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: You can’t nibble

In his return from the IL, Cade Povich was good tonight at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia. Not perfect, but good. Not great, but good enough to win. 5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

Povich was a hard-luck loser, albeit not in the way we might normally think. This wasn’t necessarily a pitcher’s duel. But in a perfect world, Povich would have actually gotten the win as opposed to the loss.

Povich surrendered a solo homer to Harper in the first inning. However the O’s battled in the early innings. Tyler O’Neill smacked a two-run home run in the second to thrust the Orioles into the lead at 2-1. They would extend it to 3-1 in the third on Jordan Westburg’s solo homer.

The interesting thing is that those two home runs were on pitches well out of the strike zone. It seems like the Orioles couldn’t heed what they were being told by that. They couldn’t see that weak pitches out of the zone weren’t going onto cut it.

Povich was lifted in the seventh after recording two outs and allowing a base hit. Interestingly, that base hit was a contested play. Gunnar Henderson made an amazing play to get to a Realmuto grounder in the hole, and the throw wasn’t in time. The Orioles challenged the play, but the call was upheld. My personal opinion is that he was rightfully out. But there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call on the field.

Following a Castellanos single, Corbin Martin’s four-seam fastball was slugged into the stands by Bader to give Philadelphia a 6-3 lead. All of the pitches in the Bader at-bat were either out of the strike zone, or on the fringes. This with Corbin Martin on the mound.

Martin would also surrender an RBI-single to Wilson, and then an emphatic grand slam to Schwarber. Philadelphia would also tack on two additional solo home runs in the eighth. And the O’s fell 13-3 in the series opener.

Prior to the Schwarber grand slam, Martin issued a walk to Turner – again, primarily by nibbling. On a 1-2 pitch, Martin had Turner struck out. Pitch track showed the pitch in the fringes of the strike zone.

But when you constantly nibble on the strike zone, you aren’t going to get that call. Povich got tagged with the loss, but he shouldn’t have. It’s merely a technicality that an inherited runner scored. Povich attacked the strike zone. Subsequent Oriole pitchers didn’t. They tried to nibble on the fringes and get cheap strikes. And home plate umpire Jim Wolf wasn’t having it.

When Martin was forced to throw the ball more over the plate with the bases loaded, Schwarber had the ability to sit on a fastball. And it wasn’t good enough to overpower Schwarber.

When you’re forced to pitch to a heavy hitter like Schwarber, odds are he knows you have to pitch to him. Sometimes that’s the line between winning and losing. That can also be defined by things such as instant replay. Had Coby Mayo stretched just a little further to get the ball on the instant replay review prior to the grand slam, it never happens.

The series continues tomorrow night at Citizen’s Bank Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall despite unlikely heroics

Brandon Young is still looking for his first major league win for the Baltimore Orioles. Not a terrible outing at Wrigley Field this afternoon, but he had to labor. Despite neither of the runs he gave up being earned. Young’s line: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 earned), 2 BB, 4 K.

Jeremiah Jackson committed a two-base error in the first inning, dropping a pop fly. That was followed by Suzuki’s RBI-single, and Chicago led 1-0. Happ’s subsequent run-scoring double multiplied the lead by two.

That’s the argument against a youth movement. You have to eventually bring young guys up, especially in the situation in which the Orioles find themselves now. But you also have to subsequently live with errors like that. Incidentally Jackson somewhat redeemed himself at the end of the inning when a third run tried to score on the Happ double (in the form of Kelly), and he got an assist on the putout at home plate.

Gunnar Henderson would get the O’s on the board in the third with a fielder’s choice-RBI. One inning later it was tied on an RBI-single by Colton Cowser. The Orioles may be at a disadvantage due to various reasons right now, but they don’t give up either.

Chicago would put two runners on in the last of the sixth, the second of which coming on a fluky play. The ball deflected off the base of the pitcher’s mound, and went into the outfield. That’s very typical of the 2025 Orioles. If it’s fluky and it could happen, it has happened. The same is true of the subsequent RBI-single by Swanson which gave Chicago a 3-2 lead.

I’ve said this a million times – the Orioles are playing their outfield slightly too deep. I understand that analytics say that’s what to do, but when you have softly hit balls such as that of Swanson, the outfielders can’t make the play. Soft contact has killed this team this year. And we saw it again today.

The Orioles trailed 3-2 down to their final out. Colton Cowser was on second base after a double, and the Birds sent up Ryan Noda as a pinch hitter. Noda was picked up on waivers yesterday. He’s bounced around with various teams and in various teams’ farm systems. He’s an Illinois native, and he was coming to bat in Wrigley Field with the game on the line…

…and he delivered. His RBI-single tied the game at three. Unfortunately however, Turner’s two-run homer in the last of the ninth won it for Chicago. Valiant effort on the Orioles’ part, but the home team bats last.

