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: Seth Smith homers in victory over Toronto

Seth Smith smacked his first spring training home run as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, as the Birds defeated Toronto 6-4 yesterday afternoon. I know that I always say wins and losses mean nothing here in spring training. However until they came into Ed Smith Stadium yesterday afternoon, I didn’t realize that Toronto had only won two games on the spring. So they’ve definitely been struggling.

In contrast, the O’s moved their record to 7-5 with yesterday’s victory. Again, it’s a meaningless stat. But if you’re going to play these games that literally don’t count, you might as well win them.

Wade Miley turned in another strong performance as a starter for the Orioles. Miley’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K. The starting pitching has been very solid for the O’s thus far, and that’s a great sign. Does that mean that it translates into a solid year for starting pitching come the regular season? Not in the least. But it’s a good sign. Needless to say, we aren’t sitting here talking about how suspect Oriole pitching has been.

The O’s took an early 2-0 lead in the last of the first when Trumbo smacked an RBI-single, and Kim added a sac fly-RBI. Craig Gentry would add a three-run homer in the last of the second, which broke the game wide open in the Orioles’ favor at 5-0. Three innings later, it was the aforementioned Smith’s turn, as his solo shot made it 6-0.

Smith is a guy that the Orioles brought in this off season for defensive and OBP purposes. But occasionally he’ll put one over the fence as well. So the Orioles won’t commplain when that does occasionally happen. Unfortunately for Smith this one came with nobody on base, but that’s life…!

Toronto would muster four runs in the sixth and seventh innings, however the Orioles were able to hold on in the end for the win. Again, wins and losses don’t mean much here. However for what it’s worth the Orioles sit smack in the middle of the Grapefruit League “standings.”

And with that said, the Birds have arrived at the first break in the schedule. Today is an off day for the Orioles, and there’s no game scheduled. Normally teams get one day off during spring training. But this year with the WBC teams are getting two. The Birds have one now, and one towards the end of spring training.

Baltimore Orioles score one for the US of A

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Dominican Repubic National Baseball team and their hot shot third baseman, Manny Machado, yesterday afternoon by the sore of 5-4. Yes, I just wrote that, and no it’s not backwards day! International competition can sometimes provide us with strange visuals in sports, and the image of Machado at Ed Smith Stadium in the visitors’ third base side dugout in road grays competing against the Orioles is one of them.

Kevin Gausman got the start for the Orioles against his teammate and the Dominican Republic, and he was strong from the beginning. Gausman’s line: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. Gausman continued a “tradition” of sorts with Orioles starters looking good in their muted outings in these spring training games. I suspect that towards the end of this week or over the weekend starters will start going four or five innings as we get into the meat of the Grapefruit League season.

The Birds took a 2-0 lead in the last of the third on Kim’s two-RBI single. The DR would tie it in the sixth on a walk with the bases loaded, and a wild pitch. However the Orioles’ Perez would give them the lead back in the last of the eighth on his infield RBI-single.

However in the ninth inning the DR would strike for two runs. Cruz’s RBI-single tied the game, and Marte reached on an E5 which scored a run and gave them a 4-3 lead. It’s important to note that the Orioles played this like one would play a traditional spring training game. The starters got a few innings and were lifted. However the DR’s team is in essence an all-star team stacked with big leaguers – such as Machado and Cruz. So at the end when the DR had a few reserves in against the Orioles’ reserves, they were still big leaguers in a sense.

However the Birds ended up prevailing none the less. Rickard laid down a sacrifice bunt, which resulted in a throwing error (E1). That allowed the tying run to score, and with Mancini at the plate Washington was able to score on a wild pitch to win the game for the Orioles.

I suppose it’s fun to say that the Birds represented America in this game, and in a sense they did. But this is a DR team full of their friens and peers, so it’s not quite that intense. However as I said above, this was an Orioles team at the end full of reserves. And they made the most of it.

