Baltimore Orioles lifted by Ramon Urias’ three-run bomb

Dean Kremer had a few struggles in his maiden outing of the spring for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Sarasota. But it wasn’t unlike other starters thus far. Similar to what we saw two days ago, Kremer left the game with two outs in the first inning, only to return to pitch the second. Remember, everything goes this spring; we even saw a half-inning with only two outs today! Kremer’s line: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

Boston put two runs up in the first against Kremer, one on an infield RBI-single, and one on a walk with the bases loaded. Duran would also add a solo homer off Kremer in the second, giving Boston a 3-0 lead. While Kremer didn’t have the greatest outing, we did see Baltimore native Bruce Zimmerman have perhaps the best outing of the spring for any Orioles’ pitcher, giving up a hit and striking out four over two innings.

The Birds got on the board in the last of the third when Cedric Mullins smacked an RBI-double to cut the Boston lead to 3-1. The O’s would later load the bases, bringing Anthony Santander to the plate. He would draw a walk, cutting the lead to 3-2.

And the great thing about scoring on a walk like that is that the bases remain loaded. And that allowed Pedro Severino to plate a run with a sac fly-RBI. And before we knew it, the game was knotted at three.

This was another one of those games where the teams agreed before the game to shorten it – in this case to six innings. I’ve written this before, but I’m not a fan of this practice. I get that these are exhibition games and all, however I would submit that the integrity of the game should still be preserved. And part of that is nine innings. Furthermore 1700+ people did pay to see the game today. I’d hate to buy a ticket only to find out that a truncated version of the game is going to occur.

Luckily however, the shortened game only meant that the Birds had to hurry up if they wanted to win. They promptly put two runners on in the last of the fifth, and brought Ramon Urias to the plate. Urias would smack a three-run homer, giving the Birds a 6-3 lead. And a 6-3 victory.

Urias had some good moments towards the end of last season, and he’s definitely in the mix to make the roster this year. And that home run was no cheapie. It was a shot, that would have been good in most big league parks.  

The Orioles head to Dunedin tomorrow to take on the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Hyun-Jim Ryu. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall to New York

Baltimore Orioles’ starter John Means was hoping to at least make it out of the first inning. However in fairness to him, he dealt with an elongated at-bat on the first hitter, and Frazier smacked a very soft RBI-single to get a runner home later in the inning. While Means left with only two outs (after reaching his pitch count), nothing was squared up against him and nothing was hit hard. Means’ line: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

You might notice that the pitching line has Means pitching 1.2 innings. Keep in mind folks, this is spring training; everything goes. Means was lifted with two outs in the first inning, but was able to come back and pitch in the second and retired the side after giving up only one hit. Again, everything goes. Including someone coming back into the lineup if need be.

The Birds would even the score in the last of the first on a sac fly-RBI by Trey Mancini. However New York would strike again in the third. Voit’s RBI-single would give them the lead back at 2-1. Later in the inning Ford’s two-RBI double would give them a 4-1 lead. All of this off of reliever Paul Fry.

The O’s would net another run in the fourth, on an RBI-single by Cedric Mullins. Pitching would take over from there on both sides, and come the end of the seventh inning..the game was over. As was the case yesterday, both teams opted to end the game after seven innings as is their right in the spring. So when all was said and done, the Birds remained winless on the spring with a 4-2 loss to New York.

The takeaways from this game is that the Birds were able to get some traffic on the base paths against a very good team (and one who brought many of their regulars with them at that). Now that may have only netted them two runs, however that’ll come. If you get ducks on the pond, eventually you’ll find a way to get them home.

Chris Davis was to have started at first base this afternoon, however according to manager Brandon Hyde he sustained a lower back strain on Sunday against Pittsburgh:

He felt it tug on him a little bit on the fly ball to right.

Quote Courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Davis is listed as day-to-day. He of course was on the injured list twice last season.