The O’s now head to Philadelphia to open up a three-game set at Citizen’s Bank Park. Cade Povich returns to the majors after a rehab to make the start, and Philadelphia is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for 6:45 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The confines were friendly to Gunnar Henderson

Tomoyuki Sugano labored through five innings for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Wrigley Field. In short, he set the table. But a laborious afternoon, and not a perfect one. But one where he was able to help the Orioles at least hang around. Sugano’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Chicago put two runners in scoring position in the second, and Horner’s RBI-single gave them a 1-0 lead. McGuire’s sac fly-RBI would extend it to 2-0. Jordan Westburg led off the fourth with a single, and was promptly picked off of first. You can’t let that happen.

Chicago starter Boyd has a strange pickoff move that’s borderline to being a balk, quite frankly, it could go either way. The umpire didn’t rule it a balk, so it was an out. In the hole half of the inning Horner would tack on an RBI-single, and Chicago led 3-0.

However Oriole pitching buckled down in the wake of that fourth inning and mowed hitters down. Which was good, because the O’s couldn’t afford any more runs surrendered. Keep in mind, the O’s hadn’t scored a run since the trade deadline.

Colton Cowser walked to lead off the eighth inning. Jeremiah Jackson followed with a single. Later in the inning Jordan Westburg’s RBI-single got the O’s on the board and cut the Chicago lead to 3-1. At least they ended the mini-scoreless streak.

Backing up a second, with one out in the inning Jackson Holiday grounded into a force out. Chicago couldn’t turn two, and the inning continued. Which means that had they turned two, Gunnar Henderson wouldn’t have come up.

And if you watched the game you know what happened. Henderson smacked a three-run home run to right field, giving the Orioles an impromptu 4-3 lead. You don’t get more clutch than that.

Keegan Akin put the winning run on base in the ninth, but retired the side for the save. There are legitimate criticisms to be made of the Orioles this year, along with a lot of other things that were out of their realm of control. But in a year where nothing’s gone right, that’s as improbable a win as you’ll see.

The series concludes tomorrow at Wrigley Field – the Friendly Confines. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Colin Rea. Game time is set for 2:20 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Trevor Rogers with a quick hard-luck loss

How the Baltimore Orioles responded to all of the trades yesterday was always going to be a big question. However the answer to that question was simply Trevor Rogers. He was a stalwart on the mound for the O’s, pitching a complete game in the first of three at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rogers’ line: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

Rogers allowed two runners in scoring position in the second inning. And Happ’s sac fly-RBI gave Chicago a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately the O’s couldn’t muster anything offensively. However aside from that, Rogers shut Chicago down.

Unfortunately that one run was all they needed. You can’t win if you can’t score. But on a day when it was unclear what the pecking order was in the Oriole bullpen, Trevor Rogers stepped up.

Many people will say that the lineup lost some pizzazz after yesterday’s trades. Maybe it did. But the moves made yesterday put the franchise in a better spot for the future. That’s what’s important.

We also saw what Adley Rutschman brings to the lineup today, as down to his final strike in the top of the ninth with two outs, he lined a double into the outfield. Tyler O’Neill then made a case for a two-run homer which would have put the Birds ahead, but Wrigley held it.

That’s important. It should symbolize to fans that the core of the team is still in tact. Rutschman was a 1:1 for a reason,

This was also one of the quickest games you’ll see. One hour and 49 minutes to be exact. A hard-luck loss for Trevor Rogers, yes. But one heck of a performance.

The series continues tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Matthew Boyd. Game time is set for 2:20 PM.

Baltimore Orioles send Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano west

Ryan O’Hearn was the Baltimore Orioles’ lone all star representative. Now he and Ramon Laureano are on their way to San Diego. The Orioles traded them this afternoon.

In return the O’s are getting the following prospects:

LHP Boston Bateman
INF Cobb Hightower
INF/OF Victor Figueroa
RHP Tyson Neighbors
INF Brandon Butterworth
RHP Tanner Smith

Bateman especially is sort of a big one. Only at single-A, but he’s one of San Diego’s top prospects. The O’s may have sold a lot today. But they got a decent return.

I’m surprised they traded Laureano, who’s still under team control. However that may have been the X-factor in getting what they got back. The haul they got on all of their trades is heavy on pitching, but the core of the team and the future is still in tact.

Interesting move by San Diego also. At first glance, it looks like the Orioles kind of fleeced them. If you’re their GM, you’re running a huge risk in saying this year or bust. When you take a leap of faith like that, you’d better be right.

Baltimore Orioles send Cedric Mullins to Queens

The Baltimore Orioles have traded center fielder Cedric Mullins to the New York Mets. This in advance of today’s 6 PM trade deadline. In return, the O’s are receiving RHP Raimon Gomez, RHP Anthony Nunez, and RHP Chandler Marsh.

This at first glance appears to be decent return for a player or Mullins’ caliber. Especially given that he’s a rental. Granted New York is now the only team who can offer him a contract, so there’s that risk for the Orioles. But the O’s can bring him back next year if they want to and are able.

Two of those three are top 30 prospects. So there’s that. And it’s good to restock the minors a bit. That said, youth doesn’t help the Orioles at the big league level for 2026.

Baltimore Orioles trade Ramon Urias and Andrew Kittredge

The Baltimore Orioles continued their deadline moves following yesterday’s 9-8 loss to Toronto. First off, they sent Ramon Urias to Houston in exchange for minor league RHP Twine Palmer. Palmer has spent parts of two seasons with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, and has a career ERA of 2.62.

