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: Days of future past

You can’t help but say this was a great weekend for the Baltimore Orioles. The results speak for themselves – a series sweep. And if attendance means anything, fans are starting to take notice. The Orioles are beating teams they should beat, and holding their own against good competition.

This weekend’s series commemorated the 1983 World Series Championship team, with ceremonies held before Saturday night’s game. Now on a side note, nobody in sports does nostalgia like the Orioles. They’ve always honored the past better than any other team, perhaps in sports. And the fans have always shone out.

The other “backdrop” of this series was of course former Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter being back at Camden Yards. Showalter of course looked on from the third base dugout, where he was managing the New York Mets. The New York Mets, who find themselves mired in a season much like that of the 2018 Orioles – under Buck Showalter.

Showalter’s said many times that when you think you have it all figured out, the “baseball Gods” remind you that you don’t. Ask the Toronto Blue Jays, who fell victim to Tippy Martinez’s three pickoffs in the same inning back in 1983 (popular story told over the weekend). The 2018 Orioles and the 2023 Mets fall into that category. Should have contended; but they didn’t. And unfortunately both efforts were overseen by what I think is one of the best managers in the game.

However you know who is contending? The 2023 Orioles. Alone in first place in the AL East. Who saw that during the nadir of the past few seasons? However this weekend at Oriole Park at Camden Yards seemed to be a junction point. A rare moment in time where past, present, and future all merged into one.

So keep an eye on the first weekend of August, 2023. If the 2023 O’s, led by Brandon Hyde, go on and do special things, maybe think back to this weekend. And while I’m not going to specify, when I say “special things” I’m talking a parade down Pratt Street. There’s some sort of strange energy that grips the current Orioles, and it has something to do with the return of the 1983 team, and of Buck Showalter.

For his part; I’m sure Showalter doesn’t view things through the same romanticized lense. However he was quoted as saying he was happy for the fans. And he speaks glowingly of his time in Baltimore, and of the fans. Make no mistake, once the postseason begins, Buck will be rooting for the O’s.

And if there’s a parade on Pratt Street in 2023, he should be invited. Because he started something in Baltimore that simply was reshuffled and retooled. Make no mistake that if this team ever wins a title in the next couple of years, the price of admission will have been ONE BUCK.

The Orioles open up a series with Houston tomorrow at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Frambler Valdez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Kings of the AL East sweep New York back to Queens

It was obvious from the beginning that Baltimore Orioles’ starter Kyle Bradish didn’t have his best stuff. Now to be clear, not only was he not awful, but he didn’t allow a run. Makes it tough to lose. But he had some issues locating his pitches at times, which can happen. Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 5 K.

After two offensive outbursts in the first two games of the series, the O’s out big runs on the board. Ten on Saturday and seven last night. However New York starter Quintana limited them this afternoon. Base runners were hard to come by. However Quintana’s outfield eventually let him down.

Jorge Mateo hit a one-out triple in the last of the sixth in a scoreless game. The ball went all the way to the wall after the outfield made a valiant attempt at catching it. And it lodged under the wall.

And that’s where the outfield let Quintana down. Fielders are taught to throw their arms in the air in that circumstance, saying they can’t fish the ball out cleanly. The moment they fish the ball out (which they did), that can’t happen. That out a runner at third in the form of Mateo, who later gave the O’s a 1-0 lead on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-groundout.

One inning later the Birds out runners at the corners with one out, and Ryan O’Hearn’s fielder’s choice-RBI gave them a 2-0 lead. However the O’s lucked out a bit there, as the New York infield lazily bumbled the play. It easily could have been an inning-ending double-play. And it probably should have been.

It was a lazy series in general for New York, which is uncharacteristic from a Buck Showalter-led team. We saw sloppy play in the field, pitch clock violations, and other things that you wouldn’t expect Buck to tolerate. And I’m not suggesting that he is, as I’m sure he’s still teaching fundamentals. But they looked like a team that had given up.

