Grayson Rodriguez had a great outing this afternoon in Ft. Myers, as the Baltimore Orioles completed the best spring training in franchise history. Perhaps it’s a hollow fact, as wins and losses mean nothing in the spring. But it’s a fact none the less; the Birds finished with 23 wins this Grapefruit League season, the last of which came today. Rodriguez’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Gunnar Henderson got the Orioles on the board early with a solo homer in the first inning. One inning later Ramon Urias’ sac fly-RBI would extend the lead to 2-0. Minnesota would the the score at two with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but that was the biggest threat the Orioles saw today.
Ryan O’Hearn would smack an RBI-double in the sixth to give the Birds the lead back at 3-2. Interestingly enough, the O’s started Janes McCann behind the plate today, and he was subbed out halfway through for Adley Rutschman. And it was Rutschman who delivered the big blast.
His three-run homer in the seventh inning blew the game wide open, giving the O’s a 6-3 lead. One inning later Jordan Westburg added a two-RBI single. Minnesota would tack one on in the last of the ninth, but the Orioles closed out an 8-3 win on the final day of Grapefruit League play.
Again, for what it’s worth the O’s had the best spring of their existence. It’s a nice stat, but it’s meaningless. What counts are the next 162 games – and onwards. But needless to say, the Orioles had a successful camp, and are set up nicely for the regular season.
Birdland Crush 