The Orioles also appear to be sending Andrew Kittredge to the Chicago Cubs. Neither club has confirmed the deal, and it’s unclear what the Birds are getting in return. Of course we saw Seranthony Dominguez switch clubhouses the other day. Now Kittredge appears to be flying to Chicago with the Orioles only to compete against them with Chicago.

Kittrege is of course a rental for Chicago, as his contract is expiring. Urias was under team control through 2026. It’s a curious trade, especially given that the pitcher they got in return is only 20 years old. Urias is also a Gold Glove winner with the Orioles.

Admittedly Palmer has some promise. But he isn’t someone who appears to be capable of helping the big league club for awhile. More as it comes.

Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman for the win

By virtue of winning the night cap, the Baltimore Orioles swept today’s doubleheader with Toronto. Brandon Young got the start in a game that was vastly different from the first game. But that’s about par for the course in baseball across two different games. These just happened to be on the same day. Young’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Young loaded the bases in the first inning but pitched out of it. He then surrendered a run in the second on Lukes’ RBI-groundout. Straw would squeeze in a run in the third on a sacrifice bunt, and the O’s trailed 2-0.

But the Orioles weren’t going quietly despite winning the first game. Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-triple in the fourth got them on the board and cut the Toronto lead to 2-1. Ramon Urias would plate him with an RBI-groundout, and the score was tied at two.

Of course the interesting side story in this game was that the Orioles traded reliever Seranthony Dominguez to Toronto between games. Go figure, Dominguez did get into the game in the seventh. He didn’t surrender any runs against his now former team, but it figured he’d get into the game.

On a side note, Toronto prospect Juaron Watts-Brown was sent back to the Orioles and assigned to double-A Chesapeake…who was at home, and playing Toronto’s double-A team. It’s unclear if there’s ever been a trade where a big league player switched clubhouses and the minor league compensation did the same on the flip side, but needless to say it was an interesting dynamic.

With the game still tied in the last of the eight, Gunnar Henderson smacked a double. Adley Rutschman followed, of course only in his third game since returning from the IL. And Rutschman smacked a key RBI-double, scoring the go-ahead run,

The Orioles called on Corbin Martin to close out the game – Martin, who was recently picked up by the O’s. Martin put two runners on, and was struggling with his command. But end of the day he recorded three outs and qualified for his first career big league save. And the O’s have taken three of the first four against Toronto, with one to play tomorrow.

The irony of course is that it probably would have been Seranthony Dominguez in the closer’s role. But he was in the opposing bullpen. It wasn’t an easy ninth, but it worked out for the O’s.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Jose Berrios. Game time is set for just after 12:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Seranthony Dominguez switching clubhouses

The Baltimore Orioles have made a trade. They’re sending reliever Seranthony Dominguez to Toronto in exchange for RHP Juaron Watts-Brown. He was previously the 10th best prospect in the Toronto farm system.

Dominguez of course is only switching clubhouses. This in the middle of a doubleheader. I’m always interested to see if he has a jersey and a uniform ready to go in the other clubhouse for the second game when things like this happen. I guess we’ll find out. At this time neither team has confirmed the trade.

Baltimore Orioles: That escalated quickly

It’s tough to decipher whether Charlie Morton or another members of the Baltimore Orioles was the most key in today’s win over Toronto in game one of a doubleheader. Morton pitched to a quality start, and did so in a game where the Birds needed some longevity given the doubleheader. Not to mention the heat. Morton’s line: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

The O’s led almost from the beginning. Sac fly-RBI’s by Tyler O’Neill and Cedric Mullins in the first inning gave them a 2-0 lead. Toronto would cut that in half in the third, however Ramon Urias and Cedric Mullins would each net sac fly-RBI’s in the home half of the inning to give the O’s a 4-1 lead.

The only real threat Toronto posed in this game was in the fourth when Barger’s two-run home run cut the lead to one at 4-3. However they ran themselves out of that inning with runners at the corners and two outs. On a double-steal attempt, the final out of the inning was recorded by the Orioles tagging the runner out trying to steal home. Why you would try something that risky in that situation, I don’t know.

The O’s took that one-run lead into the sixth before it escalated. And fast. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single extended the lead to 5-3. Then the red hot Tyler O’Neill’s three-run home run gave them an 8-3 lead. But what the heck…Ramon Urias went back-to-back and smacked a solo shot, before Colton Cowser ended the onslaught with an RBI-single to give the Orioles a 10-3 lead.

But they weren’t finished. Gunnar Henderson’s three-run homer in the seventh gave the O’s a ten-run margin at 13-3. Ramon Urias smacked his second solo home run of the game later in the inning, and the O’s would tack on two nominal runs in the eighth. This following a Toronto solo home run.

When the dust settled, the Birds had a 16-4 win in the first game of the doubleheader. That’s a good spot in which to be going into the second game. Especially when you have a Tyler O’Neill, who has four home runs in the last four games.

The series continues tonight in the second game of the doubleheader at Camden Yards. Brandon Young gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Eric Lauer. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.