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 led by Shane Baz’s tentative five innings

Shane Baz struggled through one of those in between starts tonight against San Diego for the Baltimore Orioles. You’ll always have ten great, ten poor, and ten in the middle. That was tonight. Luckily the bats also showed up. Baz’s line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 1 K.

Two of those runs were driven in by hometown boy, Gavin Sheets – son of former Oriole Larry Sheets. The first of those was in the top of the first on an RBI-double. However the O’s would immediately get even on Adley Rutschman’s sac fly-RBI in the last of the first.

The difference was that the Orioles didn’t stop at just one run in the first inning. Pete Alonso drew a two-out walk, bringing Samuel Basallo to the plate, who smacked a two-run home run. And that set the tone for the ballgame.

San Diego would inch back closer in the second on Tatis’ RBI-single. However the great thing about Baz’s outing and the defense behind him tonight was that they never allowed big innings to start to unfold. Whenever San Diego put a run on the board or a couple of runners on base; the rally would get shut down.

Jackson Holliday would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fourth. Later in the inning Pete Alonso would come up with a runner on base, and he smacked his second home run in as many games. This one of the two-run variety. One inning later Gunnar Henderson tacked on a solo homer, the 100th of his career.

Sheets would plate his second run in the fifth on an RBI-single. Baz was clearly starting to tire, but Craig Albernaz got him through the fifth, qualifying him for the win. The Oriole bullpen was rock solid for the final four innings, and the O’s took game one of the series, 7-3.

Baz won tonight when he wasn’t perfect. That makes a difference. He tired quickly at the end. But the bullpen picked him up. And the Birds are now within three of .500.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trey Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Randy Vasquez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Big innings and an insurance run

Kyle Bradish got the start for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the series finale against Seattle. A win for the Birds would tie the series, of course with the O’s heading to Seattle next week to play them again. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Bradish surrendered a solo home run in the first at-bat of the game. However he stabilized himself – for a period. Mercifully Oriole bats gave themselves a bit of a cushion.

The O’s however were able to figure out Seattle starter Woo after one turn through the order. Colton Cowser tied it in the third with a solo homer. The Birds strung together a couple of base hits and a walk, and before you knew it they had the bases loaded, and the potential for a big inning.

Woo uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Jackson Holliday from third. This reinforces the point that when you get guys on base, anything can happen. To show that the Orioles weren’t kidding, Adley Rutschman smacked a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 4-1.

To top it off, Pete Alonso uncorked a mammoth two-run home run. The O’s led 6-1. And Bradish was dealing. Until he wasn’t.

Sadly Bradish fell victim to the same thing that Woo did. Seattle seemed to figure him out after everyone had seen him. Raley’s two-run home run cut the lead in half at 6-3 in the fourth. Canzone would follow with a solo shot back-to-back. Seattle would tack one more on on Rodriguez’s RBI-single before the inning ended.

When the smoke cleared the Orioles’ lead had shrunk to one run at 6-5. That’s not an ideal situation. But needless to say the ball was flying tonight. Adley Rutschman would tack on an RBI-single in the fifth, which proved to be a big run.

If only for the fact that it gave the O’s just a slight bit of breathing room. And that helped the bullpen to navigate through the remainder of the game, closing Seattle out. With how this series started, to come back and salvage a split is uplifting. Especially against a first place team.

The Orioles now welcome in San Diego tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Diego’s Griffin Canning. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Jackson Holliday picks up Brandon Young

Despite the struggles thus far this year by the Baltimore Orioles, Brandon Young continues to be a great story. Young’s pitched outstanding all year, despite not having been supposed to be a part of the rotation. Tonight he served as the Orioles’ stopper – but the offense didn’t make it easy, at least early on. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Bluntly put, Young attacked the strike zone tonight. However if you look through his starts this year, he always has. From a defensive perspective, that’s how you record outs and win games. BECAUSE…winning begins and ends with starting pitching.

But he didn’t get much help. The Orioles did put men on base. But they couldn’t plate them. That came to a head when they loaded the bases in the third with nobody out. And couldn’t score.