After the game manager Buck Showalter was asked what the strangest part of a somewhat strange gameday was, and he didn’t hesitate (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Watching Manny play for another team. Not much fun.

Showalter went onto say that he knows what a big deal it is for Machado to represent his family’s home country. But at the end of the day, Manny’s an Oriole. And he’ll return to Ed Smith Stadium at some point and still be an Oriole.

The Birds will remain in Sarasota this afternoon to take on the Toronto Blue Jays, in the final game before an off day tomorrow. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Mat Latos. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles seeing good things from Dylan Bundy

The Baltimore Orioles are seeing good things thus far in camp out of presumed starter, Dylan Bundy. He was given the start in this afternoon’s matinee in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers, and with great results. Bundy’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the third on Giavotella’s RBI-single. That third inning ended up being a six-run affair, with the Birds putting run after run on the board. Orioles fans can’t be upset by the fact that the Birds’ B-team put up a crooked number against Detroit’s starters. Whether that reflects more on Detroit or the Orioles is another story. But the O’s sure did clamp down on Detroit at the plate.

For the purposes of the game itself, Bundy set a tone that was followed by the entire team. And that’s what you want from your starter in any game. The O’s also followed the recent move of allowing a “presumed starter” to go three innings. Bundy is expected to be in the rotation – both by the Orioles’ brass, as well as this writer!

Tomorrow should be an interesting day in Sarasota. The O’s will take a step out of Grapefruit League play and take on the Dominican Republic’s national team, who’s tuning up for the WBC. The Dominican Republic team features none other than Manny Machado – at shortstop. So the image of Machado playing at Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium against the Orioles will be a bit strange. But needless to say it’ll be an interesting day.

Kevin Gausman will head to the mound against the DR tomorrow, with no opposing starter having been announced yet for the DR. My understanding is that similar to the final tuneup in Norfolk against the Tides, this game won’t count against Grapefruit League standings – if you care about that type of thing. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Mike Wright leads the way and the day

Behind a solid effort by starter Mike Wright, the Baltimore Orioles avenged an earlier spring training loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit overly melodramatic. It might even be overly melodramatic to say that the O’s defeated Philadelphia in front of a sun-splashed crowd on a chamber of commerce day in Sarasota. These games don’t count – remember?!

But the Orioles do have a few things about which to get excited in this game, starting with their starter. Wright’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K. The lone run Wright surrendered was on a Coghlan RBI-single, which scored Alther – who had reached on a HBP. Ironically, Alther didn’t react like he thought the pitch hit him, but the umpire gave him first base. Nevertheless, Wright pitched out of it, indicating that mentally he might be in a better position that he was in the past.

The Orioles evened the game on a Castillo RBI-double in the last of the fourth. It was wind-aided for sure, although not how one might think. The wind turned it into a lazy pop fly to left, and the fielder dove and had the ball pop up and smack him in the fact. it was ruled a double, and the game was tied.

Philadelphia would re-take the lead in the sixth on a Rupp homer, however Janish’s sac fly-RBI in the last of the seventh tied it again (at two). Later in the inning, Schafer’s comebacker was knocked down in the infield, with the bases loaded. That forced in what ended up being the winning run, and the O’s had themselves a 3-2 victory in spring training.

Again folks, the wins and losses aren’t important here. What is important is the fact that Wright looked good. Also noteworthy were the performances of Darren O’Day and Donnie Hart. O’Day struck out two, and Hart one. Neither surrendered a hit, walk, or run. We know O’Day will be on the final roster, however as I’ve written before Showalter really liked using Donnie Hart late in the season last year. He showed a lot of value to the team, and Showalter seemed to trust him coming out of the bullpen in later innings.

The Orioles will look a lot different after today, as the likes of Machado, Jones, Givens, Nuno, and Castillo will depart to play for their respective countries in the WBC. This means opportunity for quite a few younger players, who will replace these guys in games. However it also means that the games after they return become all that more important for team-building.

