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: Mike Bauman gets first big league win in debut

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t face much competition in tonight’s game from Kansas City. Alexander Wells got the start, and while he left with the lead, he didn’t qualify for the wins by only pitching four innings. Wells’ line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Anthony Santander gave the Orioles the lead in the last of the first with an RBI-single. But the Orioles weren’t done in the inning. Not by a long shot. Austin Hays’ RBI-groundout ran it to 2-0, and DJ Stewart’s two-run homer put the Birds ahead 4-0.

Kansas City’s Lopez would cut the lead to 4-1 in the third with an RBI-single. However Austin Hays would do him one better in the bottom of the frame with a two-run homer that broke the game wide open. The O’s led 6-1.

Santana would smack a solo shot in the fourth to cut the lead to 6-2. And that appeared to chase Wells, who again only pitched four innings. They then turned to rookie Mike Bauman, who had been called up from Norfolk yesterday afternoon.

And Bauman, who was only making his big league debut (with his entire family cheering him on in the stands), was really strong. He sent Kansas City down 1-2-3 in the fifth, and in doing so became in line for the win.

Bauman pitched with ice water in his veins. He could have pitched that one inning, hit the showers, and left it at that. And it would have been a successful debut. But he instead lasted 3.2 innings, giving up two hits and one unearned run. And he earned high praise from manager Brandon Hyde:

He was absolutely outstanding. I loved the aggressiveness in the strike zone. I like how he attacked hitters. I thought his fastball had a ton of life to it. Had him scheduled for two-to-three innings tonight and he goes three-plus. Going 3 2/3, not giving up an earned run. I thought he flashed some good secondary stuff, as well. A couple good sliders, a couple good curveballs to add in there. But I just liked his aggressiveness in the strike zone, challenged hitters.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Cedric Mullins would smack a solo homer in the seventh, and Kansas City would score the aforementioned unearned run on an error in the eighth. But the O’s coasted to a 7-3 victory, giving Mike Bauman the win in his major league debut. And make no mistake, that’s a big deal.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Mike Minor. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Improbable game and series win goes to the Birds

To paraphrase a popular baseball poem, the outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Baltimore Orioles (or “Baltimore Nine”) today. Nobody would have blamed the Birds for dropping today’s game. And it looked like that’s how things were trending when starter Keegan Akin gave up a grand slam to Sanchez in the second inning. Akin’s line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Backing up for just a moment, the Orioles did hold the lead in this game after Austin Hays smacked a solo homer in the top of the second. However Sanchez’s grand slam in the bottom of the frame put NY ahead. And again, nobody would have blamed the O’s for packing it in.

But instead they chipped away. Jorge Mateo’s sac fly-RBI cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth. However an inning later Rizzo’s RBI-single re-extended the NY lead to three runs.

But it was the Orioles who appeared to have something for which to play today. Each time New York put runs up, the Orioles came back. Cedric Mullins smacked a two-run homer in the sixth which brought the O’s to within 5-4. But a two-run homer by Sanchez in the bottom of the sixth gave New York a 7-4 lead.

But as I said, the O’s always came back. Jahmai Jones’ two-run double in the seventh again brought the Orioles to within one at 7-6. But this was the Orioles’ day, and the Orioles’ series in the Bronx. Jorge Mateo tied the game at seven with an RBI-single later in the inning, and Kelvin Gutierrez’s RBI-single gave them the lead for good. And the O’s defeated New York 8-7 at Yankee Stadium.

To review, the O’s fell in extra innings to New York on Friday night. But they came back to win the series with grind-em-out wins on Saturday and again this afternoon. That shows a lot of character in that clubhouse. Furthermore the O’s are getting contributions from guys like Gutierrez and Mateo. That’s a great sign going into next year. But for now, they’re at least leaving their mark on the AL playoff race.

The O’s now return home to open a three-game set with Kansas City tomorrow at Camden Yards. The O’s have yet to name a starter, but whomever he is he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Kris Bubic. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Is the pitching staff turning a slight corner?

You’d be hard-pressed not to notice that the Baltimore Orioles’ pitching staff (both starters and bullpen) have been performing well the past few games. This against pretty stiff competition in Toronto and New York. This afternoon it was starter Chris Ellis in the Bronx, who kept a potent New York lineup at bay. Ellis’ line: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K.