Ironically they did get a hit with a runner in scoring position in that sequence. Gunnar Henderson got a base hit but the runner had to stop at third. And before long the inning ended and the Birds couldn’t score.

The O’s needed to get something across. They needed to thrust Brandon Young into the lead. He didn’t deserve to be non-decisioned. And he certainly didn’t deserve to lose. Luckily Pete Alonso’s sixth inning solo homer made that a bit tougher – to leave in line to lose.

Colton Cowser would steal second following his walk after the home run. He would later score on Leody Taveras’ RBI-double. Taveras would score later in the inning on a subsequent RBI-double by Blaze Alexander. And the Birds suddenly led, 3-0.

One inning later it was over. In theory. The O’s loaded the bases again, bringing Jackson Holliday to the plate. On a 1-1 count, Holliday sent a deep shot to right center, which ended up in the seats. With the grand slam, the O’s opened the game wide open and led 7-0.

Grant Wolfram would make it interesting in the eight, allowing two runs. But Yennier Cano shut the door, and the Birds snapped a four-game losing streak with the 7-2 lead. The situational hitting was off early. But they got it together late.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Bryan Woo. Game time is set for just after 7 PM,

Baltimore Orioles: Balls in play give you a shot

Trevor Rogers was pulled in the sixth inning tonight by Baltimore Orioles’ manager Craig Albernaz. Rogers put the O’s in a spot to win the game, but he got no help from Oriole bats. Rogers’ line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the first inning. However they could only scratch across a sac fly-RBI by Leody Taveras. He sent a liner to center field, and the Seattle center fielder Rodriguez made a diving catch. That saved at least one other run for Seattle.

The O’s had other chances early. But they always let Seattle off the hook. Seattle however wasn’t that charitable. With two outs and two strikes in the fourth, Garvey smacked a three-run home run. And Seattle led, 3-1.

Arozarena’s RBI-single in the seventh would also give Seattle an insurance run. The difference early on at least between the O’s and Seattle was that the Orioles were trying to make hard contact. Seattle was trying to put the ball in play. Things happen when you put the ball in play.

And on the flip side, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball if it’s right at someone. The assumption CANNOT be that if you hit the ball hard the ball’s going to either end up in the stands or the opponent won‘t be able to handle it. In fact, if recent history means anything, you should assume that your opponent IS going to make an amazing play.

Coby Mayo would score on a wild pitch in the seventh, which cut the lead to 4-2. Interestingly, Samuel Basallo and Adley Rutschman were both on the bench to start the game (Sam Huff was behind the plate.) Basallo would pinch hit and figure into the game later, however Rutschman was on the bench in a sweatshirt during the game. Is he injured? On top of that, why was Basallo well enough to pinch hit, but not well enough to start?

Coby Mayo smacked what could have been termed a meaningless solo home run in the ninth with one down. However a single and an automatic double (on a ball that one-hopped the wall and into the stands) suddenly put the winning run in scoring position. Samuel Basallo would eventually reach on a fielder’s choice back to the Seattle pitcher, Ferrer, who inexplicably decided to throw home. Jeremiah Jackson beat the throw, and the game was tied.

The Orioles had the bases loaded in the last of the ninth. Gunnar Henderson grounded into a force out at home plate, and Pete Alonso did the same at second base to end the inning. The Orioles challenged the play hoping that Gunnar Henderson got his hand in before the tag – but to no avail. Was Gunnar running hard on contact?

Again, when you put the ball in play sometimes things happen. With the ghost runner on second in the tenth, Arozarena smacked a two-run home run to give Seattle a 4-2 lead. Putting the ball in play gives you a shot. As I said, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball to someone.

Leody Taveras would smack a run-scoring single in the tenth, and the O’s had an opportunity to win with the winning run on base. However Tyler O’Neill struck out to end the game, culminating in a 6-5 loss. You have no choice but to come back and fight tomorrow.

Attention to detail matters as much as putting the ball in play. Going back to Mayo’s solo homer in the ninth, Leody Taveras struck out for the first out in the inning. But he did so on a pitch timer violation – he wasn’t ready in the box. You CAN’T allow that to happen. AT ALL, but especially in that spot in that moment. It’s one thing to say all things aren’t necessarily going to be the same, and that’s very true. But all things being the same, it’s a very different game.

