Presumed Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day starter Zach Eflin got the ball tonight in a starting role against Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. I say presumed because the rotation hasn’t been set yet. But it stands to reason that it could be Eflin – pending the rest of the spring. Eflin’s line: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 0 K.
It’s easy to say that Eflin was ineffective. Maybe he was. But I always caution fans in the spring; guys sometimes go into these games honing one skill. It’s possible that he was focusing on one pitch or one move – and that only. There may well have been no game plan.
Pittsburgh put an early run on the board with a sac fly-RBI by Valdez in the second. However the Orioles’ Luis Valdez tied things back up at one in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-groundout. The third and fourth innings would tack on three more for Pittsburgh, one on a sac fly-RBI, one on an RBI-single by Rodriguez, and the last on a Pass Ball by Gary Sanchez.
But the Orioles battled back – at least as much as a team can or is necessary in Spring Training. Luis Vasquez’s sac fly-RBI in the last of the fourth cut the lead to 4-2. However Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single later in the inning tied the game at five. Cedric Mullins would later score on a Pass Ball, and the Birds held a 5-4 lead.
However Pittsburgh immediately tied it in the fifth on a sac fly-RBI. They would later put four runs on the board in the eighth and ninth, including a solo homer by Peguero. However the more incriminating part was in the ninth when Pittsburgh’s Delay smacked a bases-clearing bloop RBI-single. Terrin Vavra stopped to argue a call on the base paths, and forgot to throw the relay home to get the trail runner.
That’s the sort of thing that’ll stand out to Brandon Hyde and his coaching staff. You can’t argue with the umpires while the ball is in play. If that had been a tie game in the regular season, it would cost the O’s the game.
More concerning that any of that however is the news about starter Grayson Rodriguez. He was pulled after “not feeling like himself” last week in a spring game, and today was reported to be feeling triceps soreness. Combine that with Gunnar Henderson’s injured intercostal muscle, and it appears that the Orioles are picking up where they left off last year regarding injuries.
Jordan Westburg was back in the lineup tonight after back spasms – so that’s good. However keep in mind that one reason perhaps that the Birds weren’t too aggressive with on the free agent market this off season with regard to starting pitching was due to Grayson Rodriguez. You’ll remember that the team shut him down early following his injury earlier in the summer.
Needless to say, this could be a huge problem. Should they have been more aggressive? Hindsight is always 20/20. It’s unfair to judge after the fact. But that aside, they have to hope that Rodriguez is able to go once the regular season starts.
Gunnar Henderson’s injury could require up to six weeks of rest. Notice I stress the COULD. They just have to see how he responds to treatment and rest. There’s also a chance he starts the season as the starting SS. It’s really a wait and see sort of game. Luckily the Orioles and their system are stacked.
The Birds head to Lakeland tomorrow to take on Detroit at Joker Marchant Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Keider Montero. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.
Birdland Crush 