Category Archives: Baltimore Orioles News

Baltimore Orioles: Keep the momentum going

The Baltimore Orioles scored perhaps the greatest Opening Day victory in the history of western civilization on Thursday. Well…for this year, anyways. As I said on Thursday and previously, it’s one game. It probably won’t prove to be indicative of the success or failure of the overall season. But it was a nice start.

The Orioles today are taxed with keeping that momentum going. Once again to show the difference between now and spring training, a victory today gives the Birds a series victory. That’s always a big deal, especially in the division. And not just any division, but the AL East.

Players and coaches will tell you that they want to win every game. And of course they do. But everyone knows that isn’t possible. Privately, they all know that it’s all about winning series’. If you’re consistently taking two-of-three, you’re doing okay.

The first series (and the first home series) is always a bit strange because it’s disjointed. You have all the pomp and circumstance of Opening Day, then a day off. This before resuming the series.

The Orioles may also have one other factor with which to deal: the weather. The forecast in Boston is “blustery” at best today. Now the meteorologist in me says that the forecast for this morning looks worse than the afternoon. But we’ll just have to see how things go – that’s one thing that’s out of our hands! If today‘a game is postponed, the teams could either do a doubleheader tomorrow, a doubleheader in September (when the Orioles return to Fenway), or play on a common day off.

So the aforementioned series at least is scheduled to continue this afternoon at Fenway Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Chris Sale. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Opening Day, 2023

Today’s “zero hour” for the Baltimore Orioles. Opening Day dawns bright this morning. Although…it could afford to be a little warmer! “Boys of summer,” right?!

It’s supposed to be in the high 30’s or low 40’s in Boston this afternoon also. The Orioles hit the ground running right off the bay this year, opening in the division. We all know the dynamic when you’re up in Fenway. Lots of times games boil down to how the ball bounces.

Win or lose, Opening Day is ONE GAME. It’s one of 162. Today’s game counts as much towards the season as the game on Sunday, October 1st (also against Boston, at Camden Yards) – the last game of the regular season. Point being, no conclusions about the success or failure of this season should be drawn based on today’s game.

However, whatever happens today will set the Birds on a crash course with that October 1st date. Because at that time we’ll know the full story of the Orioles’ 2023 regular season. And whether or not the season will extend past that.

But for today, let your hearts be light. I’m of the attitude that if I say “today’s Opening Day,” and you respond, “Opening Day of what?,” we can’t be friends! It’s a celebration of the return of Major League Baseball for the summer – America’s pastime. It reminds us of the innocence of childhood, and fond memories of summertime. Again, game one of 162; but when the players line up on the base lines this afternoon…it means something slightly more special. Because – it’s Opening Day!

The Birds of course will take on the Boston Red Sox this afternoon on Opening Day at Fenway Park. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Corey Kluber. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: 2023 Season Preview

The Baltimore Orioles are wheels up front Sarasota this evening on their way to Boston. They open the season on Thursday at Fenway Park. So what exactly does this season have in store for the Birds and their fans, you ask?

End of the day, I have no clue. I don’t own a crystal ball! But I think it’s safe to say there’ll be no year-over-year 30+ game improvement over last season – like what we saw in 2022. That’s obviously not possible. But don’t write this season off just yet….

…because it’s going to be an exciting one! The Orioles really like the makeup of their roster this year. The likes of Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Adley Rutschman will give Orioles’ fans a taste of the very near starting this year.

As with any other season, it begins and ends with starting pitching. And the Orioles will get a boost when John Means returns from Tommy John’s during the season. However the hope is that the likes of Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, and Kyle Irvin can hold the Birds over until then.

Then of course you have the bullpen, which was one of the strengths of the team last year. And there’s nothing that indicates it shouldn’t be again. You have to remember that the bullpen is much more important in today’s game than in previous era’s. Starters don’t go as deep into games as they used to. I’m not saying I necessarily agree with that, but it’s a fact.

Offensively, one question is whether or not Austin Hays has a rebound year. He wasn’t awful last season, but he was better in 2021. Time will tell. And how does a full year of Adley Rutschman behind the plate affect the season? Again, time will tell.

The thing that set the 2022 Birds apart was their resilience. They almost made a run into the postseason last year. Could not having to play as many division games play to their advantage this year? I think the obvious answer is yes. But again, it begins and ends with starting pitching.

So where will the 2023 Orioles finish the season? Fact is you never know. Injuries will play a role. And yes, so will luck. You don’t play 162 games and not have luck figure in just a little bit. But you want a prediction I’m assuming? Ha! Fair enough. It’ll go down to the wire, but the O’s will see the postseason this coming October.