Furthermore I do question if Gunnar Henderson could have run just a little bit harder on the Alonso fielder’s choice to end the ninth inning. However there’s also always going to be something you could have done different. Seattle held the O’s to account for their mistakes. The same wasn’t true in reverse.

Craig Albernaz said after the game that Adley Rutschman was dealing with hamstring discomfort. Fair enough, but needless to say his absence in the lineup is felt. Again I reiterate…why was Basallo not in the lineup from the beginning? I would simply say that computer scientists play a role in our society and world. They shouldn’t play a role in making baseball lineups.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s George Kirby. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sunk by over-managing?

The Baltimore Orioles sent Chris Bassitt to the Il before tonight’s game at Camden Yards against Seattle, replacing him in the rotation with Trey Gibson. Between that and Samuel Bassalo being slightly dinged up over the weekend in Toronto, injuries are suddenly bubbling to the surface again. Gibson’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Inexplicably, Craig Albernaz started Sam Huff (who joined the team over the weekend on the taxi squad) behind the plate tonight in lieu of Adley Rutschman. We may well find out after the game that Rutschman himself was was injured as well. However while Huff caught a great game, there’s no comparison with him and Rutschman. That’s curious, needless to say. I’d be curious what the statistic is which says that Huff was the better option than Rutschman.

It could well have something to do with keeping Blaze Alexander’s bat in the lineup. Needless to say, Alexander’s a gamer. He gives the Orioles a great option in the order. But was it worth putting him in an unnatural spot – right field?

The O’s loaded the bases in the third, but couldn’t afford to hold Seattle accountable. they did manage to scratch one across in the form of a Pete Alonso sac fly-RBI. So they did have a brief 1-0 lead.

Seattle would put two on with one out in the fifth. Bliss would tie the game with a sac fly-RBI, and Seattle would then put two on after a single by Young. Craig Albernaz then opted to pull Trey Gibson.

I found that curious. Granted, Gibson’s a young pitcher and he did put runners on base. However he brought in a righty in Anthony Nunez. This to face a righty in Rodriguez. Who he walked on five pitches, three of which were off the plate inside. Naylor’s subsequent grand slam gave Seattle a 5-1 lead.

I understand the point; a righty-righty matchup allows the pitcher to command the inside of the plate. It makes sense. But…does it really matter if the batter doesn’t offer and the pitches are out of the zone? And then the next hitter hits a grand slam on a four-seam fastball that was high and out of the zone?

The O’s would later narrow the lead to 5-2 in the seventh on a wild pitch. The O’s would load the bases, and Pete Alonso appeared to walk – giving the Birds another run. However Seattle used an ABS challenge, and…they were right. Colton Cowser would ground out, ending the inning.

Seattle would tack on an insurance run in the eight. However they got a second insurance run in the form of taking an Oriole run off the board as well. Blaze Alexander got aboard in the last of the eighth with an RBI-single. However Samuel Basallo came off his sick bed and was used as a pinch hitter.

And Basallo appeared at first to deliver. He sent a deep shot to center field, which appeared at first to be targeted to the batter/‘s eye. But the ball died in the air, and fell into the fielder’s mitt. HOWEVER…

…Blaze Alexander tried to tag up to get to second. And he was thrown out. But on top of that…Seattle challenged the call.

This on the basis of the fact that Jackson Holliday crossed home plate AFTER the third out had been made at second base. And the challenge was upheld. The run came off the board, and the O’s ended up falling 6-3.

The tone was set for later when Gibson was lifted with a pitch count still in the 60’s. Now you never know what happens if things go the other way. However it seemed like over-managing to me. Just like Blaze Alexander’s rouse later in the game seemed like over-aggression.

Could Holliday have run faster? Maybe. But if Alexander stays at first like he should have, it’s beside the point. (The same goes for Albernaz pulling Gibson so fast) The defense is yielding you a run – which is why that play calls for the throw to come into second base. Take the run; don’t try to take more.

