Mike Wright made his Grapefruit League debut for the Baltimore Orioles yesterday afternoon. Wright’s line: 2.o IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 earned) 0 BB, 1 K. Wright gave up a two-run homer in the last of the second before exiting the game, however the Orioles (as well as Wright) seemed satisfied with the outing overall.
After the game Wright obviously wished he hadn’t given up the homer, however he seemed to feel he was in a good spot overall (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):
That pitch, I wish I could have back, but I’m really happy with the progression I’ve made as far as mindset and going out there and executing pitches.
Wright’s been noted during his stint with the Orioles for kind of losing his composure at times. That didn’t seem to be the case yesterday. And if he can start putting it together, both he and the Orioles will be in a better spot for success.
Chris Dickerson’s solo homer in the third and Johnny Giavotella’s RBI-triple in the fifth tied the game for the Birds. Later in that fifth inning they took the lead on a Santander sac fly-RBI. However it was two homers in the last of the eighth off of Philadelphia bats that ended up doing the Orioles in by the score of 7-5.
The details of the game aren’t really as important as one might think, save perhaps for Wright’s outing. Like most teams, the Orioles don’t exactly put their A-team on the travel roster for these games. But with that said, it was good to see presumed minor leaguers competing against Philadelphia’s regulars for the most part.
Going back to Wright’s temperment for just a moment, I totally get where he’s coming from. I can be pretty harsh on myself at times, and what ends up happening is that you make the situation worse. And that’s happened several times in games for Wright. So the fact that he was able to get a hold of himself and avoid a situation like that is a good sign. Granted this is only spring training, but guys don’t think that way when they’re in games. They’re playing to win.
The Orioles will return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota this afternoon for their first Grapefruit League meeting with the Boston Red Sox. Dylan Bundy will make his first appearance of the spring for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Henry Owens. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 