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: Too close for comfort – but still a win

It feels like ages ago that starter Jack Flaherty took to the hill for the Baltimore Orioles today. What was supposed to be a late afternoon matinee was prolonged by a 90-minute rain delay before the game even started. And once it did, Flaherty saw his recent struggles continue. But then again, it wasn’t the say nor the park for pitchers overall. Flaherty’s line: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Flaherty gave up a two-run homer to Turner in the first inning. But the O’s came back and took the lead later on. They never relinquished it once they had it. But it was still a dog fight.

Jordan Westburg’s RBI-single in the second cut the lead in half. One inning later the O’s tied the game and later took the lead. Anthony Santander’s RBI-double knotted it up at two. Later in the inning Aaron Hicks smacked a three-run homer, giving the O’s a 5-2 lead.

One inning later in the fifth James McCann’s two-run shot extended the lead to 7-2, in a moment that seemed somewhat definitive. But it was anything BUT. Boston would put four across in the bottom of the frame, including one on a rare Gunnar Henderson error. And the Birds’ lead went down to 7-6.

The good news was they still had the lead. And obviously, Oriole bats knew that they needed to step it up. No lead is safe at Fenway Park. The O’s smacked two solo homers in the sixth, one by Jordan Westburg and one by James McCann. That was McCann’s second homer of the game, for the record.

And Gunnar Henderson would eventually atone for his error earlier in the ballgame. His two-run home run in the seventh extended the lead to 12-6. However again, no lead is safe at Fenway Park. Boston spent most of the game reminding the Orioles of that, poignantly when they put two across in the eighth. Luckily the Orioles got an insurance run on Ramon Urias’ RBI-single in the ninth.

Yennier Cano came on to close out the game, but Boston made him WORK. He didn’t have his usual command, but Fenway can do that. And it always seems to do it to pitchers pitching against Boston. However Cano surrendered three runs, finally recording the last out on a pop fly with the winning run on base. And the O’s took the first two games of the series.

Make no mistake that while this game was a dog fight, and one that probably shouldn’t have been, it’s also a win. And at this point that’s the only thing that needs to be said or understood. You win and move on in September when you’re in a pennant race. Or more like in the lead in a pennant race – fixed that. The magic number to win the AL East now stands at 17.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Brayan Bello. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles win Boston Massacre

Kyle Bradish pitched a great game last night for the Baltimore Orioles. He was also the beneficiary of an offensive spurt that lowered the Orioles’ magic number to 18. And perhaps put other playoff teams on further notice of what sort of fate could befall them this October. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K.

The Birds took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Ryan O’Hearn sent a solo homer past Fenway!/Park’s “Pesky pole.” However that was a narrow lead, and only a precursor of what what to come. Cedric Mullins’ two-RBI triple in the sixth would add to the lead, which at that point stood at 3-0.

Mullins also took third on an error, and he would score on Austin Hays’ run-scoring single. Adley Rutschman would also add a sac fly-RBI, and the O’s led 5-0. Boston would get two back in the bottom of the inning on a solo homer by Wong, and an RBI-double by Turner.

At that brief moment you wondered if this wouldn’t end up being t more of a dog fight than it ended up being. But short of those two runs, Boston wasn’t up to the challenge. And this is an Orioles’ team that does it’s best work late.

They put two across in the eighth, one on an Adley Rutschman solo homer, and the other on a wild pitch which scored Gunnar Henderson. In the ninth Adley Rutschman would ground into a fielder’s choice-RBI, followed by Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single. Aaron Hicks would tack on a two-RBI single, sending the O’s home with an 11-2 win.

Those last two innings were borderline unprofessional by the Boston bullpen. And mind you, Boston’s still in the outer fringes of the playoff race. The good news for the Orioles is that they took full advantage of the situation. They scored six runs in the last two innings. Part of being a winning team is taking advantage of your opponents’ mishaps. The O’s did that, and they narrowed their magic number to win the AL East to 18 games.

The series continues today at Fenway Park. Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Chris Sale. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles grit to another win

Dean Kremer didn’t have his best stuff last night in Anaheim, but neither did the Baltimore Orioles in total. And throughout a 162-game season, that’s sometimes going to be the case. But at this point you want to win and move on. And that’s exactly what the Orioles did last night. Kremer’s line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles took the lead in the third in an RBI-single by Adley Rutschman. What was important about that play was the hit was to shallow left field. Anaheim’s left fielder, Grichuk, came up throwing – trying to nail the runner at home plate. The throw was way up the line, which allowed Rutschman to take second on the throw.

