Baltimore Orioles drop a pitcher’s duel in Ft. Myers

Albert Suarez got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in Ft. Myers, Fl against Boston. Suarez has been one of many strong points for the Birds this spring, and him getting a start this late in the Grapefruit League season makes one wonder if he’s not under serious consideration for a roster spot. More realistically, he’s probably slated for triple-A as roster depth. But I digress. Suarez’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the last of the second on an RBI-single by Abreu. However whether or not that run should have scored is another story. Rafaela had smacked a two-out double, sliding into second on a close play. It was a close call for sure, but the call was safe, with no shot at replay in the spring.

MASN analyst Dave Johnson made a really great point. Orioles’ second baseman Kolton Wong appeared to apply the tag, and then feinted like he was going to tag the runner after the fact. The throw beat the runner, who may well have been out. But in feinting like he was going to tag the runner, he inadvertently told the umpire that he hadn’t tagged the runner the first time. Which could have played into the runner being called safe.

It was a bang-bang play either way. However that’s the sort of thing that could cost you a game in the regular season. Honestly, my personal opinion was that the runner was out. But in a regular season game, would there have been enough evidence to overturn the call on the field? Probably not. It’s little things like that which can make a difference.

The Orioles advanced Michael Perez into scoring position in the sixth, and he would score on an errant pickoff attempt. An inning later the Birds would take a short-lived 2-1 lead on an RBI-double by Ryan McKenna. However Boston would put two across in the last of the seventh, giving them a 3-2 win over the O’s this evening.

The Orioles return to Sarasota tomorrow night to take on Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Jared Jones. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The runs kept on coming in

Dean Kremer had a couple of tough innings in terms of pitch count for the Baltimore Orioles against Philadelphia this evening in Sarasota. This by pitch count standards. While his numbers were good, he didn’t pitch as deep into the game as the O’s probably wanted. Kremer’s line: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

However Oriole bats picked up the slack. Anthony Santander gave the O’s a 3-0 lead in the last of the first inning with a three-run homer. Ryan O’Hearn followed with a solo shot, and Jorge Mateo’s RBI-single extended the lead to 5-0. This in the first inning.

And it didn’t end there. Gunnar Henderson smacked a two-run homer in the second, extending the lead to 7-0. And folks, that one was a SHOT. Needless to say, Gunnar’s ready for Opening Day.

Philadelphia would get on the board in the third on an RBI-triple by Marsh. Philadelphia would put three additional runs on the board in the sixth and seventh, cutting the lead to 7-4. Yennier Cano surrendered two of those runs, providing maybe one thing to watch – is the bullpen slightly shaky? Personally I say no. But Cano and others had some issues locating their pitches in those middle innings. Time will tell.

But again, the O’s didn’t let that phase them. Jorge Mateo smacked an RBI-double in the last of the seventh, followed by Colton Cowser pushing a run across on a botched fielder’s choice by Philadelphia. When the smoke cleared, the O’s had run the score to 13-4. This included an RBI-single by Heston Kjerstad in the seventh, along with a two-RBI double by Tyler Nevin.

The fact that the O’s kept tacking runs on is a promising sign. Because come the regular season, the opponents won’t be rotating guys in and out, and focusing more on getting their work in than winning the game. So keep adding on runs come the regular season like they did tonight, and they’ll be in good shape.

The O’s travel to JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers tomorrow night to take on Boston. Albert Suarez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Cooper Criswell. Game time is set for just after 6 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: All “Rhodes” lead to Opening Day

Tyler Wells took to the mound in the final Sunday afternoon game at Ed Smith Stadium this spring for the Baltimore Orioles, this against Atlanta. The fact that’s even “a thing” might be a bit of a reach, but work with me. Wells looked good today, as we enter the last week of Grapefruit League play. Wells’ line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Wells gave up a solo homer in the top of the first inning to Austin Riley, which was his only hiccup on the afternoon. But Wells kept Atlanta scoreless for the rest of his outing. They would tack on what they thought was an insurance run in the seventh on Evans’ RBI-single, extending their lead to 2-0.

However last year, this was a team that did its best work after the seventh inning. And today, albeit an exhibition game, proved to be no exception. Reserve outfielder John Rhodes immediately tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh. One inning later the Birds would bat around, and blow the top off the ballgame. Gunnar Henderson’s eighth inning RBI-double gave the O’s a 3-2 lead.

But in showing something else in common with last year’s team, the 2024 Orioles weren’t going to just assume the lead was safe. Michael Perez would smack a two-RBI double later in the inning to extend the lead to 5-2. But they still didn’t take their foot off the gas.

