Baltimore Orioles fall despite Kyle Bradish’s successful debut

The Baltimore Orioles called Kyle Bradish up from Triple-A Norfolk to make the start tonight against Boston at Camden Yards. Bradish of course was the centerpiece in the Dylan Bundy trade; he made his way to the bigs this evening. and he didn’t look awful. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s a quality start. I’m his major league debut. You just can’t ask for much more than that.

I think the aspect of Bradish’s outing that stands out the most to me is how he closed it out. Bradish retired the last ten batters he faced. That’s impressive for any pitcher, much less a guy making his major league debut. And again, a quality start is pretty darned impressive also.

Bradish had some trouble in the second inning. Arroyo’s two-run homer gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Vasquez would follow with a single later in the inning, however Trey Mancini misplayed the ball in right field, allowing a third (unearned) run to score.

And Mancini’s a guy who’s played various positions in the field this year. And when you have a guy rotating around like that, sometimes you see things as such occur. Even someone as talented as Mancini.

However those were the only runs Boston would score. The O’s threatened, however. They loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but were unable to push anything across. Their lone run of the evening came off of a solo homer by Ryan Mountcastle in the last of the ninth, and they fell 3-1.

And that’s been part of the early season story of this Baltimore Orioles team – leaving guys on base, that is. You can’t squander opportunities like that and consistently win games at the major league level. Oriole pitching was strong this evening, and that includes Keegan Akin (who followed Bradish and pitched 2.2 innings of shutout ball). But Boston simply took advantage of the opportunities they were given. That’s part of winning games in the big leagues.

The series with Boston continues tomorrow from Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ coverage resumes tomorrow

The Baltimore Orioles are already well into their season. But as you may be aware, I haven’t covered the team to this point, as I’ve been rehabilitating from some major health issues – including being a newly diagnosed diabetic. I’m happy to report that I’m doing a lot better, and I so much appreciate anyone who may have thought about me or said a prayer on my behalf the last month-and-a-half or so. Things were hit-or-miss for awhile, but I’m making a full recovery. And I’m excited about resuming what the “new normal” is going to be in my life.

Part of that “new normal” is the “old normal,” meaning covering the Orioles on Birdland Crush. Starting tomorrow, I’ll resume those duties as the O’s welcome the Boston Red Sox into Camden Yards to begin a long homestand. And I’m looking forward to it. I’m still not 100%, but I’m certainly good enough to do “my thing!” I look forward to engaging with folks on twitter and in the comment fields again.

Just a reminder, fans can follow me on twitter for in-game updates, @DomenicVadala. During most games I’ll take you through it all from soup to nuts! And I say it that way because now as a diabetic both soup and nuts are things I’m able to eat!

As I said, tomorrow the O’s open a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Birds’ starter is TBD, and Boston’s throwing Rich Hill. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: My absence

For the record, I’ve been following the Baltimore Orioles. Both in spring training and in the regular season. But I haven’t been covering them. This as I’m dealing with some health issues.

For the record, I miss covering the team. But between having my energy zapped, doctor’s appointments, etc, sometimes I don’t see or hear every game. But I’m getting stronger, and closer to returning to this column.

I went to the hospital a few weeks ago with an infection in my foot. It turned out I’m also a diabetic. Two hospital stays and a foot surgery later, I’m recovering. And as I said, getting stronger each day. Here’s a PSA folks: take care of yourself. I didn’t, and it almost cost me my leg, or worse. Let’s say it’s been a huge wake up call. I feel that I’m being given a second chance at life.

For the record, I’m somewhat encouraged from an Orioles’ perspective after two games. Both losses, yes. But overall the pitching has been decent. And the bullpen looks solid thus far. That’s a good sign. Unfortunately they’ve had to start off against Tampa’s pitching. But again, there’s been a lot in these games about which to be encouraged.

I’ll be back eventually. Sooner rather than later. I just want to gather my strength, and then I’ll be back and better than ever!

Baltimore Orioles: Camp opens with free agent signings

The Baltimore Orioles officially report to Spring Training today. Many players are already in Sarasota, but today is the report date. Exhibition games start Friday with the Birds hosting the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium.

The Orioles also jumped into free agency yesterday, signing RHP Jordan Lyles to a one-year deal. Lyles is an 11-year veteran who averages 878 strikeouts a game. He’s expected to be an innings eater in a sense.

The Birds also came to terms with veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos. Another one-year deal, but Chrinos is the veteran for whom the organization looked to help being along Adley Rutschman. Which makes us believe that Rutschman will probably be on the Opening Day roster.

Baltimore Orioles: THEY’RE COMING BACK!!!

