Zach Eflin pitched two innings for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon against Minnesota. Not terrible results for Eflin, who’s of course in his first spring training in the orange and black. Eflin’s line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Minnesota led 5-0 before the Birds even got on the board. Lee’s RBI-single in the second (off of Eflin) got them going. A two-run homer by Larnach, and RBI-singles by Jeffers and Miranda in the last of the third put the O’s in the hole. However the O’s made a run of it.
Heston Kjerstad’s RBI-single in the fourth got the Orioles on the scoreboard. But Larnach continued his hot game with an RBI-single in the bottom of the inning, extending the lead to 6-1. However, even if at a weakened state due to the regulars staying back in Sarasota, these are still the Orioles…
…and the Orioles smack home runs. Jackson Holliday would smack a two-run shot in the fifth, cutting the lead to 6-3. However Minnesota would tack on, and after a Vimael Machin RBI-single in the seventh, closed the Orioles out with a 10-6 loss…almost. Had you stopped following, that’s how you would have thought it ended.
Machin would add another RBI-single in the ninth, followed by an RBI-double by Maverick Handley. Before you knew it, the O’s had the tying run in scoring position. And Jud Fabian didn’t disappoint – his two-RBI double tied the game at ten.
Later in that ninth inning with a man on, Dylan Beavers’ two-run homer would give the Birds their first lead of the day at 12-10. Jeremiah Jackson would follow with a solo shot, running the final to 13-10. Granted it’s meaningless and the record is still 0-0 on the season. Not to mention that the reserves were in the game by its end. But that’s a heck of a comeback.
The big news of course came yesterday when it was announced that Gunnar Henderson had injured his lower right side yesterday, and it was revealed that Jordan Westburg was dealing with an injury as well. Both are being held out.
The good news is nobody’s getting an MRI – as of now. And I highly doubt this will be anything more than a few more games missed. But after the injuries this team sustained last season, it’s concerning.
And I would submit that the lineup never recovered after the Jordan Westburg injury. Oriole bats could never quite recover. So injuries (especially to Westburg) at this stage are concerning. But end of the day, nobody’s going to take pity on you. They’ll only be happy you have the problems you do.
The Orioles return home to Sarasota tomorrow to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 