The Orioles will head to Lakeland tomorrow to take on the Detroit Tigers. Dylan Bundy will get the start for the Orioles, however Detroit has not yet named a starter. game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez looks good in 1-0 win

Most fans of course are going to remember Ubaldo Jimenez for coming into last year’s AL Wild Card game and giving up the winning home run, sending the Baltimore Orioles home for the winter. However they aren’t going to remember the month of September, in which Jimenez was strong down the stretch for the Orioles. By far, he was their best pitcher and he was key in the Orioles even being in the playoffs.

Jimenez has seemingly continued that trend into spring training this year, most recently with yesterday afternoon’s game in Port Charlotte against Tampa. Jimenez’s line: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. Jimenez struggled a bit with his pitch count in the first inning, but came out unscathed. You might also notice that he was stretched to three innings as opposed to the two that presumed starters had been going into the games.

Schafer’s seventh inning RBI-double provided the lone run of the game, as the O’s blanked Tampa 1-0. This was a very well-pitched game on both sides, but it was Oriole pitching that was just that much better. Granted it’s tough to say that given the fact that there’s no rhyme or reason to these games. And furthermore, everything is all but scripted in terms of who’s coming in and when. But the fact is that Oriole pitching outdid their Tampa counterparts yesterday.

Jimenez is a guy that could really benefit from the longer Grapefruit League season this year due to the WBC. The more games in which he appears before the bullets fly for real, the better. Again, most people are going to remember his faults overall as an Oriole, but he’s also come up big in some big spots for the Birds. When he’s been off, he’s really been off. But he’s also been on at various points when he’s needed to be on.

The O’s will return to Ed Smith Stadium this afternoon to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Mike Wright will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Nick Pivetta. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Does a potential David Price injury open a door?

The Baltimore Orioles fell 5-2 yesterday in Bradenton to Pittsburgh, however the big concern was pitcher Wade Miley, who got hit with a comebacker. Miley was charged with four runs in one plus innings, however the concern was his well-being after being hit on the left forearm. Miley left the game, but afterwards said he was fine (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

A little pinball action. Just kind of bounced around a little bit, upper arm, rib cage, but it’s good. Just kind of burned a little bit. We’re good. More precautionary to take me out. I could have stayed out there, but just to be safe.

Sounds like the Orioles and Miley probably dodged a bullet. In the mean time, there’s some big injury news out of BoSox camp. Ace David Price has been having soreness in his left elbow, and earlier in the week the rumor was he was a candidate for Tommy Johns this year.

Price traveled to Indianapolis this week to be examined by Dr. James Andrews (which incidentally is a name that injects fear into the mind of any athlete), who was working at the NFL Combine. However Andrews’ verdict was that the tests were inconclusive in terms of the need for surgery. The plan for Price right now is just to rest for 7-10 days.

First off we wish Price well; you never want to see anyone get hurt. However while it appears that he’s going to be fine for the time being, it’s something to watch for Boston. So…what would this mean for the O’s?

If Price was injured to the point of missing time during the regular season, it’s an opening for the O’s or any other team to get a leg up on Boston. If you listen to the “experts,” they’ve already given Boston the AL East as it is. But we should keep in mind that there’s a reason why they play these games in the regular season – it’s anyone’s division on day one. So a division rival suddenly not having their ace starter would be good news for the Birds.

Some folks will point out that the Orioles are without theirs also. However mind you that Tillman is expected to pitch in the first week of the season – just not on Opening Day. Furthermore Tillman’s injury was much earlier than this. Price is missing his 7-10 days starting now. As I said, it’s something to watch.