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of MLB have reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the MLBPA. In other words, BASEBALL IS COMING BACK!!! THE ORIOLES ARE COMING BACK!!!

The deal has to still be ratified, which is merely a formality. The deal’s getting done. The league does intend to play a full 162-game schedule. The six games that were canceled will be rescheduled across the schedule, generally by way of nine-inning doubleheaders. The league will open on April 7th, and teams will report to camp this coming Sunday. Buckle Up!

Baltimore Orioles: No Deal

As of a couple of minutes ago, Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day appears to be off. In the MLB Lockout, the players veto’d the owners’ final proposal, meaning that there’s no collective bargaining agreement. Meaning that the players remain locked out.

Previously the league had stated that the deadline to reach a deal was February 28th. When it appeared that the sides were close, Commissioner Rob Manfred extended that to 5 PM this afternoon. But now we have no deal. Which means that regular season games are going to be canceled.

All we can do is hope that the sides continue to talk, and at some point in the very near future reach a deal. This is incredibly disappointing news, especially after the pandemic-induced 60-game season in 2020. But hopefully the sides come together to form some sort semblance of a regular 162-game season.

Baltimore Orioles: Executive pitch in the park

I wish I could be writing about the Baltimore Orioles and their progress in spring training right now. But due to the lockout I can’t do that. I’ll say this; PLEASE come to an agreement soon. This is America’s Pastime of which we’re speaking. Baseball can’t afford this.

However it is President’s Day, and I pen a column of this nature every year. 2022 is no exception. Baseball has a unique relationship with the American Presidency, dating back to 1912. That’s the year that President William Howard Taft journeyed to Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. and threw out the first pitch on Washington Senators’ Opening Day.

Someone throws out a first pitch at nearly every game. Depending on the team, it’s usually someone affiliated with a big sponsor or something like that. But that all piggybacks on the tradition of the President of the United States throwing out the first ball on Opening Day. And most Presidents since Taft have done the honors. Opening Day used to be a must, but Presidents have also done the honors at the MLB All-Star game, and at the World Series.

President Ronald Reagan showed up at Wrigley Field a few times during regular season games and threw out first pitches. Once he did it twice – once with each arm. Most people of course remember President Reagan as an actor (prior to politics), but even before that he worked at a radio station in Iowa and broadcasted play-by-play of Cubs games. He’d read the action coming off the wire, and while sitting in the studio would relay it to listeners – who had no idea he was in a studio.

One story I always like to throw into this column is President Franklin Delano Roosevelt doing the honors in 1940 (in Washington) and having hit pitch hit a Washington Post camera before falling to the turf. I can’t tell you why I think that’s an entertaining tidbit, but I just do! Five years later in 1945, President Harry Truman became the first President to throw out a left-handed first pitch – this also in Washington, but in the World Series.

Baltimore has hosted a Presidential first pitch on occasion also. President Jimmy Carter came to Memorial Stadium and threw out the first ball in the 1979 World Series, marking Baltimore’s first Presidential first pitch. Memorial Stadium hosted President Reagan on Opening Day in 1984, but it’s worth noting that was a surprise visit. Fans at the game that day got a bit more than they were bargaining for!

Reagan would return to Memorial Stadium on Opening Day of 1986 to toss out the first ball, and in 1989 newly sworn-in President George H.W. Bush showed up (also for Opening Day). President Bush would return to Baltimore in 1992 to throw out the first ball on the first Opening Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. I remember the day well, and if I recall he was very complimentary of the new park. (As a side note, Vice-President Dan Quayle threw out the first ball in 1991 on the final Opening Day at Memorial Stadium.)

President Bill Clinton visited the Orioles a few times also. 1993, 1994, and 1996 were all years where he came to Baltimore and threw out a Presidential first pitch at Camden Yards. He’s the last sitting President to do the honors in Baltimore. However, then Vice-President and current President Joe Biden threw out the first pitch in 2009 in Baltimore.

Speaking of President Biden, I hope he’s reading this (hey, you never know!). I say this every year, but I think that the President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington, D.C. every year. This regardless of party, political beliefs, or political climate. Opening Day in MLB is a celebration of the return of baseball, but also of everything that’s good and decent about America.

However this year that may not be possible – who knows when Opening Day will be? Heck, I’d settle for President Biden to step in and help break up the lockout! But perhaps if it persists he could put a special spin in the tradition. There are quite a few minor league teams in the DC area (many of them Orioles’ teams). Since the minors aren’t affected by the lockout and will start their seasons on time, why not do the honors at one of those parks?! That aside, I’ll say it again; the President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington, D.C. every year.

