If you had Baltimore Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde starting Albert Suarez on Saturday against Pittsburgh, you won! Hyde announced earlier today that Suarez would get the starting assignment on Saturday afternoon in the Grapefruit League opener. The Pittsburgh Pirates will be coming to Ed Smith Stadium.
Admittedly I didn’t see Suarez getting the starting nod. But keep in mind that this means nothing. Often times who starts and/or who comes in and when is just a matter of guys getting their work in. Brandon Hyde spoke to the news and gave his reasons for the decision (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):
Just lining things up, honestly. Albert’s ready to go and we’re just kind of going in order a little bit. Like I said, don’t read anything into it. Big Al is ready and you work back from the first day of the season and do the best you can, and things change all the way through that. You shuffle some things around. But we’re stretching Al as a starter and we’ll see how it goes.
I would also take this opportunity to caution fans as I do every year in that there can be no rhyme or reason as to who pitches, when, and how in spring training. Many times the pitches are scripted. So don’t put too much stock in anything. All we can say for sure is that Albert Suarez will be starting on Saturday afternoon against Pittsburgh.
Birdland Crush 