Ellis and the bullpen led the Birds in a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. Again, this against a potent New York lineup. And the Birds even held a lead from the fourth inning on. Trey Mancini scored from third on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.

And that’s also a good sign. Mancini had to make a snap decision whether to run. And he decisively went for it, and slid in safely to home plate to give his team the lead. As much bad base running as we‘ve seen from this team this season, that was good base running and that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The Orioles would also get an RBI-double from Cedric Mullins, and an RBI-single from Austin Hays in the seventh. However Torres would break up the no-hit bid in the bottom of the inning with an infield RBI-single. One inning later Gallo would smack a two-run homer to tie the game.

However down the stretch New York would load the bases a couple of times. And the Orioles would pitch out of it. Many people will say, “yeah but they loaded the bases.” Pitchers will get themselves in trouble – it’s the nature of the position. But good ones will work their way out of trouble also. The Orioles did that today by way of ground ball double-plays.

And the game itself was there for the taking. In the ninth it was the Orioles’ turn to load the bases. And they’d score on a sac fly-RBI by Pedro Severino. Now again, a crass person’s going to say “but they only got one run.” Well in a tie game in the ninth inning if you get one run, you’re in good shape. It’s all in the context of the situation. And the Birds went onto a 4-3 victory over New York.

People might argue that this is just a good stretch that Oriole pitching is going through. And it might be the case – we’ve seen that before, just as we’ve seen bad stretches. But it also could be the staff coming together here as we go into the home stretch of the season. They certainly played a bug role in winning a ballgame today.

The series concludes tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Corey Kluber. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles battle hard in the Bronx, but fall in extras

John Means anchored the Baltimore Orioles’ pitching effort last night in a pitching duel that went to extras. With the Orioles playing out a string on the season and New York in the thick of contention, maybe you couldn’t have expected much last night. Out of even a an ace like Means, or out of the Orioles in general. But we saw what this group of Birds could be last night. We saw the future, and it was good. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

You don’t expect a team like the Orioles to match New York, the “Bronx Bombers,” pitch-for-pitch in a pitcher’s duel. But they did. Means was strong in his five innings. He didn’t totally keep New York off the board, but he put the Birds in a position to win. And that may have been more than anyone was expecting.

New York tagged Means for a solo homer by Stanton in the fourth, and a sac fly-RBI by LeMahieu in the fifth. And make no mistake that Means will take a solo homer and a sac fly. For the most part those aren’t going to hurt you. And they didn’t last night.

However the O’s wanted to remind the Bronx crowd that there were two teams playing in this game. Granted the same applies – in that solo homers aren’t going to beat you – when you get two solo homers towards the latter part of a game you’re losing 2-0, that’s a big deal. The Orioles got solo shots off the bats of Trey Mancini (6th inning) and Jorge Mateo (7th inning). That tied the game at two.

The game went to extra innings, and the Orioles took a brief lead. Ryan Mountcastle took advantage of the ghost runner on second in extra innings rule, and smacked an RBI-single in the tenth. However in the bottom of the frame LeMahieu did the same, tying the game. One inning later Stanton’s RBI-single would send the O’s to defeat, 4-3.

But you have to tip your cap to the Birds. They battled last night. And they battled hard. That shows a lot of character, especially at a time when perhaps coaches, players, and fans alike are looking to the end. But there’s no quit in these guys, and it showed last night.

The series continues this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Chris Ellis gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Birds fall despite battling in Toronto

Toronto’s been a house of horrors for years for the Baltimore Orioles. Despite losing last night and dropping the series, they held their own tip there this time out. Matt Harvey got the start at Rogers Centre, but didn’t stick around long enough to see the end. Harvey’s line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Harvey gave up a solo homer in the last of the first to Semien right off the bat. But the O’s battled back. They loaded the bases in the second inning, and Cedric Mullins walked in a run. That tied the game at one.

But the Orioles weren’t finished Ryan Mountcastle walked in a second run, and the O’s suddenly led, 2-1. Incidentally Mountcastle had a great series. Is it possible that someone on the Orioles finally is actually cut out to hit in the dome?!

Toronto would tie things back up in the fourth on Hernandez’s RBI-single. They would then take the lead on Gurriel’s two-RBI single. And the Orioles trailed 4-2.