And the O’s looked like a team bound for the postseason. And that’s because they are. Mark my words.

Baltimore Orioles honor the past, glimpse possible future

The Baltimore Orioles honored their 1983 World Series champions team before starter Kyle Gibson took the mound and threw a pitch. Whether or not the 2023 Orioles go down in history next to that 1983 team remains to be seen. But one thing is sure, the current roster has the makeup and the camaraderie that the 1983 team had. And it shows on the field. Gibson’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

The 1983 team got the party started. And they flavored the evening with their presence. However the story quickly turned to the 2023 version of the Orioles, beginning with Gunnar Henderson’s two-run homer in the last of the first. That gave the Birds a 2-0 lead – and…we were off!

Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single in the third extended the lead to 3-0. However New York tried to chip away. Severely overmatched, the New York Mets tried to claw their way back in. McNeil’s two-run homer in the fourth briefly cut the Orioles’ lead to one at 3-2.

But the Birds got right back at it in the last of the fourth. Ramon Urias’ RBI-double extended the lead back to two at 4-2. One inning later Anthony Santander’s solo home run extended the lead back to three at 5-2.

New York tried to put up a fight – as any Buck Showalter-led team is apt to do. McNeil’s RBI-single in the sixth cut the lead back to two. However the O’s seemed hellbent on the lead being three runs, and Ryan McKenna’s RBI-double did just that. It also closed out the Orioles’ 6-3 lead, which translated into a 7-3 win – following Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single in the last of the eighth.

The hope is that the energy from the 1983 team rubs off on the current Orioles. There’s an interesting parallel between the two teams. In 1981 there was just a partial season due to a players’ strike. And in the wake of that, a couple of years later the O’s won it all.

We saw a partial season in 2020, due to COVID. Could the Orioles again win it all just a couple of seasons later? The answer is yes – they COULD. But will they? They remains to be seen. However the current Orioles have a championship pedigree about them, make no mistake.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jose Quintana. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: James McCann’s big night helps lift Birds

If there’s one slightly concerning thing about last night’s game for the Baltimore Orioles, it’s that starter Dean Kremer seemed to lose it on the drop of a dime. Kremer had an overall good outing. But he walked three hitters in the sixth inning (leading to New York tying the game – temporarily), after having excellent control for most of his outing. Odds are it was nothing and can be chalked up to the ebb and flow of the game. But it happened. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K.

Before the game the Orioles took a moment to honor their former manager, current New York Mets’ skipper, Buck Showalter. It was Showalter’s first trip back to Camden Yards as a visitor. The O’s ran a video tribute on Diamondvision in Showalter’s honor, and deservedly so. The crowd gave Showalter a standing ovation, and with that familiar “aw shucks” sort of grin on his face, Showalter tipped his cap several times to the fans. Classy moment and very well-handled on the part of everyone. Make no mistake that Buck Showalter thinks glowingly of his time in Baltimore, and he’ll always have a special place in Birdland hearts.

The O’s took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when James McCann smacked a two-RBI single. However New York got those runs back and tied the game in the sixth when Kremer suddenly struggled. Lindor’s two-RBI single in the wake of the aforementioned walks knitted things up at 2-2.

But the Orioles quickly righted the ship. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single in the bottom of the inning gave them a 3-2 lead. James McCann, who had a big night, added a two-RBI double, and Adley Rutschman a sac fly-RBI. And after six the O’s held a 6-2 lead.

But even though the New York Mets are having a tough season and they just sold off the farm in a sense, they’re still a Major League Baseball team. And Orioles fans know all too well who’s in charge in their dugout – Buck Showalter’s teams don’t give up. You have to put them away. And the Orioles did.