Tomorrow the Orioles head to the northern part of Sarasota County to take on the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park. Former and now current Oriole Wade LeBlanc gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Drew Smyly. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: DJ Stewart homers in Birds’ tie against Philadelphia

The Baltimore Orioles of course acquired pitcher Jorge Lopez in the middle of last year on waivers. Today he started the Birds’ “road opener” in spring training. Lopez struggled at times, but finished strong. Lopez’s line: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Lopez had the lead from the get-go, as DJ Stewart smacked a two-run homer in the first inning. However Lopez have it right back. Knapp’s ground rule two-RBI double in the last of the first tied the score at two.

That was the bad news for Lopez. The good news is that he was able to pitch out of a jam later in the inning. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Lopez induced a 5-1-3 double-play, nailing the runner at home plate. Remember folks, pitchers will get into jams. It’s the nature of the position. But decent ones will also pitch out of those jams.

Philadelphia would take a 4-2 lead in the last of the first on a two-run homer off the bat of Joyce. While wind-aided, it makes sense that Joyce would do that to the Orioles. He did it all the time when he played for Tampa.

But two innings later the Birds would even the score. DJ Stewart would reach on a fielder’s choice, scoring a run. And Ryan Mountcastle‘s sac fly-RBI knotted the game at four. And at four the game would remain. Both teams decided to play only seven innings today, so we end in a tie.

The O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow to take on the N.Y. Yankees. John Means gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Jordan Montgomery. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall in Grapefruit opener

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t have the exhibition opener they would have liked this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Neither did starter Thomas Eshelman. While Eshelman only gave up one earned run, he set the table for a big inning. Eshelman’s line: 1 IP, 1 H 2 R (one earned), 2 BB, 1 K.

Eshelman loaded the bases in the first inning. And if I’ve said it once I’ve said it several times over the years – when guys get on base things can happen. Sure enough with one out, Polanco smacked a ground ball to Trey Mancini at first base. That could have ended the inning, however Mancini’s errant throw allowed two runs to score.

Polanco would come up again in the third, and would promptly smack a two-run homer out of Ed Smith stadium, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead. However in the bottom of that third inning Chris Davis would reach on an error, getting the O’s on the board and cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 4-1. Ironically, it was Polanco who committed the error.

Pittsburgh would net two more runs, including one on a solo homer. However the Orioles tried to make a day of it. Yusniel Diaz smacked a two-run homer in the last of the sixth. Austin Wynns would also reach on an error, but the Birds fell 6-4 in their Grapefruit League opener.

Remember folks, these games aren’t necessarily about wins and losses. You want to win, but most importantly you want to get yourself ready for the season. And that’s what the O’s are doing.

The best moment of the day was perhaps Mancini’s first at-bat of the day, of course coming off of cancer treatment. Both dugouts emptied and the O’s and Pittsburgh gave him a standing ovation. Mancini on his reception (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

It meant the world to me. It was a really, really cool moment and one of my favorite moments of my baseball career. I think it was a huge day for me personally, getting back in a game. Another kind of milestone I can check off here.

Tomorrow the O’s will head to Clearwater, FL to take on the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Jorge Lopez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini returns for the Birds

Very shortly the Baltimore Orioles will commence their first spring game of 2021, and with a familiar face that we didn’t see in 2020: Trey Mancini. We’ll see Mancini at first base this afternoon in the Grapefruit League opener at Ed Smith Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And what a great sight that will be.

Mancini of course sat out all of last season after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He’s completed his treatments, and is ready to play. Again, he’s starting at first base this afternoon. However it appears that he’ll platoon this season between first base, the outfield, and perhaps DH. Manager Brandon Hyde on Mancini:

I’m going to play him at first, DH him some, especially the first couple weeks. I talk to him every single day, see how he’s doing every day. We’re just going to continue to communicate and I’ll have him in there every other day for a while, whether it be at first base or DH, and we’ll see how he feels. We’ll crank up the playing time if he feels well the last couple weeks

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

But the bigger story is that he’s ready to play and/or in the lineup at all. It was a tough road back for Mancini. Colon cancer is nothing to sneeze at. This moment was never guaranteed for Mancini, and I can tell you that first hand as the son of a cancer survivor. It’s a moment I’m sure that will be celebrated by his family and friends across the board.