But the O’s never quit. They got to within 4-3 in the sixth on Austin Wynns’ RBI-single. One inning later Trey Mancini’s RBI-double would tie the game at four. The game would go to the last of the ninth tier at four, but Grichuk’s sac fly would score the winning run, and Toronto won it 5-4.

As I said, Rogers Centre has been a tough place for the Orioles to play over the years. Going back a long way. Granted they lost 7-3 on Monday, but they battled to the end. They won on Tuesday, and lost a close one last night. This was not your typical Rogers Centre visit for the Orioles. Furthermore, as I said, Ryan Mountcastle had a great series. Having a young guy who suddenly seems to hit well at Rogers Centre could be a big asset as time goes on.

Baltimore Orioles: Keegan Akin and Ramon Urias save the day

Keegan Akin has quietly pitched a couple of good outings for the Baltimore Orioles. This including tonight at Rogers Centre in Toronto, where he dominated one of the most potent lineups in baseball. Akin’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Amin’s some bad pitch ended up in the seats. Jansen smacked a solo homer in the third. However Oriole bats are first didn’t appear to be complimenting the effort Akin was putting forth. It took until the sixth for the O’s to score their first base hit of the game.

And that was on a Mountcastle double. He would later score on an RBI-single by Austin Hays. That tied the game at one, but the O’s weren’t done. Ramon Urias’ two-RBI double layer in the inning would give the O’s a 3-1 lead.

That lead was briefly cut to 3-2 on Guerrero’s solo homer, but the O’s quickly got that run back. Jahmai Jones’ RBI-single in the seventh gave the O’s a 4-2 lead. Which is how the game ended.

Akin and Urias turned in perhaps their best performances as Orioles tonight. But the biggest factor was the the O’s hit with RISP this evening. They only had four hits, but they were 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That’s how you win games.

The series at Rogers Centre concludes tomorrow night. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Steven Matz. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Are analytics doing in Brandon Hyde?

Chris Ellis did his job tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. He put the team in a position to win. However he was lifted in the fifth inning by manager Brandon Hyde, presumably due to analytics telling him that Ellis was no longer the right guy in the game. And the bullpen proceeded to blow it. Ellis’ line: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Ryan Mountcastle smacked a solo homer in the first to give Ellis the lead before he even took the mound. And Ellis was strong tonight against Toronto. Guerrero’s fourth inning solo homer is the only run he gave up. And it tied the game at 1.

Mountcastle would give the Orioles the lead back briefly with an RBI-single in the sixth. But Bichette would follow suit in the last of the sixth with an RBI-single to tie the game back up. Hernandez’s two-RBI double later in the sixth would give Toronto a 4-2 lead.

Guerrero would break the game wide open in the seventh with a three-run homer. And the O’s dropped game one of the series at Rogers Centre, despite Pedro Severino’s RBI/m-single in the ninth. But the question remains; are the Orioles overusing analytics?

There’s a place for analytics in baseball. And really in all sports. But you still have to have a feel for the game. Major league managers (including Brandon Hyde) have forgotten more baseball than I’ll ever know. BUT…

…I feel like it’s misguided to lift a starter who’s pitching a great game (in the middle innings) because a computer suggests the match up isn’t ideal. Wouldn’t you rather trust your gut than a computer or a book in a game like baseball?

Again, there’s a place for analytics in the game. But games should be called primarily based on the feel for the game. And if you overlook that, you deserve to lose.

The series continues tomorrow at Rogers Centre. Keegan Akin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto‘s Hyundai Jin Ryu. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles swept away again by Tampa

The Baltimore Orioles continued their mark of only beating Tampa once this season, as Tampa swept the three-game set at Camden Yards. Starter Spenser Watkins went five innings, but couldn’t really put the Orioles in a position to win the game. That’s what you ask of your starter. Watkins’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Tampa hasn’t missed one pitch that the Orioles have thrown up there this year. Today was no exception. They took a 1-0 lead in the first on Arozarena’s RBI-single. Wendle would add one of his own and the Birds trailer 2-0.

However something else we’ve seen is that the Orioles fight back. They may not make it all the way, but they try. Austin Hays cut the lead in half with an RBI-single in the last of the first. Tampa and the Orioles would swap homers in the second and third respectively, with the Orioles’ coming off the bat of Ryan Mountcastle.

