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: Gunnar Henderson helps to produce a grand ol’ donnybrook

The Baltimore Orioles provided Dean Kremer so much run support tonight that you almost wanted them to save some of it for another day. Toronto may have gotten on the board first, but the Orioles and Gunnar Henderson got the last laugh for sure. As did Dean Kremer, for the record. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Kremer surrendered a run in the first on Guerrero’s RBI-single. However Toronto fell into a trap we saw with Kansas City over the weekend – scoring first, that is. Because once the O’s got cooking, they didn’t really let up.

Adam Frazier’s two-run homer in the last of the second put the Orioles in the lead. And they never looked back – only forward. One inning later Ryan O’Hearn smacked a two-run homer of his own. The Orioles led 4-1 at that point, and little did we know that the rout was on.

Following the O’Hearn homer, the O’s quickly loaded the bases again. That brought last week’s AL Player of the Week, Gunnar Henderson, to the plate. With the bases loaded…and you can fill in the blanks from there.

Henderson sent a deep fly ball to center, and it barely cleared the wall over the glove of Keven Kiermaier, who as many know has haunted the Orioles over the years with plays in the field. And with that, Henderson began his quest for another player of the week award, with a grand slam. He’s currently one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and yes he resides right here in Camden Yards.

That gave the O’s an 8-1 lead. Toronto would get one back in the fourth on Kirk’s RBI-single. But that was almost a token run. Especially given that the Birds kept the pressure on. In the last of the fourth Aaron Hicks hit his first Camden Yards home run (as an Oriole), smack off the right field foul pole. But wait – there’s more. They got RBI-singles in the fifth and sixth respectively off the bats of Anthony Santander and Adam Frazier.

Toronto would register two more runs on an eighth inning solo homer by Biggio, and an RBI-single by Kirk. They’d also plate a run in the ninth on a fielder’s choice, and a sixth run on a swinging bunt, but the Birds walked away with an 11-6 victory.

It’s tough to call this a statement game, because baseball’s not about that. A series can be a bit of a statement, but out of 162 games it’s tough to pinpoint one as a statement game. The Orioles sweeping this same Toronto squad last month at Rogers Centre was a statement.

However if there is such a thing as a “statement game,” that would be tonight’s game. Assuming of course there are still people out there who need to know for sure that this Orioles team is for real. They completely outclassed a hated division rival in this game. And in doing so, once again reminded the entire league that they aren’t going away.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Royal sweep in Charm City

The Baltimore Orioles went into this afternoon’s game with Kyle Gibson on the mound, and with a chance to sweep Kansas City Royals. Who on paper are a team that the Orioles should handle hands down. But as we know, that’s not always how it works out. But today, it did. Gibson’s line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

The O’s started off somewhat inauspiciously, with Witt knocking an RBI-double to right, off of Ryan O’Hearn’s glove. However the O’s immediately reminded KC that they were the better team. They tied the game in the last of the first with a sac fly-RBI by Austin Hays. But that was just a warm-up.

The O’s would put two on, and later in that first inning Ramon Urias’ two-RBI double would put them in the lead at 3-1. But Kansas City stormed back; Perez’s two-run homer in the third tied the game back up at three. However, the Orioles were about to show Kansas City that they weren’t quite as royal as they might have thought.

Josh Lester’s two-RBI double in the last of the third put the Orioles back in the lead. James McCann would add a sac fly, and an inning later Aaron Hicks’ RBI-double would extend the lead to 6-3. The O’s would cap things off with Gunnar Henderson’s three-run home run in the seventh, and Ryan O’Hearn’s solo shot in the eighth.

And with that 11-3 win, the Orioles swept Kansas City away. This was a team the Orioles should have beaten, and they did. That’s a good sign. You have to win the games you’re supposed to win. Because this is a big week coming up in Birdland, with Toronto coming to town.

Baltimore Orioles: Cole Irvin strong in first start back

The Baltimore Orioles brought Cole Irvin back up to the big leagues to make the start this afternoon against Kansas City. You remember him, right?! Based on how he pitched at Norfolk and how he looked this afternoon, it appears he regained the form of what he was last year in Oakland – for now. Irvin’s line: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

You’d like your starter to go deeper than five innings. But keep in mind that Irvin was fresh back up from the minors. However he put the O’s in a spot to win the ballgame. That’s all you can ask of a starting pitcher. In short, he did his job.