Ryan Mountcastle would then plate Rutschman with an RBI-single. Now that is an earned run, and it doesn’t go down as an error – because the official scorer ruled that even a good throw wouldn’t have gotten the runner. But it’s fundamental mistakes like that which separate the men from the boys. And past Oriole teams have made that exact mistake, and opposing teams have taken advantage. Shoe’s on the other foot now.

Anaheim would tie the score in the seventh on an RBI-double by Drury and an RBI-single by Moustakas. Cabbage’s RBI-single in the eighth would give Anaheim a 3-2 lead. But these are the Orioles – and they do their best work late. With their backs against the wall.

Ryan O’Hear’s RBI-single in the ninth would tie the game at three, and the O’s would actually take the lead on a subsequent RBI-single by Ryan Mountcastle. However Anaheim was’t about to go quietly either. Moniak’s RBI-single in the last of the ninth tied the game back up at four, and sending it to extra innings.

And the with the ghost runner on third and one out, Jordan Westburg turned on a soft ground ball in the infield. The only play was at first, giving the O’s a 5-4 lead. This time they were able to close it out, ensuring themselves of a series win in Anaheim. And giving them the season series against the Angels.

Unfortunately for the Birds, Tampa came back to defeat Boston in extra innings. Do their lead remains 3.5 games in the AL East, making that series against Tampa at Camden Yards next weekend look bigger and bigger. However by virtue of the win, the O’s trimmed their magic number to 21.

The series concludes this evening at Angel Stadiun. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Patrick Sandoval. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, Gunnar Henderson lead Birds over Halo’s

Grayson Rodriguez got the start last night for the Baltimore Orioles in Angel Stadium against Anaheim. Given where Anaheim is in the standings, it shouldn’t have been the opener of a high stakes series. But it was – because of where the Orioles were in the standings. Tampa had already lost earlier in the day, meaning that the O’s had a shot to put more space between them. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Luckily for the Orioles, Rodriguez did his part. He’s been great thus far since coming back to the big leagues (following a stint back in triple-A). But he’s still a rookie, and a guy with such little experience throwing in such a high stakes game does give you pause. However Rodriguez was up to the challenge. He gave up an early run in the second on a Moniak RBI-double, but it was smooth sailing from there for the most part.

Luckily for Rodriguez, Oriole bats immediately answered. And that’s what good teams do. Giving up one run early means nothing. Austin Hays promptly tied the game in the top of the third with an RBI-double. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single immediately gave the Orioles the lead – and for good. Aaron Hicks (who’s back from the DL) would add to that with an RBI-single later in the inning, and the Orioles led 3-1.

Again, this is what good teams do. When the O’s were struggling in past years we saw good teams of those era’s doing it to the Birds. You might net an early run and take an early lead in a ballgame. But the cream rises to the top. And a good team isn’t worrying about being one or two runs down early. Especially a team like the O’s, who’ve consistently done their best work late all year.

Anaheim would close to within one on a solo homer by Grichuk in the fourth, but again a good team isn’t going to let that bother them. Gunnar Henderson put the Orioles over the top in the seventh with a three-run homer. Anaheim would again inch closer on a solo shot by Drury in the eighth, however the Birds were able to close out a 6-3 win in Southern California.

With the aforementioned Tampa loss, the O’s now lead the AL East by 3.5 games. Their “magic number” to win the division is 22. That still sounds like a lot, but it closes fast – so long as they keep on winning. And they have a chance to close some big space next weekend when Tampa comes to Camden Yards for four games.

The series continues this evening at Angel Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Reid Detmers. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins homer spears big fourth inning

In taking the bump at Chase Field for the Baltimore Orioles last night, Peoria, AZ native Kyle Bradish got to pitch a game in the ballpark he grew up visiting. While he didn’t necessarily have his best command, Bradish muscled through and pitched to a quality start. And got the win; which is probably the most important part. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

Bradish’s two runs surrendered were somewhat fluky. Marte’s RBI-double in the third gave Arizona a 1-0 lead. It was a weird bouncing ball down the first base line, which didn’t go that far. However the field turf slowed it up enough for Marte to get to second. Later in the inning Thomas grounded into a force out with the bases loaded by bouncing a ball high off the field turf, not allowing the O’s to turn two. The Birds trailed 2-0 after three.

But that’s where the fluky ended and power took over. The O’s put two runners on in the fourth, bringing Cedric Mullins to the plate. And Mullins sent a DEEP shot to right field, resulting in a three-run homer. Just like that, the O’s led 3-2.

But they were just getting warmed up. Adam Frazier and James McCann added RBI-doubles, and Adley Rutschman an RBI-single. When the smoke cleared, the Orioles led 6-2.

Big innings are key for championship-caliber teams. If you can put up a crooked number here or there, you’ll never be out of a game. And that’s key as we go towards October.