Another point about over-managing; the Orioles allowed several pitches to go unchallenged with the ABS system. Opposing teams, including Seattle this evening, don’t do that. I understand the Orioles are trying to conserve their challenges – a perspective with which I actually agree. But there’s a point where you’re being derelict in allowing bad calls to stand. Which again, comes across to over-managing. Whether that’s over-managing in the dugout or from above is another story.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Logan Gilbert. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall on a technicality

Shane Baz deserved to be the winning pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles today. For all intents and purposes, he was. Until he wasn’t. And until the Birds weren’t winners. Baz’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 3 K.

Baz was strong for most of his outing. He was able to get a decent lead in the fifth. Colton Cowser smacked a solo homer to give the Birds a 1-0 lead. After a Jackson Holliday triple, Blaze Alexander’s RBI-double doubled the lead, and eventually Taylor Ward would score him with a two-run homer. Things were moving along nicely.

Baz surrendered a solo homer to Pinango in the sixth. Shouldn’t have been a problem. Solo home runs don’t beat you. Especially when you have four already on the board. But remember that you always see something new in baseball everyday.

With one out and a runner on after a double, Clement reached on a Gunnar Henderson error. Which is a problem in and of itself. That put runners on first and second with one out and one in. This before all hell broke loose.

To their credit, Toronto always takes advantage of opportunities they’re presented. This whether they deserve them or not. Valenzuela grounded out to short; Gunnar Henderson moved to tag Clement for the first out at second before throwing back to complete the double-play at first. However…

…the base runner Clement veered WAY off the base path. By that, I mean he was almost on the outfield grass. Gunnar Henderson all but abandoned his attempt to tag so he could make the play at first. And…Clement was ruled safe at second base by second base umpire Derek Kelley. As opposed to a double-play, it was a fielder’s choice and a run scored, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 4-2.

Multiple players, including Baz and Henderson protested vehemently about Clement being out of the base lines. Craig Albernaz came out and argued as well, but to no avail. The run scored. Clement would later score on an RBI-single by Okamoto, who later scored on an RBI-double by Giminez.

To top it off, Lukes sent a liner deflected off of pitcher Yennier Cano to Jackson Holliday, scoring a fifth run and giving Toronto a 5-4 lead. Valenzuela would smack a solo homer in the eighth to extend it to 6-4. The Orioles did threaten a couple of other times, and to top it off Jackson Holliday was called out for…being out of the base line in the ninth. And he was out of the base lines; but the juxtaposition speaks for itself.

Craig Albernaz said after the game that he was told that the runner established himself in a lane from the beginning of the play. Fair enough, but as Henderson tried to tag him he took a hard turn towards the outfield. Hardly staying in his established lane. Furthermore the rules state that any player three feet off the base path is out.

Simply put, Clement should have been ruled out. Nobody who’s seen that replay would say otherwise. On top of that, Albernaz was also told that Henderson didn’t make a good enough attempt to tag the runner. Admittedly it was a weak lunge to make the tag. But Clement was so far out of the base path, that he had no choice unless he wanted to risk missing out on the out at first base. On top of that, he probably assumed the umpire would make the call.

The only thing that Shane Baz said after the game when asked about that play was that he didn’t want to speak about it because if he does he’ll get fined. That tells you all you need to know. Wins and losses are all the sum of the parts. Gunnar Henderson’s error played a role also. But obviously that play stands out. And it cost the Orioles the game – if the correct call is made there, the inning ends with the Birds leading, 4-1.

The Orioles now head home to open a three-game set against Seattle at Camden Yards. The O’s are yet to announce a starter, but Seattle is throwing Emerson Hancock. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ comeback falls short

Kyle Bradish was probably due a clunker for the Baltimore Orioles. That came today in Toronto, although one could also argue that things just didn’t line up for him today. Needless to say, he was heavy on breaking pitches, many of which stayed up. Bradish’s line: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The O’s did have an early lead. Colton Cowser smacked a solo home run in the top of the second inning. However Toronto would tie it in their half of the frame on Okamoto’s RBI-single. One inning later Toronto would record two quick outs, before the bottom fell out for the Birds.