And on that note, he also got some help. For starters, it looked like he might surrender s three-run homer in the first inning. But Anthony Santander about near climbed the wall in right field and brought the ball back in. You take every advantage you can get in MLB.

And true to form, Santander turned around in the last of the first and provided offense. His RBI-double plated Adley Rutschman on his bobble head day, giving the Birds a 1-0 lead. Santander would later score on an RBI-so gle by Ryan O’Hearn.

One inning later the crowd was electrified again. Gunnar Henderson’s solo homer extended the lead to 3-0. Kansas City would get in the board in the fifth on Fermin’s RBI-single, but the O’s weren’t allowing much else. In fact, they further extended their lead. Austin Hays’ RBI-single extended the lead to 4-1. Adam Frazier would tack on two insurance runs in the last of the eighth with a two-run homer.

And while there were a few hairy moments, the Oriole bullpen held. Again, Brandon Hyde probably wants his bullpen to be responsible for less of the game than what we saw today. But such is life.

End of the day, it’s a win. While they’re a scrappy team and they’re certainly playing valiantly to win, Kansas City’s a team the Orioles should be beating. They’ve taken the series, and go into tomorrow’s game smelling a sweep.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and Kansas City is yet to name a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Starting the home stand right

Tyler Wells got the start tonight against Kansas City as the Baltimore Orioles opened a six-game home stand. And the good news is that the Birds picked up right where they left off yesterday afternoon in Milwaukee. Wells looked good, and got the O’s into the later innings. Wells’ line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Austin Hays got the O’s on the board immediately with a solo homer in the last of the first. One inning later Jorge Mateo would add an RBI-single. Kansas City would cut the lead in half in the third with a sac fly-RBI, however the Orioles still maintained the lead.

And they even extended it. Anthony Santander’s RBI-double would plate Hays in the fifth. However Kansas City would eventually load the bases in the seventh, and they put a second run on the board on a wild pitch by Wells. That would prompt Oriole manager Brandon Hyde to go to the bullpen, who once again was stellar.

It sure helps the effort of winning a series when you win the opening game. This was also the first time the Orioles had worn their City Connect uniforms and won. So that gets the monkey off the backs of the all-black alternates.

The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cole Irving gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Brady Singer. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Milwaukee outgunned by Gunnar Henderson

The Baltimore Orioles had just about everything work against them in the first two games of the series with Milwaukee. Every bounce went the other way, and it seemed to continue to do so early on with Kyle Bradish on the mound in the finale this afternoon. Bradish’a line: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 10 K.

Milwaukee put their only three runs of the day up I. The last of the first. These came on an RBI-groundout and two RBI-singles. This forcing the Orioles to play catch-up for most of the day.

However this seemed destined to be a pitcher’s duel. And a pitcher’s duel that was going to be won by Milwaukee at that. However the Orioles decided to remember that they were clutch in later innings today. And it served them well.

Ramon Urias’ solo homer got them on the board in the seventh. One inning later Anthony Santander smacked an RBI-double, bringing the O’s to within one at 3-2. Then Gunnar Henderson came to the plate…

…mind you, Henderson has been looking to break out for some time. And that may have happened today. Henderson smacked a two-run homer in that top of the eighth to give the Orioles the lead. They would get two insurance runs in the ninth on Adam Frazier’s two-RBI double, and the Birds went home 6-3 winners.

That was a big win for this team. Losing two straight is a problem. However if you can’t take the series, at least make sure you don’t get swept. And it’s good to see Gunnar Henderson coming up with the clutch homer like that. Just keep winning games.

The O’s now return home to open a three-game set with Kansas City at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles boat raced by Milwaukee

Dean Kremer started for the Baltimore Orioles tonight, and odds are he wishes he stayed in the clubhouse. Milwaukee came out swinging, and they used that to their advantage. Kremer’s line: 8 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 2 K.

Just about everything went Milwaukee’s way tonight from the get go. Every bounce, and every turn. Adames smacked a solo homer in the first, and Wiener a two-run shot in the third. Wiemer would come up again in the fourth, producing an RBI-single.