Baltimore Orioles open Grapefruit League play

Here it is folks – the moment for which Baltimore Orioles fans have waited for some time! Well, maybe not; but needless to say, it’s something. This afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota we’re going to play the biggest baseball game in the history of western civilization – well, for this year anyways! It’s the Orioles against the Minnesota Twins in the opener of the Florida Grapefruit League.

I wrote on Thursday that Drew Rom will get the start this afternoon. And again folks, that means relatively little more than the face value of the statement. Again as I’ve said, managers have a rotation of pitchers for each spring game. It’s just Rom’s turn to start things off.

I would expect the Orioles “starters” to play a few innings. Maybe two or three at-bats. I say this every year, but it’s worth nothing again that these games are played partially to help players get their timing back at the plate. Pitchers and catchers are about a week ahead of position players. So even the most seasoned veteran hitter may struggle at the plate early in the spring due to his timing being off. So if you see a few goose eggs on stat lines today, don’t fret!

Once guys get into the grind of playing however, all of that evens out. And the first week of spring games gives the Orioles a decent turn through the gulf coast. They’ll see Tampa, Toronto, and Pittsburgh and Detroit twice (including tomorrow in Lakeland).

But it all starts this afternoon against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. The aforementioned Drew Rom gets the start for the homestanding Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Louie Varland. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: CD-ROM in Grapefruit League opener

The Baltimore Orioles announced a starter today for Saturday’s Florida Grapefruit League “Opening Day.” That starter is (drumroll please)…Drew Rom. Not exactly the name you expected to see? Yeah, most people would say the same thing.

Obviously you see I’m already up to my old tricks early on this year! Yes folks, the title’s a play on words. And one that you’re going to have to have been born in the 20th century to understand at that. But nevertheless, Drew Rom to the mound it is.

Rom, a southpaw, appeared in 26 ballgames last year between double-A Bowie and triple-A Norfolk. He posted a 4.43 ERA over 120 innings. Manager Brandon Hyde was quick to say that this WAS NOT necessarily a preview of things to come in terms of the starting rotation. He quipped that it’s just sort of how things lined up.

For his part in all this, Rom appeared to be thrilled with the decision (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Especially this being my first year in camp. I think that’s kind of a big, almost confidence boost for me, especially coming into my first season when I have the potential to be in the big leagues and having that confidence from the front office. Definitely helps that they trust me to go in and set the tone for the first game.

Rom was drafted in 2018 out of high school in Kentucky. So he’s been in the organization for some time, and has been waiting for his chance at the big leagues. But for now, he’ll settle for a Spring Training Opening Day start on Saturday. (Or any spring game at all for that matter.)

I would also remind fans as we get going with these spring games that the pitching rotation is set in advance. Guys come to the ballpark everyday knowing when, if, and for how long they’ll be appearing in that day’s game. Sometimes they’re even aware of it well before game day. So Rom may only be in the game on Saturday for one or two innings. And Brandon Hyde will have a pre-set list of pitchers who will be scheduled to come in for limited appearances after that.

However it all starts with Drew Rom. For all we know this could be the highlight of his career – starting in a big league spring training game. The hope is that he throws well and has a good camp – and that we see him in Baltimore at some point this year. But it’s tough to say. The only thing we can say for sure is that he’s starting on Saturday afternoon for the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium against the Minnesota Twins.

Baltimore Orioles: A President’s Day tradition

The Baltimore Orioles and every other team are currently in Spring Training. Games start next weekend. But the rest of the country takes today off in honor of President’s Day.

I write this column every year. One of my passions in life is civics. And the American Presidency is an institution that has a relationship with Major League Baseball unlike any other sport.

President William Howard Taft unknowingly began an important tradition in 1910; he went to Griffith Stadium in Washington DC and threw out the first pitch at the Washington Senators’ game on Opening Day. It wasn’t something that was covered in great fanfare, but it’s noteworthy from a historical perspective. Since then Presidents have been an indelible part of the landscape of the game of baseball. And of sports.