Bradish issued a walk to Guerrero, and despite the two outs we know nothing good happens after a walk. Following a Sanchez single, Clement would smack a three-run home run and Toronto led, 4-1. I said above that Bradish had some things that didn’t line up for him today. On that aforementioned single by Sanchez, the ball deflected off of Jackson Holliday’s glove at second and trickled away. It was called a base hit, but probably a play Holliday normally makes. Giminez’s RBI-single later in the inning extended the lead to 5-1.

Toronto would tack on another run in the fifth on a sac fly. Needless to say, it didn’t seem like the Orioles’ day. However, neither did last Saturday.

Pete Alonso would tag a three-run homer in the sixth to get the Birds to within 6-3. Fittingly, it came off of Toronto’s Hoffman. Some things remain the same, I guess.

Blaze Alexander would smack a solo shot one inning later. But the O’s couldn’t muster much else, and the comeback attempt fell two runs short. They will have a chance at a series victory however tomorrow afternoon.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Got Aldey?!

Brandon Young turned in another great outing for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto tonight. Young attacked the strike zone from the beginning. He threw strikes. He mixed his pitches. He put the Birds in a position to win. Young’s line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Young had the lead before he even climbed the hill at Rogers Centre. Adley Rutschman sent one out in the top of the first, and the O’s led 1-0. That Rutschman at-bat would really set the tone for the game. He was down 0-2 in the count early. But he battled back, fouled off a ton of pitches, and worked the count even. And wound up smacking one after (after an umpire review).

However Springer would lead off Toronto’s half of the frame with a double, and would later score on Guerrero’s sac fly-RBI. Young would make one mistake by leaving a slider up in the fifth, and it resulted in a two-run home run by Valenzuela. However if there’s one thing that last weekend’s series taught us, it’s never to say it’s over until it’s over.

The Orioles would put two on with one out in the sixth, and Adley Rutschman coming back to the plate. Once again, another outstanding at-bat. And I say that because it only took two-pitches; his two-RBI double tied the game at three.

One thing to watch, but Samuel Basallo’s spot in the order was due up next. The Orioles sent up Jeremiah Jackson to bat in his place. The team later said he left the game with right abdominal discomfort. You hope it’s just precautionary, but that’s something to watch which could be a problem.

The good news however is that Jackson smacked an RBI-single to give the O’s the lead back at 4-3. And if that wasn’t enough, Coby Mayo smacked a two-run homer later in the inning. That gave the O’s some breathing room, as they led 6-3.

The best news perhaps of the game was that the Orioles didn’t stop adding on. Jackson’s next turn at the plate was in the top of the eighth, and his RBI-single extended the lead to 7-3. And that’s important because it took the Orioles’ pen out of a save situation. Not that it was ever going to be a save situation.

An RBI-single by Colton Cowser and a fielder’s choice-RBI by Leody Taveras later in the inning extended the lead to 9-3. That broke the game wide open. And to finish things off in the inning, Adley Rutschman would smack a two-RBI double in the eighth. And the O’s led, 11-3.

This was an aggressive team win. The Orioles took outstanding at-bats all night. Adley Rutschman had five RBI tonight. Which bodes well for the Orioles’ offense.

The Basallo injury is something to watch. That’s the last thing they need. And he’s the last guy to whom they want to see it happen. As I said, hopefully it’s precautionary. But the silver lining is that Jeremiah Jackson (his replacement as a DH) drove in two runs. Just for good measure, the O’s loaded the bases in the ninth and scored two runs on a Toronto throwing error.

This is the sort of game that would happen to the Orioles earlier in the season. They just kept adding on. And in some instances Toronto gave them gifts. And they warmly embraced those gifts. Very quietly, the Orioles have now won ten of fourteen.

The series continues tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and Toronto is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Everything was up

Chris Bassitt had a curious outing tonight for the Baltimore Orioles in Boston. This in a curious game. In short, neither Bassitt nor subsequent relievers could keep the ball down. Bassitt’s line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

The Orioles snapped a three-game winning streak with the loss tonight – something that was going to happen at some point. But especially when playing in a park like Fenway, you have to keep the ball down. Not only did Boston put the ball in play a lot tonight, the balls they put in play took just about every favorable bounce possible for the home team.

