Cole Irvin made his first start of the spring for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon against Pittsburgh at Lecom Park. Irvin was sharp for the short amount of time he was in the game, which suited everyone just fine. Irvin’s line: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.
You can’t look much better than that over two innings. And as I’ve said before, it’s all about looking “crisp” for veterans. Irvin got his work in today, looked good doing it, and got out. That’s the goal in spring games.
The Orioles played Pittsburgh to an even draw for most of the day. Pittsburgh got a runner to third in the last of the sixth, and appeared poised to take the lead when Brannigan sent a fly ball to left field. However it was run down by Enrique Bradfield, ending the inning and the threat.
Bradfield would come up for the Orioles in the immediate next inning (seventh), which can happen when someone makes an amazing play in the field. However he came up with two on, and his infield RBI-single would give the O’s a 1-0 lead.
Maverick Handley would tack on an insurance run with an RBI-single in the top of the ninth. This sent the O’s home to Sarasota with a 2-0 win. Also with their first road win of 2024’s Florida Grapefruit League.
The O’s will remain in Sarasota tomorrow as Tampa comes in to play them at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and Tampa is yet to announce a starter when this is being written. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 