And things snowballed from there. Manager Brandon Hyde was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the fifth. After the game he said he felt that the strike zone was getting “rather large.” Needless to say, the implication was that Milwaukee got one version of the zone, and the Orioles another.

Perhaps a concerning thing is the number of hits and RBI came from the bottom of the order, as well as with two outs. That’s a huge problem. You can’t allow hits and runs at any point, much less when you’re almost off the hook.

With Milwaukee leading 10-0, the Birds finally got on the board in the ninth. Austin Hays’ RBI-single played a run. Ryan McKenna would later ground into a double-play with the bases loaded, finishing things off at 10-2.

Bruce Zimmerman also did a solid for the Birds, pitching three innings. This saved the Orioles at least one or two relievers. He was able to take the ball from Kremer and run with it to the finish line. Yes in a losing effort, but he bridged the gap and saved the bullpen for tomorrow and this weekend.

The series continues tomorrow at American Family Field. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall late in Milwaukee

Kyle Gibson got the start for the Baltimore Orioles in Milwaukee last night. And in effect he did his job. He put the Birds in a position to win. The O’s however need to get more mileage out of their starters so as to not overtax the bullpen. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

This isn’t to say that Gibson pitched poorly. We’ve seen better, but we most certainly also seen worse. And there are a lot of things in games (such as run production) that’s beyond the control of a starting pitcher.

Milwaukee took an early 2-0 lead in the last of the first on two separate RBI-singles. One by Anderson and another by Toro. And those were the only runs Gibson surrendered.

It was a game where neither side seemed to be ready to put it all together in a sense. The O’s tied it up in the second on a two-run homer by Aaron Hicks. The signing of Hicks was semi-unpopular amongst a lot of fans. But he’s produced in the short time he’s been an Oriole. Rightfully he should have had several other RBI last night as well. In fact, the Orioles probably would have won the game outright had he not been robbed.

But they made a valiant stab at winning. Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer in the seventh gave them the lead. However an RBI-single by Turang in the eighth tied it up. And Wiemer’s RBI-single in the tenth won it for Milwaukee.

Again, there are a lot of things that needed to come together and didn’t – not just Kyle Gibson. The tying and winning runs got into scoring position by the runners stealing second base. In both instances, Adley Rutschman’s throw came to the third base side of the bag – short-hopping in one case. Those are things that must and will be tightened up going along.

The series continues this evening at American Family Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: First team to 20 road wins

The Baltimore Orioles entered today’s series finale in San Francisco with a shot to win the series. They also were looking to become the first team league wife to achieve 20 road wins. High stakes for sure, as Tyler Wells went to the mound. And he didn’t disappoint. Wells’ line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

The real story of the ballgame is the Orioles’ six-run third inning. When you’re able to put crooked numbers up on the board like that, you enhance your shot at winning. In a sense, the game was over before things even got cooking.

Adam Frazier’s sac fly-RBI got things started. Following an RBI-single by Austin Hays, the Orioles would load the bases. And Ryan Mountcastle would draw a walk, extending the lead to 3-0. However the bags remained juiced…

…and rookie Josh Lester was coming to bat. The Orioles brought Lester up for this game when Danny Columbe was sent to the bereavement list. And with the bases loaded, he sent a line drive into centerfield. He wound up at second base, however it went as a two-RBI single and an error.

That was Lester’s first major league hit. And it resulted in three runs, once again showing how strong the Orioles have built up their farm system. And that busted the game wide open, with the Birds strongly in command.

James McCann’s solo homer in the sixth would extend the Orioles’ lead to 7-0. However San Francisco would add three runs, two of which came on a two-run homer in the last of the sixth. Aaron Hicks would add an RBI-triple in the top of the ninth, and the O’s closed out an 8-3 win.

Again, the Orioles are the first team this year in MLB to win 20 road games. Now I’m the first one to tell you that’s a manufactured stat. However it also shows how good the Orioles are this year. However more importantly, it shows how good they potentially could be moving forward.