The Orioles will head to Port Charlotte this afternoon to take on the Tampa Rays. Ubaldo Jimenez will be on the mound for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Chris Archer. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman srong in tie

Kevin Gausman is the presumed Opening Day starter for the Baltimore Orioles this year with Tillman apparently on the shelf. Gausman looked fairly strong through two innings yesterday afternoon in what ended up a 6-6 tie with Minnesota. Gausman’s line: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

The Birds had an early 1-0 lead after Davis’ RBI-double in the last of the irst. However the lone run that Gausman gave up came on a sac fly-RBI in the second. And you can live with a pitcher giving up a run – especially one like that. One thing I’ve noticed about Oriole pitching this spring (and Gausman is no exception) is that they’ve cut down on walks. Sure here and there someone will walk a batter, but the presumed big leaguers don’t seem to be issuing free passes.

Minnesota broke the game wide open against Oriole farmhand Jason Garcia in the third. A three-RBI double off the bat of Polanco gave the a 4-1 lead over the homestanding Orioles. Polanco struck again in the fifth with a two-run home run that ran the score to 5-1, and Minnesota would add an insurance run as well in the eighth.

However needless to say, the O’s weren’t going to lose on their home field in Sarasota. An eighth inning Washington two-run homer, a ninth inning Rickard solo shot, and a two-run homer off the bat of Mountcastle later in that ninth inning evened up the score at six The teams played one extra frame, and when nobody scored everyone hit the showers and called it a day.

Meanwhile the Orioles’ B-team headed to Tampa to play New York, where they lost 8-1. Keep in mind when you see that score that very few players in that game were true big leaguers. Tyler Wilson could be considered as such, and he got the start. Wilson’s line: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Again, you’ll take numbers like that in a spring game. Especially when the regular Orioles’ defense wasn’t playing behind him. That lone run came off of a Holiday home run. And in fact, the Orioles’ lone run of the game came off of a Joseph homer – Joseph of course being a bona fide major leaguer.

Remember folks, it’s not about wins and losses at this stage. It’s about how the team looks together, and about players having the opportunity to get the rust off from the off season. So sometimes when you see a screwy number like an 8-1 loss, or even a three-run inning, you have to ask yourself if the players or the pitcher involved in that are going to be on the big league roster come Opening Day. In many cases they won’t.

The Orioles will this afternoon travel to Bradenton to take on Pittsburgh. Wade Miley will get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Gerritt Cole. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles hang a crooked number vs. Boston

The Baltimore Orioles continued their trend of working their starters two innings and getting them out yesterday afternoon against Boston with Dylan Bundy. He put in his work, and then was out. Bundy’s line: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned), 0 BB, 2 K. The two runs came on a Benintendi two-run homer in the first inning. However Bundy settled down after that and got to work.

However the Orioles weren’t going to be outdone on this day in Sarasota against their AL East rivals. Adam Jones smacked a solo homer in the last of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. Welington Castillo added an RBI-double, and Chris Johnson a two-RBI double. Suddenly the Birds were in the lead at 4-2.

Boston would cut it to 4-3 in the third, however the O’s kept the pressure on. Gentry’s RBI single in the last of the third ran the tally to 5-3, and Adam Jones followed with a bases-clearing three-RBI single. That seemingly broke the game wide open, as the Orioles held an 8-3 lead. The “baby Birds” who did mop-up duty in the end of the game managed to tack on four more runs towards the end of the game as well, giving the O’s a 12-5 win over Boston.

You alway like to win, especially against a division rival such as Boston. However we all know that the scores and even the outcomes of these games are all but irrelevant. What was relevant however was the fact that Brad Brach made his 2017 debut in this game as well. Brach walked a batter and gave up two hits – but didn’t surrender a run. And that’s what these games are really for when it comes to veterans and regulars – getting the cobwebs shaken off.

One thing I noticed was that Adam Jones was lifted after the third. In essence, that was due to the fact that he had already had a moster game. This prompted manager Buck Showalter to proclaim after the game that Jones was ready for prime time already at this point (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Adam played about seven innings today in three innings. He got three at-bats and ran all over the field. He’s ready to go.