It was Jordan Westburg’s three-run homer in the last of the seventh that blew the game wide open. it was Westburg’s second big league home run, and again in my view it came in a big moment. James McCann added the icing on the cake (on both the game and his own personal effort) with an RBI-single later in the inning. New York pushed a nominal run across in the eighth, and the Birds closed out a 10-3 win.

James McCann of course was traded to the O’s from New York this past off season. And he tormented his old team last night. He became the first catcher to go 3-for-3 or better with a walk, stolen base, and a minimum of five RBI since 1920. More poignantly in the here and now however, he did his part for a big Orioles’ win in the here and now.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Tyler Megil. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: BUCKle up!

The Baltimore Orioles are competing for the best record in the American League, and Buck Showalter’s in the dugout. You read that correctly. However he’s in the visitors’ third base dugout at Camden Yards this weekend, managing the opposing New York Mets.

Needless to say however, it’ll probably be a weekend of mixed emotions for Orioles fans. Buck Showalter has the second most wins as the Orioles’ manager in franchise history (behind Earl Weaver). His beleaguered New York Mets come to town tonight, where they’ll be taxed with beating Brandon Hyde’s Orioles.

For starters, there’s no classier act in sports than Buck Showalter. He teaches baseball and guides his teams the right way. It’s my hope that the Camden Yards faithful gives him a standing ovation tonight, and this weekend.

Showalter came to the Orioles at a down moment in franchise history. Manager Dave Trembly had been fired earlier in that season (2010), and the Birds had played under interim manager Juan Samuel. Buck joined the team in early August – and the rest was history.

Showalter restored pride to the Orioles, and restored them to their former glory. Regardless of how things ended in 2018, Orioles fans should NEVER forget that. He made them stand up to Boston And New York. And they did.

He also restored pride to the city itself. By way of the fan base. I think a lot of people had forgotten what this franchise meant to the city and the region. Being a historian of the game, Buck came to town already knowing that. And he restored that mentality to the fans. Again, people should NEVER forget that.

So again, my hope is that Buck’s welcomed back this weekend with open arms. He’ll always have a “place at the table” in Baltimore. He’s a part of this franchise’s rich past, in that he oversaw a return to glory. He breathed life into the team and the town. Do the current Orioles have the chance to eclipse what Buck’s teams did? Absolutely. And I suspect that nobody is happier about that than Buck Showalter.

Needless to say, Orioles fans want it to be a happy “homecoming” of sorts for Buck. But obviously not too happy. These games don’t mean anything more than pride for Buck and his New York Mets. They could mean the world for the Orioles in 2023. So that said…BUCKle Up!

Baltimore Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez a hard-luck loser

Grayson Rodriguez deserved a better fate for the Baltimore Orioles. He technically didn’t pitch to a quality start, but he had a strong outing. And he certainly pitched well enough to win. But that’s not always how it goes. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

5.2 innings pitched is slightly lower than what we’ve been seeing out of Oriole starters, and what one might expect. However keep in mind that Rodriguez is still a rookie. And he’s just back up after a stint in the minors.

Rodriguez fell behind in the last of the fourth on an RBI-single by Springer. However one inning later the Orioles took advantage of a Toronto mental mishap. With a runner on third, Adley Rutschman grounded to the second baseman. That should have been the third out of the inning, but nobody in the infield covered first base, allowing the run to score.

That’s an inexcusable mistake if you’re Toronto. If you’re anyone, really. A big league club has to make that play, and the Orioles got a run and tied the game.

However unfortunately, this wssn’t to be the Orioles’ night. Rodriguez got tagged with the loss in this game, because he left the game with two on. He gave way to Shintaro Fujinami, who inherited those two base runners before proceeding to load the bases.

He then hit the next two batters with a pitch, forcing in two runs, and giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. Jorge Mateo would commit an E6 later in the inning, allowing another run to score. The Toronto bullpen took them the rest of the way, and the Birds dropped the game, 4-1.