However Tampa got a two-run homer by Meadows, and a solo shot by Wendle in the sixth. And the O’s seemingly woke Wendle’s bat up – he hadn’t hit a home run since June. BUT…Jorge Mateo’s two run homer in the last of the sixth cut the lead back to 6-4.

However as I said, the Orioles woke up Wendle’s bat. His seventh inning grand slam extended the lead to 10-4. But the O’s kept fighting none the less. Trey Mancini’s RBI-single and DJ Stewart’s RBI-groundout in the seventh cut it to 10-6.

But Tampa had to prove a point. Franco sent a soft blooper with two on and two out into center in the eighth. It fell, netting one more for Tampa. But the Orioles were lackadaisical in getting the ball back in, allowing another run to score for Tampa.

That really illustrates how you have to be on your game when you play Tampa. They pay attention to every detail, and they gladly accept every little opening they get in a game. If you stumble, they’re right there to hold you accountable for it.

The O’s would put up two more on Cedric Mullins’ two-run homer in the eighth, but that would be it. The Birds fell 12-8, and were swept in the series.

The Orioles now head to Rogers Centre in Toronto for the first time since 2019. Chris Ellis gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Robbie Ray. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Matt Harvey pitches to a quality start in loss

Matt Harvey did his job for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Certainly he had some issues in the first inning, but he did his job. He put the O’s in a position to win the game. Harvey’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

I’ve written a lot about how the Orioles needed to get men on base over the course of the losing streak. And in fact, that’s how they broke the streak eventually. Luckily for Tampa, getting people on base isn’t a problem. Neither is clearing the bases.

Diaz’s RBI-single in the first gave Tampa a 1-0 lead. Margot followed later in the inning with a two-RBI single. After one, Tampa held a 3-0 lead.

However Austin Hays’ two-run home run in the last of the fourth cut the Tampa lead to one at 3-2. But the mark of this game was pitching. Tampa bent but they didn’t break. They allowed the Orioles base runners, but prevented them from crossing the plate.

Tampa’s Zunino would smack a three-run homer in the seventh which doubled their run total at 6-2. But again, their pitching shut the Orioles down. Save for at the end when Cedric Mullins hit a solo homer. But there were already two out in the ninth, and the game was already going Tampa’s way.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in this loss. First off the O’s just lost – this as opposed to looking inept against Tampa, which was the case the last time they were in town. Plus the O’s were still getting guys on base. That’s key to stopping another losing streak.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Michael Wacha. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: From the depths of despair to a series win

The Baltimore Orioles entered this series with Los Angeles on an 18-game losing streak. After the streak was snapped (following it reaching 19), the Birds turned their attention to winning today, and thus winning the series. Keegan Akin got the cheery assignment of providing a decent start in the wake of last night’s exciting win. And he pitched to a quality start, putting the Birds in a spot to win. Akin’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

It didn’t start well; Ohtani smacked a solo homer in the first inning, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. But that was the only highlight for LA. Kelvin Gutierrez‘s RBI-single in the last of the third tied the game at three. Only downside there was that Gutierrez was thrown out trying to extend it to a double. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that you have to have base runners to be competitve.

Two innings later the O’s had the lead for good, thanks to Trey Mancini‘s RBI-single. And they never looked back. In fact, they kept pushing.

The O’s also got an RBI-double from DJ Stewart in that fifth inning. However it was only 3-1, which meant that the Los Angeles Angels were still technically “in the game.” But Pedro Severino kind of ended that sentiment. His grand slam blew the game wide open, giving the Birds a 7-1 lead. What was that about getting guys on base again?!

The O’s got an RBI-single from Ramon Urias in the seventh, this in advance of another big inning in the eighth. I think that Los Angeles had already waved the white flag, but the hit parade continued. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-RBI single, Ramon Urias an RBI-double, and Pedro Severino two-RBI single. When the smoke cleared, the previously hapless O’s had a 13-1 victory, and a series win.

It should go noted that fans, opposing teams, and even national writers had piled onto this Orioles team. But those people are now having to look and see that the O’s not only broke their skid, but they won a series. And go figure, they now find themselves on a two-game WINNING STREAK.

The O’s will open up a three-game series with Tampa tomorrow at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Shane McClanahan. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.