with the club or how long he might be in the big leagues when he comes up, but somehow I don’t see him staying in the minors for too long. My personal opinion is that he’s an Oriole on day one.

The O’s will head back down the pike to Fort Myers this afternoon to take on the Minnesota Twins. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Phil Hughes. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez struggles in loss vs. Boston

The Baltimore Orioles’ string of starters not struggling too much in games came to an end this evening with Ubaldo Jimenez. In fairness to Jimenez, Oriole bats were unable to generate much in the way of offense, especially with the B and C-teams in the lineup against Boston’s regulars. But it all begins and ends with starting pitching. Jimenez’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned), 2 BB, 3 K.

Now Orioles fans shouldn’t fret too much over this. First off, Jimenez has had a great spring – possibly the best of his career with the O’s. However he also was able to right himself after a very rough first inning. A first inning in which we actually saw action in the Orioles’ bullpen – not a good sign in any game.

Boston’s Young got the scoring started with an RBI-single in the first, followed by one by Travis. Again, in fairness to Jimenez, the Orioles did appear to get out of the inning after yielding only those two runs. However the Birds couldn’t turn a double-play on a bounding ball to Rutledge, and an additional run scored.

Jimenez allowed a base hit to start off the fourth, and he was then relieved for the evening. However that run came around to score on a throwing error by Pena behind the plate, and that sealed the Orioles’ fate with a 4-0 loss. But no harm, no foul…the game didn’t count.

For his part, Jimenez knew that he struggled but he also knew that he was able to recoup his composure and get things in order (quotes courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

They told me I was rushing a little bit, my mechanics were a little bit too fast. And then in the second I was able to get it back.

Jimenez went onto say how good he was feeling thus far on the spring, which certainly bodes well for the Orioles come the regular season:

I feel good, I feel really good. Physically, mentally and everything. Everything’s good. I’m just throwing the pitches that I need in order to be ready for the season.

One bad outing or inning shouldn’t change that for the Orioles, Jimenez, or even for the fans. There are those reading this who just assume that now the real Jimenez comes out. You have to look at the whole body of work in the sense that this game is the exception to the rule – for the spring. One bad inning shouldn’t change that.

The Orioles return home to Sarasota tomorrow afternoon to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mike Wright heads to the bump for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Clay Holmes. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles started something with Ed Smith Stadium

This is the Baltimore Orioles’ eighth season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. It’s been a beneficial move for everyone involved. The Birds got a decent facility that they turned into a state-of-the-art place, and Sarasota got a team that they could embrace and who wanted to be embraced by Sarasota. It’s been a win-win.

Many people’s issues with the Grapefruit League as opposed to the Cactus League is that the teams are spread so far apart. And that’s not anything that’s going to change so far as I know. Yes in the future the Orioles will actually be sharing Sarasota with the Atlanta Braves, but for the most part you’re looking at getting on a bus for an hour for road games. In Arizona, often times ballparks are 5-10 minutes apart.

However that aside, the O’s really started something with Ed Smith Stadium, much like they did in 1992 with Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Since then, Minnesota, Boston, Houston, and Washington have all moved into new state-of-the art facilities. And I feel that’s really given the Grapefruit League a shot in the arm in a sense.

It’s kind of rejuvenated the idea of going down to Florida and hitting several different parks in the span of a few days. And I think that the coolest part of these new ballparks is that teams are working extra hard to incorporate as much of their home ballparks into their spring training facilities – both for players and fans. Fields are often the same dimension as their home field, as an example.

For fans, the idea of “Fenway South” is a cool idea and experience. At Boston’s Jet Blue Park, it’s all but a miniature replica version of Fenway – complete with a green monster. I mentioned Houston and Washington above; this year they began sharing the new Ballpark of the Palms in Palm Beach. In Washington’s case, they bring their racing Presidents down with them to give the feel of a game at Nationals Park.

But the first team to start this movement was the Orioles. And mind you, Ed Smith Stadium isn’t new. The facility’s been there for years. The O’s just cleaned it up and gave it a whole new look and feel. The seats are the original seats that they had in Camden Yards, and they were shipped to Sarasota after they re-did the seating in Baltimore. The food they serve has a Baltimore flavor to it, with several crab options on the menu. And yes folks, they play “Country Boy” in the seventh inning!

The Orioles will hit one of the ballparks I mentioned above this evening when they travel to Ft. Myers to take on the BoSox at Jet Blue Park. Ubaldo Jimenez will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kyle Kendrick. In a rare night game in spring training, game time is set for just after 6 PM.