Rhodes would come up to bat again in that eighth inning, smacking another two-run homer Coby Mayo would add an RBI-double running the final to 9-2. You could argue that things got out of hand in a sense. But good teams win games like that. And the Orioles are going to be a good team.

The Birds are off tomorrow, their final off day of the spring. They’ll head to Dunedin on Tuesday to take on Toronto.

Baltimore Orioles walk Boston off, Coby Mayo makes the case for inclusion

The Baltimore Orioles sent ace designate Corbin Burnes to the mound this afternoon in Sarasota against Boston. For the most part, the results were positive. The second inning can be classified as this is why we play these spring games; which speaks for itself in that it’s very true. Spring training baseball isn’t supposed to be perfect. Burnes’ line: 5.0 IL, 4 H, 4 R (3 earned), 0 BB, 2 K.

The O’s got off to an early lead. Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo smacked RBI-singles in the last of the first, and the Birds led 2-0. However Boston would strike right back with solo homers by Dalbec and Abreu in the second, tying the game.

Later in the inning following a single and a force out, Corbin Burnes would commit a throwing error trying to pick the runner off first. This sending the runner to second. Heineman would follow with a run-scoring single, giving Boston a 3-2 lead.

And later in the inning with Heineman at second, Burnes would do the same thing. Heineman would go to third, and later scored on Guthrie’s sacrifice fly. Boston led 4-2 after two as a result.

Two throwing errors isn’t exactly how Burnes wanted his outing to go. But again you have to file that under at least it wasn’t the regular season. Yes, he also threw two home runs. So there’s that as well. But overall he grabbed the bull by the horns today and pitched well.

His final three innings of work were scoreless. And the Birds did register one more run for him in the last of the fifth, when Ramon Urias walked with the bases loaded. However the O’s still trailed Boston, 4-3.

Coby Mayo once again made his case to be on the Opening Day roster this afternoon. He was four-for-four today with a run scored. It seems that whenever he comes up to bat he’s finding a way to put the ball in play and get on base. He’s set on making Brandon Hyde’s, Mike Elias’, and others’ jobs tough – by having a great spring and making a case for his inclusion on the roster.

I say this recognizing that sometimes guys look amazing in spring, and not so much in the regular season. Jake Fox comes to mind from years ago. The difference with Mayo is he’s young. Would he be blinded by the bright lights of the regular season, and the orange carpet of Opening Day? Tough to say. But needless to say he’s making it tough for them to decide to send him to Norfolk in just over a week.

On top of that, Mayo’s final at-bat of the game was a single in the ninth inning. That set things up nicely for the Orioles, who would tie the game on Judge Fabian’s RBI-single. Later in the inning Dylan Beavers would follow suit, winning it 5-4 for the Birds.

The O’s will have a split squad day tomorrow, with the “B squad” going to Lakeland to take on Detroit and the “A squad” staying in Sarasota as Atlanta comes into Ed Smith Stadium. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Orioles, and Atlanta is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Cole Irvin with a rough outing in Birds’ loss

The Baltimore Orioles had an interesting start to tonight’s game against Atlanta in Sarasota. They jumped out to an early lead for starter Cole Irvin, who promptly gave the lead back over the next couple of innings. Probably shouldn’t have happened, but it did. Irvin’s line: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 H, 3 K.

The O’s promptly loaded the bases in the first, and Jordan Westburg grounded into a force out, scoring a run. Heston Kjerstad and James McCann followed with RBI-singles, and Kolton Wong added two-RBI double. The O’s put a five-spot on the board in the first.

You would have thought that would be enough to add to the major league’s best spring record. But it wasn’t. Atlanta started to chip away immediately.

Aegis smacked a two-run homer in the second, followed by a solo shot by Luplow. One inning later they would get to within one at 5-4 on an RBI-single by Kelenic. He would score later in the inning on a two-RBI double by Guillome, and the Birds trailed.

For his part, Cole Irvin took his first bad outing in stride:

Didn’t get the swings that I thought I would but overall the responses that we’re getting from hitters are good. Little by little, chip away and take the good with the bad. I’m definitely not happy results-wise, but it’s spring training. It doesn’t hurt you right now.

Quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports

Pitchers are going to have bad outings. Even the goos ones. As Irvin himself said, you have to take the good with the bad. Good life advice also, and we all know that sports is partly a euphemism for real life.

I’ve said this for years, but pitchers are going to have approximately 30 starts over the course of the season – APPROXIMATELY 30. Ten will generally be really good. Ten will be really bad, and ten will be in the middle. So while this isn’t the regular season, it’s just a bad outing for Irvin. And again as I’ve said many times, those ten “in the middle starts” are where the success or failure of your season will lie.

