The Baltimore Orioles defeated Boston for the second time in a week this afternoon at JetBlue Lark in Ft. Myers. If Tampa’s had the Orioles’ number thus far, the Birds have had Boston’s. Again, not that it matters. Mike Wright Jr. got the start, and again pitched very well. Wright’s line: 3.0 IP, 3, H, 0 R, 1, BB, 2 K.
Stevie Wilkerson got the Orioles on the board in the top of the second with a two-RBI single. The message of this game once again is to get guys on base and good things will happen. Boston did get a homer in the fourth by Bogaerts, however it was a solo shot.
That 2-1 score held up for awhile, but the O’s broke it open in the fifth when Carlos Perez smacked a two-RBI double. One inning later Richie Martin and Drew Jackson added RBI-singles. And before you knew it the Orioles were piling on.
DJ Stewart would add a two-RBI double in the seventh and Zach Vincej an RBI-single in the ninth, giving the O’s a 9-1 victory. As I alluded above, the O’s haven’t seemingly been hitting as many homers in this spring. And that’s actually being done by design. The power will still be there eventually in some manner. However as I said above, if you get guys on base, good things can happen.
Regarding Mike Wright, you might notice he’s the first Orioles’ starter to go longer than two innings in this camp. Interpret as you wish; Wright’s in the competition to get into the back end of the rotation. Wright on the multiple innings (all quotes courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):
A lot of times I feel better as the game goes on. It was pretty warm, so I was pretty loose, even in the first, and it feels good to go multiple innings and really get out there.
Wright went on about trying to make the team:
I’m trying to make a spot on the team, so I think the intensity is there regardless of who steps up to the plate. And honestly, there’s a lot of guys behind me trying to make the team, too. You saw Richie (Martin), the way he was playing. If I didn’t bring the intensity the way they’re bringing it, it wouldn’t be fair.
It’s good to see Wright bringing that intensity. His focus appears to be on making the team. This as opposed to being in the rotation. However make no mistake, he wants to be a starting pitcher. And to this point, he’s making a great case to have that spot on the roster.
The Orioles return home to Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow afternoon to take on the Detroit Tigers. Andrew Cashner makes his first start of the spring for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Matthew Boyd. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.
Birdland Crush 