President Taft and nearly every one of his predecessors threw out first pitches. Usually in DC. Also it happened from time to time in the World Series. And even in the All-Star Game. At times, the Vice-President would stand in for the President on Opening Day – this actually happened for the first time in 1912, when Vice-President James Sherman filled in for President Taft. Other “Veep’s” to do the honors over the years were Nixon, Humphrey, Agnew, Bush, Quayle, Gore, Cheney, and Biden.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of course was a quadriplegic – which for the most part was unbeknownst to the general public. (On a side note, that’s most definitely NOT something that could be concealed today.) Luckily for FDR however, back then the President threw the first pitch from the stands. In 1940 at Griffith Stadium his pitch hit a Washington Post camera. Five years later President Harry Truman did the honors at the World Series (in DC), becoming the first President to throw the first pitch as a southpaw.

In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first to throw out a first pitch in Baltimore. He did so at the All-Star game, which that year was held at Memorial Stadium. President Jimmy Carter returned the Presidency to Memorial Stadium in 1979 for the World Series. Presidents Reagan, Bush (41), and Clinton would also visit Baltimore to do these honors, as did Vice-President Dan Quayle. President Lyndon B. Johnson also set a still-standing Presidential record on 1964 in Washington DC. He ate the most hot dogs (4) of any President ever on Opening Day.

Numerous former Presidents have also thrown out first pitches. However President Barrack Obama was the last sitting President to appear in person – this in 2010, at Nationals Park. In commemoration of 100 years since President Taft began the tradition.

And with that said, yes this is an Orioles column. But I would submit that President Biden might consider rekindling the tradition this April at Nationals Park. America’s pastime is baseball. That will always be the case. And again, baseball has a unique relationship with the White House. And I think that the President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day every year in Washington DC.

Baltimore Orioles: Pitchers & Catchers report today

It begins today for the Baltimore Orioles. For 2023, that is. Pitchers & Catchers are to report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota no later than today, marking the beginning of Spring Training.

It’ll be interesting to see how camp unforlds for the Birds. What will be the big storyline(s)? How does the starting rotation shake down? Which young players will step up? These and others are all stories that we’ll discuss moving forward.

However for today, the big storyline is that pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp. That’s music to the ears of so many Orioles fans, and baseball fans across the board. It begins today – no turning back!

Baltimore Orioles trade for two pitchers

The Baltimore Orioles finalized a trade this afternoon. The Birds are sending infield prospect Darell Hernaiz to the Oakland Athletics. In return, they’re getting LHP Cole Irvin, and RHP Kyle Virbitsky.

End of the day, these are low-level moves by the Orioles. Hernaiz was the 16th ranked prospect in the Orioles’ farm system. Irvin led the AL in loses with 15 last year, but also started 30 games and pitched to a 3.98 ERA. He pitched to a career-high 128 strikeouts. Virbitsky was drafted in the 17th round in 2021, and is yet to make his big league debut.

It’s unclear how any of this fits into the Orioles’ plans for 2023. However it always helps to have additional pitching in the farm system. More as we hear it.

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini to the North Side

Former Baltimore Orioles’ star, Trey Mancini, is headed to the North Side of Chicago. Wrigleyville, to be exact. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand is reporting that Mancini signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, pending a physical.

The Cubs haven’t yet confirmed the deal, however Feinsand is also reporting that it includes an opt-out after 2023. If Mancini wasn’t coming back to Birdland (which was all but guaranteed), this is absolutely a best-case scenario for Orioles fans. Everyone loves the Cubs! It allows O’s fans to pull for Mancini, while for the most part not rooting against the Birds’ interests. The O’s do visit Wrigley Field over the weekend of June 16-18th.

The O’s have also reached deals with all but one arbitration-eligible player. Pitcher’s and catcher’s are due to report to Sarasota on February 15th. So there’s exactly one month left in the current “phase” of the offseason. However workouts and eventually games beginning won’t stop the O’s from signing a free agent in which they’re interested. They’ve always been a force in free agency – late in the hot stove period.

Baltimore Orioles trade for James McCann

The Baltimore Orioles completed a trade late last night with the New York Mets. The Birds will receive veteran catcher James McCann, in exchange for a Player to be named later. New York will also reportedly be paying $19 million of McCann’s guaranteed $24 million salary for the next two years.

McCann’s production in New York wasn’t exactly what they thought they were signing up for. However he was signed to be the starting catcher, and in Baltimore he most certainly will not be. Barring injury, Adley Rutschman is the Birds’ starting catcher for the foreseeable future. So McCann will be a backup catcher for the most part. He’ll also provide a veteran voice in the clubhouse, and a good example for Rutschman going forward.

In short, the Birds are going to be paying $5 million over two years for a backup catcher. That’s not bad. Tyler Nevin was designated for assignment to make space on the roster for McCann.