As stated above, today is the Grapefruit League Opener for the Orioles, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. Thomas Eshelman gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Chad Kuhl. Gametime is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Spring Training coverage on Birdland Crush

The Baltimore Orioles and the rest of major league baseball are attempting something that worked out really well just now for the NFL: a normal season. However I would submit that the coming baseball season, while not truly normal, will be more normal than even the NFL season was. The majority of NFL games were played without fans, whereas baseball will be admitting fans this year. It’ll be different than usual in that the numbers will be limited and social distancing will be necessary in ballparks, but we’ll see fans.

The NFL also had no preseason back in August, while baseball is going full steam ahead with it’s Grapefruit and Cactus League seasons. The Orioles open their exhibition slate of games on Sunday at Ed Smith Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that it means anything, but Thomas Eshelman will get the start.

However the league has slightly scaled back the number of games that each team will play, and in the case of Florida, they’ve “quarantined” teams. The Orioles will only play teams that train on the Gulf Coast of Florida. This while teams who train on the east coast will also be playing one another exclusively. I suppose this cuts down on the amount of travel, although with a few exceptions the O’s normally seem to stick with Gulf Coast teams. The Grapefruit League schedule is also ever-so-slightly shorter than in the past, and there’ll be no split squad games.

Coverage of games is also scaled back this year, although that’s more on an individual team basis. As of now, Orioles’ radio will cover twelve games. That could change, but that’s where we stand now. We won’t be covering every game as normal here at Birdland Crush. However you can expect normal game recaps and analysis for a decent number of them. You can also follow me on Twitter, @DomenicVadala, for game highlights and reaction as well. However come April 1st in Boston, we’ll be full-throttle!

Baltimore Orioles: Twelve spring games on Orioles’ radio

Opening Day for Baltimore Orioles’ spring training is this coming Sunday, February 28th. However 105.7 “the fan” (WJZ-FM), the Orioles’ flagship radio station, will be carrying 12 games during the spring. This starting with Tuesday, March 2nd vs. NYY at 1 PM.

The majority of the games will be home games at Ed Smith Stadium. However there will be a few road games sprinkled into that slate. And keep in mind, the games could always change. There have been years that games have been added to the spring slate of games for the sake of fan exposure to the team.

At this time, there does not appear to be any games being carried on television by MASN this spring. Again however, that could change.

Baltimore Orioles: Pitchers and catchers report today

Baltimore Orioles’ pitchers and catchers are due to report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota by today. Many of them are already there, as are a few position players. The first workouts begin in earnest tomorrow, and full team workouts begin on February 22nd.

Pitching seems to be a motif for the Orioles dating back to time immemorial. However I suspect we’ll see some open competitions in camp this year for starting roles. That makes the importance of the spring games all the more accentuated.

On that note, the spring schedule has been tweaked slightly. The Orioles will now begin Grapefruit League play on Sunday, February 28th at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They’ll also finish up a day later, as they’ll play the Tampa Rays to close the spring slate of games on March 29th. Opening Day is April 1st at Fenway Park in Boston.

MLB also announced last week that the re-tooling of the schedule will pit the teams who train on the west coast of Florida against one another. The same will be true of the east coast of Florida teams. So the Orioles will only exclusively play, Toronto, Boston, New York (Yankees), Tampa, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit, and Philadelphia. This is being done specifically to cut down on travel due to COVID. Television and radio coverage of the new schedule has not yet been announced.

Baltimore Orioles: Throwing out the “First” pitch

It’s not about the Baltimore Orioles per se, but this is literally one of my favorite recurring columns that I pen every year. It’s probably redundant if you go back and look at previous years. But it incorporates two of my most cherished things in life, civics and sports.

Today is President’s Day, which means it’s a federal holiday. And obviously the Presidency has a very unique link to Major League Baseball. That of course being the President throwing out the first pitch at games. Also known as the “Presidential First Pitch.”

