Kyle Bradish struggled in his start last night for the Baltimore Orioles against Tampa. They (Tampa) seemed intent on hitting whatever Bradish threw up there. And the ball usually seemed to land in play. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
However the story of the day wasn’t the game; it was the Orioles calling up Catcher Adley Rutschman, who made his big league debut last night. It was a long-awaited day in Birdland, and the beginning of what many feel will be a long career. Rutschman received a standing ovation when taking the field at the start of the ballgame, as well as one after each at-bat. Rutschman followed in the footsteps of former Oriole Matt Wieters, as his first major league at-bat was a triple. He also drew a walk in the game.
Tampa took an early 2-0 lead when Arozarena smacked a two-run homer. Incidentally, that followed a walk; and we know that nothing good ever happens after a walk, right? Arozarena would hit a solo homer again in the fourth, and the Birds trailed 3-0.
Tampa would get a sac fly and an RBI-groundout in the sixth, and a solo homer by Kiermaier in the eighth. The Birds’ line run came in the eighth on Trey Mancini’s RBI-single. And the O’s fell 6-1.
But again, the big story last night was Adley Rutschman. His debut was as good as any last night, but I would submit that it’s good he didn’t totally knock it out of the park. Every prospect is simply that – a prospect. You could be the next Babe Ruth, and the fact is that in your big league debut you’ve never played at this level before. It’s best not to make expectations higher than they need to be. Rutschman on his debut:
I’m still running on nerves right now. Just from the second that I walked out onto the field to warm up the pitcher, ‘til the time I walked into the tunnel, an emotional overload. I can’t really explain the feeling, because it’s just unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.
Quote courtesy of Zachary Silver, mlb.com
The series with Tampa concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Spencer Watkins gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Corey Kluber. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 