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: #RIPFlanny

Baltimore Orioles fans won’t ever forget this day from 2011. It was August 24, 2011 that former Oriole great turned broadcaster, Mike Flanagan, passed away. I swore to myself on that day that so long as I penned a version of this column, I’d commemorate Flanagan’s death.

One year later in 2012, the Orioles were in the midst of a season much like they’re having here in 2022. They came out of nowhere, had a magical season, and thrust their way into the playoffs, and into the hearts and minds of a new generation of fans. For much of that season I remember thinking how proud Mike Flanagan would have been to have seen that.

And the same is still true. This franchise has truly risen from the ashes in a sense – the ashes of 2018-2021. And it’s happened much quicker than anyone would have otherwise thought. But again, my thoughts go back to Flanagan – especially on this day. He loved this franchise. He loved being an Oriole, and he loved Baltimore. He would have loved to have seen the rebirth of the franchise that’s occurring now.

However as Billy Joel sings in TWO THOUSAND YEARS, “time is relentless.” Death is a natural part of life. And nature dictates that Mike Flanagan isn’t here any longer. But we can never forget him, or the imprint that he left on the fans and the city. He’ll never be forgotten – not by a long shot. 11 years later, rest in peace, Mike Flanagan.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds continue to party

Following the Boston series and a day off, the Baltimore Orioles opened up a three-game set against the ChiSox this evening at Camden Yards. Austin Voth got the start, and did his job by putting the O’s in a spot to win the game. Voth’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

The Birds fell behind early in this one. Jimenez smacked a two-run homer in the first inning, giving Chicago a 2-0 lead. This before the crowd even settled in

But the O’s battled back. They put two runners on in the last of the first. And as a result, the Birds didn’t trail for long. Because Ryan Mountcastle smacked a three-run homer, giving the O’d a 3-2 lead.

They would add to their lead again in the sixth. Anthony Santander’s run-scoring single put the Orioles ahead 4-2. However an inning later, Vaughn’s RBI-single would bring Chicago to within two at 4-3.

But the last of the seventh brought an insurance run for the O’s. Jorge Mateo’s single brought home an insurance run for the O’s. And with the fickle nature of bullpens on 2022, that was a huge thing.

This team is loud, proud, and focused. I can think of no greater reward for them than to take the fans to the “promise land.” But even if they fall short, they’ve restored the team’s standing in Baltimore simply by playing meaningful games in August. And September.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Lucas Giolito. Game is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: All my rowdy friends were there on Sunday night!

The Baltimore Orioles appeared on Sunday Night Baseball last night for the first time in years. This in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA, where they completed their series against Boston. Dean Kremer got the start for the O’s, and he put the O’s in a spot to win. Kremer’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

The O’s got on the board early with two RBI-singles. One by Anthony Santander, and an infield single by Ramon Urias. Boston would get on the board in the second when Hernandez smacked an RBI-single of his own.

And Boston did rally, albeit late. Cordero’s solo homer in the eighth inning tied the game at two. But the O’s out a stop to Boston’s rally with one of their own. They loaded the bases in the last of the eighth, bringing Jorge Mateo to the plate. And Mateo cleared the bases with a double, giving the Birds a 5-2 lead.

Boston would get one back on a solo homer by Bogaerts in the ninth, but the Birds closed out a 5-3 win. By winning this game, they not only won the Little League Classic, but they won this three-game series against Boston. Which for the playoff chase, is a huge thing.

The O’s are 2.5 games out of a wild card spot. The league should be thanking them, because one of their annual showcase games had major playoff implications. Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that the O’s/Boston game in Williamsport would have been important for the playoffs, however BECAUSE of the Orioles?!

And I think that this Little League Classic game is a great thing. It’s a little strenuous on the players because you force two teams to travel to Williamsport, PA during a series and play a game on Sunday Night. However I think it’s a great way of embracing the game at it’s core, and embracing youth. And make no mistake that a national audience got to see the showcasing of a franchise that’s turned a corner, and is going to be a huge part of the immediate future of baseball in terms of wins and losses.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds fall to Boston

Kyle Bradish got the start this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles against Boston at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. While it was far from stellar, Bradish didn’t get much run support. It appeared that the Birds left all of their runs in Friday night’s game. Bradish’s line: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Bradish made it to the fifth inning without giving up a run. As can often be the case, third time through the order got him. Verdugo’s RBI-single gave Boston a 1-0 lead. One inning later Hernandez smacked a two-run homer, and they extended their lead to 3-0.

The Orioles did rally, however. As has been demonstrated, you never count this team out. The Birds put two runners on in the seventh, and Kyle Stovers’ RBI-groundout cut the Boston lead to 3-1. Jorge Mateo also scored on a pass ball, and the O’s were to within one at 3-2.

The teams would trade runs in the ninth, with Boston getting theirs on an RBI-double, the three Orioles’ run coming on another RBI-groundout by Stowers. But the Birds couldn’t push another runs across, and fell, 4-3.