The tradition began in 1910 with President William Howard Taft throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day for the Washington Senators as they began the season against the Philadelphia Athletics. Obviously Washington DC became the most likely venue for a President to throw out the first ball, and it usually happened on Opening Day. President Taft would also return the following year to do the honors again, in what would quickly become a tradition.

In 1915 President Woodrow Wilson became the first President to throw out the first pitch outside of Washington DC, when he did the honors at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl in the World Series. His successor, Warren G. Harding, would also travel outside of the capital to throw out a first pitch, doing so on Opening Day in 1923 at Yankee Stadium.

Pretty much every President up to and including President Obama threw out a first pitch somewhere. One highlight I always like to throw in (no pun intended) is Opening Day, 1940, at Griffith Stadium in Washington. President Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived on the scene to throw out the first pitch, and apparently hit a Washington Post camera in doing so. I’m not sure why I always work that into this column, but I do. It’s kind of a tradition – embrace it! Of course back in those days the President (or any person throwing out the first pitch) would sit in the front row of the grandstand by the dugout and throw the ball to the catcher on the field. President Ronald Reagan actually began the tradition of throwing from the mound.

When the Senators left after the 1972 season, Baltimore became the most likely destination to host the Presidential First Pitch. President Jimmy Carter came to Memorial Stadium in game seven of the World Series in 1979 to do the honors, and President Reagan came on Opening Day 1984 and 1986.

Memorial Stadium also hosted President George H.W. Bush on Opening Day 1989. The final season at Memorial Stadium brought Vice-President Dan Quayle to town on Opening Day, but the following year President Bush was back in town to throw out the first ball in the inaugural game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. President Bill Clinton would come to Camden Yards in 1993 and 1996, both on Opening Day.

I do find it sad that the President throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day is a tradition that seems to have subsided in recent years. President Donald Trump was the first President in a line dating back to Taft not to throw out the first pitch anywhere. Every other President has done it at least once – and most of them have only done it once at that. Invariably, that’s probably due to baseball being absent from Washington DC for so long.

Which brings me to the present, where America currently has a new Commander-In-Chief, President Joe Biden. (Who incidentally came to Baltimore as Vice-President and threw out the first ball on Opening Day one year.) My hope is that the Washington Nationals invite him to do the honors this year. I always close this column with the same point: regardless of party affiliation or anything else, I think that the President of the United States should throw out the first ball in Washington DC on Opening Day every year.

Baltimore Orioles to admit fans at Ed Smith Stadium

The Baltimore Orioles announced today that fans WILL BE ADMITTED to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota for spring training games. It will be limited to 25% of capacity, however fans will be allowed to purchase tickets for spring games. Each home game will be limited to 1,833 fans, and tickets will be sold in “pod seating,” so as to allow people to socially distance.

Nothing has been announced in the way of fan admission for regular season games, however that 25% capacity number shouldn’t necessarily tell us how many fans will be admitted come April. First off, every locality is different. That number’s based on where Florida is in terms of COVID right now. However Oriole Park at Camden Yards is also a much bigger facility than Ed Smith Stadium. It may well end up being that the Birds can get away with allowing 40 or 50% capacity in Baltimore.

The Orioles also announced all of their game times yesterday. There are a few changes from years past; Monday-Thursday home games will begin at 6:35 PM as opposed to 7:05 in April, May, and September. I suspect this is being done to allow the games to end earlier for kids in school. Exceptions to this rule: Thursday, April 15th vs. Seattle (1 PM), Thursday, April 29th vs. NYY (1 PM), Thursday, May 20th vs. Tampa (12:30), and Thursday August 16th vs. NYY (1 PM).

During the summer months (June, July, August) the mid-week games will revert back to the 7:05 start time. All Friday games will begin at 7:05, as will most Saturday games over the course of the season. However select Saturday games will begin at 4:05, and all Sunday home games will begin at 1:05 PM.