Adley Rutschman would shoot a solo homer out in the seventh. Arizona’s Moreno would follow suit in the last of the ninth, however too little too late. The O’s took this one 7-3, and with Tampa losing as well narrowed their magic number to win the AL East Pennant to 25.

The series concludes this afternoon at Chase Field. Jack Flaherty gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Arizona’s Zac Gallen. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles done in by two-run homers, Gunnar Henderson with a web gem

The Baltimore Orioles opened up a nine-game road trip in Phoenix last night with Kyle Gibson on the mound. The Orioles opened the night with a magic number of 27 to clinch the division. Because Tampa lost, it went down to 27, however the O’s came out flat in game one in Phoenix. Gibson’s line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Ryan O’Hearn smacked an RBI-single in the top of the first to give the O’s a 1-0 lead. However in the last of the first we saw a fluky type of play which sometimes happens to the Orioles. And has for years upon years it seems.

Arizona’s Marte hit a bouncer down the third base line. Ramon Urias charge the ball, but it took a funny hop and evaded his glove. Luckily Gunnar Henderson backed up the play (which was ruled a base hit), preventing Marte from getting a double. However it didn’t matter; Gurriel smacked a two-run homer in the next at-bat.

Unfortunately that fluky sort of play set the tone. All things being the same, had that play been made it would have been a tie game. However the game wasn’t without a major highlight from the Orioles. With one out and runners at the corners in the last of the fourth, Ahmed sent a lazy pop fly into shallow left. Gunnar Henderson ran out from shortstop and made a basket catch.

The runner at third had apparently already decided to tag up and try to score. Aggressive for sure given the depth of the fly ball, but it also took a perfect throw to nail the runner at home plate. However Henderson made a perfect throw, and combined with Adley Rutschman’s perfect tag, the O’s got out of the inning with a 6-2 double-play.

Arizona would extend their lead to 4-1 on Walker’s two-run homer. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-double in the eighth would bring the O’s to within two at 4-2, however they couldn’t get any closer. And the Birds dropped game one in the desert.

The series continues this evening at Chase Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Arizona’s Slade Cecconi. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall in finale with ChiSox

The good news for the Baltimore Orioles today was that they picked up where they left off last night. The bad news is that they didn’t continue that trend as the game moved on, behind starter Kyle Gibson – who similarly started strong but cooled off. Gibson’s line: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

However again, the O’s started strong out of the box. Anthony Santander’s RBI-double in the last of the first got the Orioles on the board. Ryan O’Hearn and Adam Frazier followed with RBI-singles, and Jordan Westburg’s sac fly-RBI extended the Oriole lead to 4-0. This after one inning.

However Chicago bounced back. Two separate two-run home runs in the second inning swiftly tied the score. As I mentioned above, Gibson didn’t walk anyone. And these results combined with that stat does actually mean something. Gibson was getting TOO MUCH of the strike zone. He was dealing, and they were swinging.

Robert’s solo homer in the third gave ChicAgo a 5-4 lead. All in all, the ChiSox put up three runs in the inning, and led the O’s 7-4. However Anthony Santander would inch the Birds closer with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, which cut the lead to 7-5.

But that was as close as the Orioles would ever be in this game. Anderson’s two-RBI triple in the sixth ran the lead to 9-5. Benintendi followed with an RBI-double, and the O’s dropped the series finale (and the finale of the home stand), 10-5.

You never want to lose games, especially against a team such as Chicago that you should beat. But we can also quickly forget how hard it is to sweep someone. Look no further than the fact that the Orioles themselves haven’t been swept since early last season to drive that point home. But if you keep on winning the majority of your series’, you’re going to be in the postseason in the end. And mark my words, the Orioles will be.

Baltimore Orioles: It’s Anthony Santander’s world, we just live in it

The Baltimore Orioles got a quality start out of Dean Kremer this evening at Camden Yards. Unfortunately that stat is probably lost to most, as Kremer didn’t qualify for the win. He was non-decisioned, but only missed out on the win by virtue of when the O’s took the lead. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

Kremer’s line lackadaisical pitch was in the top of the third on a solo homer by Sosa. And you’re going to make bad pitches here and there. You just hope that one doesn’t cost you a game. Luckily it didn’t.

Adam Frazier tied the game at one with an RBI-single in the last of the fifth. Kremer exited after pitching no part of the seventh, his quality start in tact. This despite the tie. But the best was yet to come.

It was 1-1 going into the last of the seventh. The Orioles worked the count and loaded the bases with Anthony Santander coming to the plate. With a two strike count, Santander sent a bases-clearing double to right field, giving the Birds a 4-1 lead. But that wasn’t the end…

…and not by a long shot at that. The O’s would extend their lead to 5-1 on Cedric Mullins’ fielder’s choice-RBI. That in and of itself gave the O’s a little bit of cushion. This in that it was no longer a save situation.