This is a bit of a strange series, as it now shifts to Muncy Bank Ballpark in Williamsport, PA for the finale. Obviously that‘s the site of the Little League World Series, and the teams will play in the Little League Classic tomorrow on Sunday Night Baseball. The game remains technically an Orioles’ home game, and is the series finale.

So yes, tomorrow night the series concludes at the aforementioned Muncy Bank Ballpark. Dean Kremer gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nick Pivetta. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall just short against Chicago

The Baltimore Orioles made up a previous rainout this afternoon at Camden Yards against the Chicago Cubs. Spencer Watkins got the start, and did his job. He put the O’s in a spot to win the ballgame. Watkins’ line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Chicago’s Contreras smacked a solo homer in the sixth inning. That was the first run of the game on either side. Contreras hit another one out in the eighth, followed up by a second solo homer by Contreras. Usually solo home runs don’t hurt you. But when you give up three, it makes a difference.

But the Orioles did battle. Ryan Mountcastle got them on the board with an RBI-single in the last of the eighth. Anthony Santander added a sac fly-RBI, and the Birds were within one. They also had the tying run on base in the ninth, but were unable to put anything more across, resulting in a 3-2 loss.

Austin Hays was thrown out at the plate in the fifth, and the O’s challenged the call. The call on the field was upheld, and the game went on. However it was questionable at best whether or not that was the correct call. Had they overturned it, all things being the same the game would have gone to extra innings.

Tomorrow the O’s open a three-game set with Boston at Camden Yards. Jordan Lyles gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles can’t stay out of the big inning

The Baltimore Orioles had an opportunity to sweep Toronto this afternoon at Rogers Center. And even though they didn’t, they still took two-of-three. And winning series’ should be, and is the goal. Austin Voth got the nod on the bump, and pitched to a quality start. Voth’s line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The issue of course was that Oriole bats couldn’t put any runs on the board for Voth. He certainly did his part, pitching well and putting the team in a position to win. He just didn’t get the run support he should have today. And sometimes that happens.

For once however, it was the Orioles’ pen that couldn’t hold things. In this case they would have been holding things to a 0-0 tie, but I digress. Springer’s RBI-single in the seventh got Toronto on the board. Espinal followed with a two-RBI double, and Toronto led 3-0.

They would put three more on the board in that sixth inning, including Espinal walking home a run. One of the big keys to any ballgame is trying to stay out of the big inning when in the field. The O’s have been pretty decent at that this year. Today was just an exception to the rule.

Robinson Chirinos’ RBI-single in the eighth got the O’s on the board, but Toronto closed things out and went home with a 6-1 victory. Again folks, the Birds took two-of-three in this series. That’s a good sign. For what it’s worth, they have seven games left against Toronto. They’ll have other opportunities to make up ground.

The Birds now return home for a home stand, starting with a makeup tomorrow against the Chicago Cubs at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Adrian Sampson. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Boh bests LaBlatt Blue by way of Dean Kremer

Dean Kremer took to the mound this evening at Rogers Centre in Toronto, hoping to notch a series win for the Baltimore Orioles. First time through the order, Kremer struggled a bit. It he settled down quickly, and turned in perhaps the best start of his career. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

Kremer allowed a base runner in the last of the first, which was followed by a two-run homer by Guerrero. However as I said above, Kremer settled in very nicely. Following the home run, that is. Very few Toronto hitters even reached base, much less threatened to score.

Toronto’s starter Manoah started hanging pitches a bit in the fifth inning. His pitch count was slightly high, and his fastball started staying up in the zone. Speaking for myself, it seemed to me that it would have been an opportune moment to at least get someone working in the bullpen. But Manoah was allowed to pitch on.

Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman smacked back-to-back solo homers in that inning. That tied the game at two. Again, one might have thought that Toronto would have changed pitchers. But apparently not.

Ramon Urias’ bloop RBI-single in the sixth eventually sent Manoah to the showers. That gave the Orioles the lead, never to be surrendered. Ryan McKenna would add an additional RBI-single of his own, giving the O’s a 4-2 lead.

The Orioles turned to the bullpen after Kremer was lifted (after the seventh), and the pen was just as lights out. Dillon Tate and Felix Bautista were almost not hittable. The O’s have a good thing going in that they can turn it over to perhaps the best bullpen in baseball, and preserve the lead.

I would argue that Toronto manager John Schneider failed his starting pitcher. And by extension his team. Manoah was tiring in the fifth, and Schneider waited until the Orioles had the lead to lift him. You have to preserve the lead as a manager, and put your team in a spot to win. And the Birds took full advantage.

The series concludes tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Austin Voth gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Ross Stripling. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Speed wins ballgames

The Baltimore Orioles entered yet another important series this evening, this one at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish got the start for the O’s against Toronto, and he set the tone for Brandon Hyde and company. Bradish’s line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles took an almost immediate lead when Anthony Santander smacked an RBI-single in the first inning. Ryan Mountcastle would follow two innings later with a two-run homer, extending the Orioles’ lead. At that point the Birds found themselves up, 3-0.

