Grayson Rodriguez got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Lecom Park in Bradenton against Pittsburgh. Yes, those same Pittsburgh Pirates, the Orioles’ closest Graefruit League neighbor. Rodriguez’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.
The lone run Rodriguez surrendered came off of Joe’s infield RBI-single in the first inning. The ball deflected off of Jackson Holliday, allowing a run to score. However Pittsburgh would also load the bases later in the inning…
…and Rodriguez pitched out of it. Pitchers will get themselves in trouble in games. It’s the nature of the position. What’s important is how they work out of it. Rodriguez retired the side surrendering just the one run. Which is a good sign.
Colton Cowser continued his hot spring, tying the game with a solo homer in the third. Cowser went 1-for-3 with said home run in the game. He’s played at feverish pace thus far in the early part of spring. This is great for the Orioles, but it begs to question what happens when camp breaks?
The O’s have a logjam in the outfield. It’s a given that the likes of Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander will be on the roster. But there’s also Cowser, Ryan McKenna, and others. The good news is that there’s probably no wrong decision. But obviously they want to make decisions that will impact the big league team the right way in the here and now.
Pittsburgh would get the lead back in the seventh on an RBI-single by Gutierrez. But again, the Birds battled back. Kyle Stowers’ RBI-single in the eighth tied it back up at two. The Orioles would put two runners on in the top of the ninth, bringing TT Bowens to the plate. And Bowens smacked a three-run homer, putting the O’s in the lead for good at 5-2.
We saw a lot of guys contribute today, which is a good thing. These spring games are as much about trying out your entire organization as anything else. It shows that the Oriole organization is deep. But with the top farm system in baseball, we already knew that.
The O’s return home to Sarasota tomorrow to take on Minnesota at Ed Smith Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Cole Sands. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 