The O’s would bust it wide open later in the inning on Ryan McKenna’s two-RBI double. McKenna would almost immediately notice that the ChiSox pitcher wasn’t really paying attention, and he stole third base. He would later score on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single.

You have to hand it to McKenna. He was maligned for much of the season following game two when he dropped a fly ball in Boston. But he’s thrived as we’ve gone forward, despite being sent to triple-A once.

Santander would come back up later in the eighth, providing a two-RBI single. Chicago would push across two nominal runs in the ninth, and the O’s went home with a 9-3 win. In taking the series, the Orioles have equaled their 2022 win total at 83. Tbey’re 34 games over .500, and they have the best record in the American League.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Dylan Cease. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: A victory with pop music royalty in the house

Grayson Rodriguez and the Baltimore Orioles put on a show this evening at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and with a special guest in the house at that. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett toon in tonight’s game, and had to have been impressed with what she saw. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Jett of course is a legendary Orioles “super fan.” Her family came to Maryland when she was a young girl, and she got into the the local team, that being the Orioles. She had already joined the Birds earlier in the season in Tampa. She also committed to returning before all was said and done this season during an interview on MASN. Question is, will that happen in September, or…October?!

Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single in the last of the third put the Orioles on the board and gave them a 2-0 lead. One inning later Ryan McKenna scored on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 3-0. But the Orioles were just getting warmed up.

Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single later in the fourth extended the lead to 4-0. However how often have we said that this team does it’s best work late? Usually that happens when they’re trailing – or at least it happens in a more poignant manner, that is. But even with the Orioles already leading, the Birds still did their best work late.

Ryan McKenna’s two-RBI single in the eighth blew the game wide open, with the Orioles leading 6-0. Later in the inning with two on, Anthony Santander’s three-run homer onto the flag court extended the Oriole lead to 9-0. If the game wasn’t already over before, it was over then. And the Orioles took game one of the series, 9-0. And securing the Orioles’ 82nd win of the season, clinching a second straight winning record.

One more point about Joan Jett’s visit. As I said, she mentioned on MASN that she’d like to come back to a game this season. I think it’s important for the Orioles to highlight and lift up the fans during the push in the playoffs come October. Joan Jett, being a member of the Orioles’ fan base, is representative of the fans. Who better to sing the National Anthem on national television before a playoff game?!

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Jesse Scholtens. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles shine in wake of Bautista injury

Kyle Bradish was taxed with steadying the Baltimore Orioles’ ship in the wake of closer Felix Bautista being injured on Friday. And he did his job, along with the rest of the team. The Birds dazzled the sellout crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, telling fans that things were going to be okay. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K.

Before the game Brandon Hyde and GM Mike Elias updated the media on Bautista’s condition. He was put on the IL, and it appears that there was at least “some damage” to the UCL. Whether the eventuality ends up being Tommy John’s surgery or not remains to be seen. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the O’s, but…next man up. Many people thought the season was over when Ryan Mountcastle got injured – and that was on Memorial Day. Instead itt made them stronger. You have to hope this will also.

Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI-single by Blackmon and an RBI-groundout by Tovar. However the O’s came back – as has been their way this year. Austin Hays was thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice by Ramon Urias. However the Orioles challenged the play, arguing that the Colorado catcher was blocking home plate. And the challenge was upheld, cutting the Colorado lead to 2-1.

One inning later the Birds took the lead when Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-RBI double. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout would extend the lead to 4-2. Anthony Santander would hit an RBI-double of his own in the seventh, and the Birds held a 5-2 lead.

Colorado would put two more across in the eight, cutting the lead to one as Yennier Cano was tabbed to record the save in Bautista’s stead. But before he even threw a pitch there was controversy. The umpires ruled that his glove needed to be replaced, which enraged managed Brandon Hyde:

I guess he patted his glove with the rosin bag. They wanted him to get the rosin off. Then they asked for a towel, and they felt like we needed a wet towel. And then he just needed a new glove. Unfortunately, that kind of killed the moment and the vibe, and the anxiousness heightened. But give Yenny a ton of credit for dealing with some adversity in that moment and coming out and throwing some great sinkers and changeups.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Luckily for the Orioles that seemed to inspire Cano, and he sent Colorado down 1-2-3 in the ninth. Hopefully that’s an omen for the rest of the team in the wake of the Bautista injury. Incidentally this was the Orioles’ 81st win, which clinched their second consecutive non-losing season.

The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Ty Blach. Game time is set for just after 1:35 PM,