However Toronto almost got even in the last of the third. They loaded the bases with nobody out, and Gurriel smacked a two-RBI single. However Bradish pitched out of it from there, preserving the Orioles’ lead.

That third inning was possibly the key to the game. The Orioles bent but didn’t break. That inning could have been a disaster in terms of winning or losing the game. But Bradish stayed solid, gave up the two runs, and got back into the dugout.

And from there the O’s kind of broke things open. Tyler Nevin reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, with Jorge Mateo at third. Mateo dashed home like a madman, and was safe – giving the O’s a 4-2 lead. Ryan McKenna added a two-RBI double, and Adley Rutschman a sac fly-RBI before the inning ended, giving the Birds a 6-2 advantage.

And that Nevin fielder’s choice-RBI was huge. It solidified the O’s in the driver’s seat. They had almost surrendered the lead the previous inning, and just that one run (along of course with the runs that followed) reaffirmed that this was their game to lose. And that ultimately didn’t happen – the O’s losing the game, that is.

The O’s would score again in the fifth on a Terrin Vavra double-play ball, and Guerrero would smack a solo homer in the last of the fifth. And the Oriole bullpen took care of the rest, as the Birds went home 7-3 winners in game one at Rogers Centre.

Don’t downplay the importance of speed. This is a totally different game if Jorge Mateo doesn’t run as hard as he can tagging from their. Speed can definitely win games. We’re seeing it first hand.

The series continues tomorrow night at Rogers Centre. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Alek Manoah. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles hold off a perfecto

The Baltimore Orioles still have a long way to go in the regular season, but they dropped a big game today. In losing to Tampa, they dropped the season series; which is one of the playoff tie-breakers. All that means is that they have to finish with a better record than Tampa. Jordan Lyles got the start today, with mixed results. Lyles’ line: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 9 K.

Lyles gave up a three-run homer to Arozarena in the last of the third. Peralta also smacked an RBI-single in the fifth, giving Tampa a 4-1 lead. Other than that, Oriole pitching was pretty strong in this game. Keegan Akin pitched two innings of two-hit ball in relief. But when both sides have decent pitching, it boils down to who can finagle a couple of runs across. In this case that was Tampa.

Jorge Mateo scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning, and Tampa took home a 4-1 win. Of course, Mateo got on base with a first pitch double in the top of the ninth. He was the Orioles’ first base runner; he broke up a perfect game.

Tampa starter Drew Rasmussen pitched a gem. He kept the Birds off base until the ninth inning. Many will wonder if this dooms the rest of the season offensively. What does this say about Oriole bats?

What it says is that they had a bad game. Sometimes you have to tip your cap, as former manager Buck Showalter used to say. You keep grinding and move onto tomorrow.

The O’s now head to the great white north to open a three-game set with Toronto at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish 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 slug their way out of controversy and onto victory

Austin Voth didn’t surrender even a hit in tonight’s game for the Baltimore Orioles – that is until the sixth inning. And that came after a lengthy delay while manager Brandon Hyde argued with umpires about a call where he felt the O’s got hosed. Voth’s line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

But winning this game was more about getting guys on base and then getting them in than it was anything else. The Orioles put 19 hits on the board, a season high. And it started with Adley Rutschman’s solo homer in the first.

Jorge Mateo’s RBI-double in the second extended the lead to 2-0. Rutschman would come up again in the fifth, netting the Birds a run on a sac fly-RBI. And that’s part of the story of this game; the O’s just kind of kept talking runs on.

However the top of the sixth brought some controversy, which could have changed the game. With a runner on second and nobody out, Terrin Vavra hit a swinging bunt back to the pitcher, who threw wide of first base. This allowed a run to score. However the umpires ruled that Vavra ran inside the base line, interfering with the throw, and he was called out.

The call was questionable at best. Brandon Hyde came out and argued for awhile, but it was to no avail. End of the day that’s a judgement call. As I said, it was questionable at best. But that was the sort of moment that’s capable of swaying a game. The O’s only led by three at that point…

…but instead, the Orioles used it as a launching point. A launching point to seal the win. The O’s put four runs on the board, taking a 7-0 lead following that moment in the sixth. This included RBI-singles by Jorge Mateo and Cedric Mullins.

Tampa did attempt a comeback. Arozarena smacked a two-run homer on the last of the sixth. But the O’s kept adding on. Odor added an RBI-single, in the seventh, and Cedric Mullins a solo homer in the eighth. Tampa’s Walks would wedge an RBI-double in between those two runs, and Ramon Urias would add a sac fly-RBI in the last of the eighth.

With their 10-3 win this evening, the Al’s have now taken some possession of the final wild card spot in the American League. If the season ended today, they’d be in the playoffs. The team they catapulted over? Tampa.

The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. The Birds have yet to announce a starter, but whomever he is will be opposed by Tampa’s Shane Mclanahan. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.