This was the Orioles’ first loss this season at Rogers Centre. End of the day it’s tough to sweep someone in a four-game set. Especially at their place. You come back to the park and get ‘em tomorrow.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Newly acquired Jack Flaherty gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Kevin Gausman. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander lifts off in grand fashion

The Baltimore Orioles got an interesting start out of Kyle Bradish tonight. He was strong early, had a couple of hiccups, but ultimately pitched to a quality start against Toronto at Rogers Centre this evening. Bradish’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

It looked like Ryan Mountcastle was going to be the big story tonight. And for sure he’s one of them. He continued his assault on Toronto pitching, starting the game off with an RBI-double in the first inning. Gunnar Henderson would later ground into a force out, scoring a second run.

One inning later Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single put the Birds on top by a 3-0 score. But that’s where Bradish started to slip a bit. Jansen’s two-run homer cut the lead to 3-2 on the second. One inning later Belt’s solo shot tied the game at three, after three innings.

The Orioles however pressed on. They’d get the lead back in the top of the sixth with a solo homer by Gunnar Henderson. Bradish got himself in some trouble in the bottom of that inning, but pitched out of it. And that was as big as any of the other moments of the game.

It was of course Ryan Mountcastle who have the O’s a little bit of cushion. His RBI-double in the seventh extended the lead to 5-3. Gunnar Henderson would break things wide open at 7-3 with a two-RBI single. Things looked pretty solid from the Orioles’ standpoint at that time. But the best was yet to come.

Anthony Santander came up in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded. Again, the game was definitely trending in the Orioles’ favor. But Santander dealt the death blow to home standing Toronto on the night, smacking a grand slam into the right field grandstand. To be fair, it wasn’t just a homer/grand slam. I wasn’t aware that a human could send a ball that far.

That effectively ended the game. This although Ryan McKenna’s two-RBI single on the ninth would make the final score 13-3. Between the Santander grand slam, Mountcastle’s almost predictable heroics, and Kyle Bradish’s gritty effort, the O’s got participation out the waazoo in this game. it also clinched them winning the season series against Toronto. It’s August 1st…chew on that.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Rogers Centre. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles trade for Jack Flaherty

After a day of waiting, news involving the Baltimore Orioles making a trade finally broke between 5-10 minutes before the deadline. The Birds in fact are acquiring a starting pitcher, Jack Flaherty – from St. Louis. In return, the O’s are sending infielder Cesar Prieto, RHP Zack Showalter, and southpaw Drew Rom.

Flaherty (27) has struggled with injuries over a couple of years. He had a 4.43 ERA on the year, this over 109 plus innings. He was chosen 34th overall by St. Louis in the 2014 draft, and will be a free agent after this season. So unless the O’s decide to re-sign him, he will in fact be a rental.

The O’s of course were linked with some additional names, most of whom were bigger than Flaherty. Chicago’s Dylan Cease, Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez, and of course the NYM’s Justin Verlander (now of the Houston Astros) we’re linked to the Orioles. The first of those two ended up not being dealt at all. (Rodriguez had earlier veto’d a trade to Los Angeles.

The hope is that perhaps coming to a new and contending team will light a fire under Flaherty – at least for the rest of the season. And here’s another thing to consider; moving forward he’s going to be caught by the best in the business, Adley Rutschman. That could make a difference.

But ultimately, this move didn’t deplete the farm system. And you can almost see these other teams refusing to trade their players unless the Orioles parted with the likes of a Jackson Holliday or someone along those lines. End of the day we’ll have to see how Flaherty does once he’s here. But needless to say, he’s coming!

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays and Felix Bautista for the win!

It was important for the Baltimore Orioles and starter Kyle Gibson to win tonight. After a dramatic high profile series win over the weekend, it’s important to “safely” come back to earth. And Gibson set the O’s up in a good spot. Gibson’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles picked up right where they left off last night in the first inning. They put two runners in scoring position, and Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run scoring double gave the Birds a 2-0 lead. Incidentally, that second run moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Get guys on base and often times things happen.