Baltimore Orioles: A Knight in Birdland

Whether or not any Baltimore Orioles’ games are played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards this year remains to be seen. Commissioner Rob Manfred informed teams yesterday that a new CBA must be agreed upon no later than February 28th in order for the season to start on time. But we do know for a fact that there’s at least one date that Camden Yards will be packed.

It was announced this morning that Sir Paul McCartney will be playing a live concert at Oriole Park on June 12th as part of his “Got Back” tour:

Tickets will go on sale next Saturday, February 25th at 10 AM.

McCartney’s played in Baltimore on two other occasions, but not as a soloist. As a member of the Beatles he played two different concerts on back-to-back nights at the Baltimore Civic Center (now Royal Farms Arena) in 1964. This at the height of Beatlemania. And now he’s coming back to play at the BALLPARK THAT FOREVER CHANGED BASEBALL.

For the record, June 12th is a Sunday, and the O’s will be in Kansas City for a 2 PM game. If the season starts late and the league shuffles the schedule around, that weekend will have to remain an away weekend. Because Paul McCartney’s coming…so “Let it Be!”

Baltimore Orioles: Super Sunday

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of MLB are still hammering out a solution to the current lockout. Commissioner Rob Manfred still thinks there’s a shot that the season starts on time. We wait, with baited breath.

But today is Super Bowl Sunday. One of my favorite days of the year! Baseball is my favorite sport (obviously, as I cover it), but football’s a close 1A. And today is the NFL’s day to shine.

Baltimore has a rich history on Super Sunday. Obviously the Colts fell to the NY Jets in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history in Super Bowl III. They would go on to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, two years later. Jim O’Brien, a rookie kicker, kicked the winning field goal as time expired.

However the Colts left in the middle of the night in 1984. But Baltimore returned to Super Sunday lore in Super Bowl XXXV, boat racing the New York Giants. And that in and of itself was kind of noteworthy, as it once again pitted Baltimore against the New York Football Giants, similar to the greatest game ever played – the 1958 NFL Title Game. But this Super Bowl wasn’t close; Jonny U drawing plays in the dirt like on a sandlot wasn’t necessary!

Which brings us to Super Bowl XLVII, when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers. Obviously the storyline in that game was that Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh was coaching against his brother Jim – the coach of the 49ers. It had to be a very unique experience. But the better side won, and that was Baltimore.

My hope for everyone reading this is that you enjoy tonight’s game with family, friends, and good food and drinks. Getting to attend a Super Bowl game is on my bucket list for sure – but it won’t be this year. If you’re asking, I’m pulling for the Rams. But I think the Bengals have momentum going right now. I’ll take the Bengals and give four. Enjoy the game!

Baltimore Orioles: Ch-ch-ch-changes in left field

In my personal opinion, the Baltimore Orioles ply in the premier venue for sports in America. That being Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And this being the park’s 30th anniversary season, some changes are coming.

The Orioles’ Operations and Analytics Department has come to the conclusion that the left field dimensions and the left field wall itself are doing more harm than anything else to the team. So in time for the start of the 2022 season they’re going to push the wall back, in some places by as much as thirty feet. And the wall itself will be raised by as much as five feet.

The Orioles were very quick to say that Camden Yards will still be a hitter’s park. And I feel that’s important. Despite the inaugural game being a 2-0 shutout (of Cleveland), Camden Yards has always been a hitter’s park. And I would submit that especially in the 30th anniversary season, it’s important to keep up the integrity of what the park has always been.

This isn’t the first time that the dimensions of the park will have changed. There was a season 15-20 years ago where they pushed the entire outfield wall back seven feet. But eventually that was corrected back because it made little to no difference.

I think you have to remember that Camden Yards was molded to fit the hitting style of Cal Ripken Jr. However at the time the Orioles also had other guys who were great hitters. And their lineup got better still in the years after the park opened. So for a good number of years, the O’s took full advantage of the dimensions of their home yard.

But in recent years it’s been opposing teams who’ve gotten the upper hand. How often have we seen Boston or New York hitters slide balls into the first or second row? Balls that would have been caught in other ballparks? That won’t happen as often now. The wall will be further back, and it’ll be higher.

The one question is how will this affect guys like Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, and Cedric Mullins? Maybe it does cut down on their homer totals just a bit. However I suspect that the analytics department took all of that into account when they made these recommendations. They probably arrived at those numbers because they maximized helping Oriole pitching, while minimizing the affect on Oriole bats.

It also serves to mention that this sort of thing could help the Orioles attract free agent pitching. If a pitcher knows he may not be giving up cheap homers, he might be more inclined to come to Baltimore. It’ll be interesting to see how the season plays out given these adjustments. Also, will they be adjusting the fields in Sarasota, so as to get their pitchers (and hitters) ready for the new dimensions? Time will tell.