Obviously that’s a good sign for the Orioles; the fact that their star center fielder is already set to go. Jones has quietly had a very strong start to spring training this year thus far. And that’s a good omen for the Orioles.

Today is a split squad day for the Birds, with the B-squad heading up to Tampa this evening to take on the Yankees. The regulars will stay back in Sarasota to welcome the Minnesota Twins to Ed Smith Stadium. Kevin Gausman will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Phil Hughes. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall late in Mike Wright’s debut

Mike Wright made his Grapefruit League debut for the Baltimore Orioles yesterday afternoon. Wright’s line: 2.o IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned) 0 BB, 1 K. Wright gave up a two-run homer in the last of the second before exiting the game, however the Orioles (as well as Wright) seemed satisfied with the outing overall.

After the game Wright obviously wished he hadn’t given up the homer, however he seemed to feel he was in a good spot overall (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

That pitch, I wish I could have back, but I’m really happy with the progression I’ve made as far as mindset and going out there and executing pitches.

Wright’s been noted during his stint with the Orioles for kind of losing his composure at times. That didn’t seem to be the case yesterday. And if he can start putting it together, both he and the Orioles will be in a better spot for success.

Chris Dickerson’s solo homer in the third and Johnny Giavotella’s RBI-triple in the fifth tied the game for the Birds. Later in that fifth inning they took the lead on a Santander sac fly-RBI. However it was two homers in the last of the eighth off of Philadelphia bats that ended up doing the Orioles in by the score of 7-5.

The details of the game aren’t really as important as one might think, save perhaps for Wright’s outing. Like most teams, the Orioles don’t exactly put their A-team on the travel roster for these games. But with that said, it was good to see presumed minor leaguers competing against Philadelphia’s regulars for the most part.

Going back to Wright’s temperment for just a moment, I totally get where he’s coming from. I can be pretty harsh on myself at times, and what ends up happening is that you make the situation worse. And that’s happened several times in games for Wright. So the fact that he was able to get a hold of himself and avoid a situation like that is a good sign. Granted this is only spring training, but guys don’t think that way when they’re in games. They’re playing to win.

The Orioles will return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota this afternoon for their first Grapefruit League meeting with the Boston Red Sox. Dylan Bundy will make his first appearance of the spring for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Henry Owens. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez with a decent outing in loss vs. New York

The Baltimore Orioles fell this afternoon in Sarasota, 4-1 to the New York Yankees. However starter Ubaldo Jimenez looked good in his maiden appearance of the spring. Jimenez’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

Jimenez allowed a couple of hits and base runners in the first inning, however pitched out of it and only allowed one run. That came on a fielder’s choice-RBI by judge. During an in-game interview on MASN, manager Buck Showalter said that this spring was the crispest Jimenez has looked (in spring training) since he’s been an Oriole. Showalter went onto remind Orioles fans that the team doesn’t make the post season last year without Jimenez.

The Orioles tied the game at one with a Jonathan Schoop solo homer in the last of the third. However for the most part, Oriole pitching held firm through the game. One thing of note, Chris Davis walked in his first at-bat for the second consecutive game. And that’s a good sign for the Orioles, as the more guys you get on base the more shots you have to put a run across the plate.

Reliever Oliver Drake surrendered a three-run homer in the ninth, which ended up winning the game for New York. However as I always say, keep in mind that pitchers are ahead of hitters at this point in the spring. So while Oriole bats weren’t popping this afternoon, these games are all about getting your timing back.

Southpaw Donnie Hart retired two hitters this afternoon, sending his tally to six up and six down this spring. As you may recall, Showalter really seemed to like Hart and what he brought to the table last August and September. The fact that he’s getting into these early games is a good sign. Whether or not that means he breaks camp with the team is another story. But look for Donnie Hart to have a role this year at some point at the big league level.

The Orioles will tomorrow travel to Clearwater to take on Philadelphia at their spring complex. Mike Wright will get the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Clay Buchholtz. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.