Two innings later Gunnar Henderson’s solo homer extended the lead to 3-0. Later in the inning Mountcastle would plate another run on a sac fly-RBI. That’s three runs driven in on the night for Ryan Mountcastle.

Toronto would get on the board in the fifth in on Kiermaier’s RBI-groundout. Merrifield would smack a solo homer in the eighth off of Yennier Cano, who unfortunately appears to be struggling a bit. He was later lifted from the ballgame.

And the Orioles went to Felix Bautista to garner a five out save. Bautista got the Orioles off the field, and following the O’s not putting anything across in the ninth, we went to the last of the inning.

While Bautista had a couple of struggles in the ninth, he got the Orioles through. However he had help. Merrifield lined a ball towards left center with two on and one out. The ball looked destined for the gap, and make no mistake that it might well have gone all the way to the wall. Which might have tied the game…

…but none of that was possible. Out of left field (literally), Austin Hays came out of nowhere, laid out, and caught the ball. And he almost doubled the runner up at first base after doing so.

Brandon Hyde’s said it before; every game it seems someone else is the hero. Someone else saves the game. Tonight it was Austin Hays and Felix Bautista. Incidentally, Bautista threw more pitches than he has all season. What that means for tomorrow and onward remains to be seen. But that was a gritty effort on the part of Bautista and Austin Hays.

With the win, the O’s have now gone 74 straight series’ without being swept. And whatever flaws exist in this team, it shows in the standings. Because the Baltimore Orioles are alone in first place.

The series continues tomorrow night at Rogers Center. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s HyunJin Ryu. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Sunday Night Delight

The Baltimore Orioles decided last night that if you’re going to win the season series against New York, you might as well do it in front of a national television audience. The Birds, and starter Dean Kremer, returned to the bright lights last night, appearing on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

New York was lucky that the game didn’t turn into a rout early on. Although I suppose that depends on what your definition of a rout is. Because it probably came very close.

The O’s took a 1-0 lead on Anthony Santander’s RBI-double. That also left two runners in scoring position, who later scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI double. Rack on a three-run homer by Adam Frazier, and the O’s were off to the races.

It was 6-0 before the Orioles had even recorded an out. Yet the Birds had effectively ended the game. You never say never, because it’s the New York Yankees, and anything can happen. Plus, nobody likes the bright lights of Prime Time like New York. Nevermind that fans from the Bronx to Long Island were turning their televisions off – if there was anyone who could dig out of that hole, it’s THAT team.

But the O’s we’re having none of that. They batted around in the first inning, with Adley Rutschman added an RBI-single before the first inning ended. New York did get on the board by way of Bauers’ solo homer in the third, and his RBI-double in the fourth. However the damage was done; as I said, that first inning effectively ended the game.

Gunnar Henderson added an RBI-double in the last of the fourth. Later in the inning Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single extended the lead to 9-2. Bader’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth chalked one up for New York, but that was as close as they got. The Oriole bullpen brought the Birds the rest of the way, and closed out a 9-3 win.

Aside from Dean Kremer only pitching four innings, you couldn’t write a script better for this game. On Sunday Night Baseball, at home, with the season series against New York on the line. That game was directly out of central casting in a sense.

As I wrote yesterday, this gives the Orioles the tie breaker against New York for the season. Odds are it ends up meaning nothing. But ultimately it means that New York would actually have to finish the season with a better record than the Birds to overtake them. Finishing the season tied won’t do it. In the AL East, that’s meaningful.

And they won the season series under the backdrop of Sunday Night Baseball. This game introduced the current Orioles to the country, and it did so in a dramatic manner. The city of Baltimore, and the ballpark that forever changed baseball were central on Prime Time television. And one has to believe that America liked what they saw.

The O’s now head to Toronto for an equally large series at Rogers Centre. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Chris Bassitt. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.