Baltimore Orioles: Like a fine Cali wine

The Baltimore Orioles sent Southern California native Dean Kremer to the mound in the series opener in San Francisco last night. Of course, his skipper, Brandon Hyde, is also from the region. It’s always good to come back to your hometown (or home region) and perform well. Especially when you’re a team in the pennant race. Kremer’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

That’s a quality start for Kremer, if you’re keeping track at home – and I know you are! It didn’t start well, however. The first pitch he threw was hit out of the ballpark and into San Francisco Bay by Wade. And before they knew it, the Orioles trailed.

However solo homers rarely beat you. Especially when they come on the first pitch of the first inning, and you have the entire game to make up the run. And the Orioles did that right away.

Austin Hays led off the second with a double – a double that almost left the ballpark, incidentally. But he would later score on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single. Later in the inning Jorge Mateo plated a second run with a swinging bunt at home plate. Newly signed Aaron Hicks scored from third, giving the O’s a 2-1 lead.

And make no mistake that part of that run scoring was the placement of the ball – which was mainly luck. However Mateo’s speed also played a major role. He was quick out of the box, and his blazing speed got him to first. San Francisco never had a chance at preventing the run from scoring.

However they did quickly tie the game. Yastrzemski’s RBI-double in the last of the third tied things up at two. But let’s back up for a moment – all things being the same, that could have been a go-ahead run. Davis hit what should have been an RBI-single to right field with a runner on second. However Anthony Santander came up throwing…

…and he gunned the base runner out at home plate. Plays as such are huge in close games. And luckily for the O’s, this one went their way.

Speaking of “gunning,” it was Gunnar Henderson who put the Birds back in the lead. His solo home run in the seventh gave them a 3-2 lead. The bullpen did it’s job, and the O’s took game one of three in the Bay Area.

As I said, manager Brandon Hyde and starter Dean Kremer were playing in their old stomping grounds. It has to be a cool moment to come back to your home region as an athlete or coach. Hyde addressed this point before the game when asked if it meant anything to him:

Yeah it does (mean something to manage here). We drove by Candlestick going to the hotel two nights ago and I have special memories of going to those games. Watching Joe Montana with the Niners and watching Will Clark with the Giants in my younger days with my dad and friends.

Quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports

The series continues this evening at Oracle Park. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by San Francisco’s Alex Cobb (former Oriole). Game time is set for just after 10 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds hold on late to win

The Baltimore Orioles we’re hoping that Kyle Gibson would go deeper into tonight’s game against Cleveland. But they rode him as far as they could, and he came technically one out short of a quality start. But make no mistake about the fact that it was a quality start – just not a quality start. You read me?! Gibson’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took the lead right off the bat in the last of the first on Gunnar Henderson’s two-RBI single. One inning later they broke the game open – for the time being. Adley Rutschman walked with the bases loaded, extending the lead to 3-0. The bases of course remained loaded at that point, but they were cleared on a double by Anthony Santander.

At this point the Birds led 6-0, and that was extended to 7-0 on Austin Hays’ sac fly-RBI. Cleveland would get a run back in the fourth on Bell’s RBI-single, but they themselves put a an additional run on the board in the last of the fifth on an RBI-single by Gunnar Henderson. A seven-run lead should be safe, right? Yes and no; Cleveland would make it interesting, narrowing the lead to within 8-5. But the Birds would eventually close out the game with Felix Bautista getting the save, and they cruised to an 8-5 win.

The issue is that the Birds are suddenly having issues hitting in the clutch. They had the bases loaded with nobody out in the seventh, and Gunnar Henderson grounded into a double-play – with one out being made at home plate. And they ended up not scoring.

They need to find a way to not sit on leads, as that’s something which eventually will come back and haunt them. Furthermore, if they put even one more run on the board, they aren’t in a save situation. Meaning they don’t have to use Bautista in the ninth. These are things they need to correct as they go along, or eventually they’ll find themselves blowing games late. This as opposed to winning them late.

Before the game the Orioles out Cedric Mullins on the IL, and signed former NYY Aaron Hicks (who was recently DFA’d). Mullins of course injured his groin in yesterday’s game, and could miss a few weeks. Hicks wasn’t available for tonight’s game, but odds are he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.

The series with Cleveland concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Orioles are yet to announce a starter, but whomever gets the start will be opposed by Cleveland’s Shane Bieber. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.