The Birds out two on in the first but couldn’t plate any runs. However in their half of the frame Boston didn’t offer that same charity. Abreu’s RBI-single would give them a 2-0 lead. Abreu would smack a two-run home run in the third.

During that third inning however manager Craig Albernaz came out to check on Chris Bassitt. He was later seen talking to trainers, and Bassitt was lifted after the inning ended. He didn’t necessarily look comfortable as his outing went on.

The Orioles cannot afford to sustain another pitching injury. Part of the “charm” of the roster this year was supposed to be the depth. If the entirety of that depth ends up on the IL, that’s a massive problem. We don’t know that Bassitt’s injured. However that didn’t look good.

Again however, everything Bassitt threw was up. The same was true of every Oriole pitcher. Gasper’s two-RBI triple in the third extended the lead to 5-0. The quirk on that play was that it was a lazy fly ball to center. Blaze Alexander appeared to lose the ball in the sky. This after the Boston outfield did the same thing in the previous half inning. The difference is that Boston held the Orioles accountable for that mistake. The same wasn’t true in reverse.

Two RBI-doubles and an RBI-single later in the inning would run the score to 8-0. End of the day this was a donnybrook sort of game for Boston bats. Sometimes you get games like that. And again it goes without saying that you aren’t going to win every game. And eventually winning streak ends. Luckily the O’s did manage to get on the board and avoid being shut out for the first time, this on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-triple in the seventh.

The first concern isn’t losing the game. It’s Chris Bassitt. Again, the Orioles can ill afford to lose another starter. (Or a position player for that matter.) The Orioles also fought back from the hole they had dug by attacking the strike zone. Neither Bassitt nor any other Orioles’ pitcher did that tonight…

…they lived above the zone and on the fringes of the plate. Here’s what’s worse; Boston hitters were making contact. Pitches that shouldn’t have been hit, were hit. And hit a long way. It’s one game. The recent tends with this team are still positive. But they need to avoid another cold snap. That may well begin and end with Bassitt’s injury status.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at Fenway Park. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the O’s, and Boston is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles led by Baz and blasts

Shane Baz went to the bump at “the Fens” for the Baltimore Orioles this evening. If something turned in terms of the direction of the season over the just-completed home stand, it continued to turn tonight in game one of three against Boston. Baz’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Earlier in the season the Orioles didn’t necessarily try to strike guys out. It seemed that they wanted teams to put balls in play, and they were. Something seems to have shifted, because as strikeouts have piled up, so have wins.

Baz actually started in an inauspicious manner tonight, giving up a leadoff triple. Boston would then take a 1-0 lead on Abreu’s sac fly-RBI. However Baz limited the damage, and got himself and his team back in the dugout. You can live with that – most games aren’t going to end 1-0. Especially at Fenway Park.

And Baz was rewarded for limiting the damage. Coby Mayo smacked a solo homer to tie the game at one in the second. A home run that was reviewed, for the record. It appeared to clear the green monster, yet it was called a double. Upon review, Mayo was awarded home plate and a home run.

Following an Adley Rutschman single in the third, Pete Alonso smacked a two-run homer that didn’t need to be reviewed. It was a no-doubter, and the O’s led, 3-1. And Shane Baz followed the lead of his teammates from there. He mowed down hitter after hitter throughout his start.

Blaze Alexander would tack on a sac fly-RBI in the fourth, as would Boston’s Mayer in the fifth. Incidentally, that Alexander sacrifice fly was set up by Leody Taveras sacrifice bunt. Needless to say, the O’s are starting to manufacture runs, which is a good thing.

Whether it’s intended or not, Taveras has begun making bunting more and more a part of his game. Later in the game he bunted for a base hit. This is a welcome addition to the lineup, as it gives the Orioles and old school element of their offense. More than just hitting the ball hard.

With the 4-2 win, the Orioles now have their fourth three-game winning streak of the season. Tomorrow night they’ll go for their first four-game win streak. Needless to say, the season appears to be turning around – for now.

The series continues tomorrow night at Fenway Park. Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.