The O’s would surrender an RBI-single to Conley in the ninth, closing out the scoring. The Birds fall to a mere 15-4 on the spring. So consider that, today was only their fourth loss on the spring.

Tomorrow the O’s head to Bradenton’s Lecom Park to take on Pittsburgh. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Marco Gonzalez. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles tie Toronto in a Sarasota homer parade

Corbin Burnes got the ball this afternoon in Sarasota against Toronto, on the day the Baltimore Orioles announced he would be their Opening Day starter. Burnes cruised through two innings, but had some struggles at the end. But so did every other pitcher today. Burnes’ line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

The Orioles got on the board early. Adley Rutschman led off for the Birds in the last of the first with a solo homer. It was merely a harbinger of what was to come. Toronto’s Clement would touch up Burnes in the third with a two-run homer, giving them a 3-1 lead.

But today was all about the long ball. Colton Cowser’s two-run homer in the last of three tied the game at three. But an inning later Toronto struck back, with Serven hitting a two-run shot of his own, followed by James McCann in the last of the fourth bringing the O’s back to within one.

Across the board, the teams hit six home runs this afternoon in Sarasota. They would trade homers in the sixth, with Ramon Urias’ solo shot bringing the Birds back to within one at 6-5. The O’s would tie the game when TT Bowens grounded into a fielder’s choice in the seventh, and the runner from third was safe at home plate.

But that was the end of the scoring. The two sides agreed to end the game after nine innings, and it culminated in a tie. But no less than six homers in the game – which can happen here and there in Florida. The wind has something to do with it, last I checked.

If you think that’s a lot, the O’s and Toronto played split squad games both in Sarasota and Dunedin today. In the Dunedin game, the O’s defeated Toronto 11-6, in a game that featured five homers. Including one by Jackson Holliday.

The Orioles head to Tampa tomorrow to take on New York at Steinbrenner Field. Julio Tehran gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Will Warren. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Coby Mayo’s first spring homer comes in another Birds’ win

The Baltimore Orioles traveled to Atlanta’s spring facility this afternoon and sent starter Dean Kremer to the mound. With them, the Birds brought the league’s best spring record (12-2) – both Grapefruit and Cactus League. What that means is just about nothing. But it shows a level of competition that bodes well for the immediacy of today. Kremer’s line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

Coby Mayo got the start this afternoon at DH for the O’s. Don’t be shocked if Mayo makes the roster outright coming out of camp; either way, he was the DH today. And he got the scoring started with a two-RBI double in the second inning. He would later score on an RBI-single by Kyle Stowers.

Atlanta would net two runs in the third and fourth (one in each inning), cutting the lead to 3-2. But that’s about as close as Atlanta would get against the team with the best spring record in the game. Ramon Urias would smack an RBI-single in the fifth, extending the lead to 5-2. Coby Mayo would come back up and inning later, and delivered his first homer of the spring – a two-run shot.

That home run opened the game up, and the O’s led 6-2. Atlanta would draw slightly closer with a Kilpatrick RBI-single in the seventh. But the Orioles would bat around in the ninth. The ironic thing is they put four runs on the board (batting around), tallying only one hit. That lone hit came on a two-RBI double by John Rhodes. David Banuelos would add a sac fly-RBI, and Daniel Johnson would walk with the bases loaded.

With a 10-3 win, the O’s enhanced MLB’s best spring record to 13-2. But mind you, it’s only that; a spring record. These games don’t count. What counts though is the level of competition, and that’s been outstanding thus far.

The Orioles return home to Sarasota tomorrow as Toronto pays a visit to Ed Smith Stadium. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Devereaux Harrison. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Note: Tomorrow is a split squad day for both the Orioles and Toronto. The Orioles’ “B squad” will travel to TD Ballpark in Dunedin to take on Toronto, with the Orioles throwing Al Suarez against Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi.

Baltimore Orioles defeat Detroit in Sarasota

Grayson Rodriguez got the start for the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota against Detroit. It was the Orioles’ third sellout of the spring, on a night that had a lot of buzz in the park. And the “hometown nine” didn’t disappoint. Rodriguez’s line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K.

After Heston Kjerstad reached on a fluky-looking double, he was scored in the last of the third on an RBI-double by Gunnar Henderson. He (Henderson) would later score on an RBI-single by Ryan Mountcastle. After three, the O’s led 2-0.

However Detroit battled back. Rogers solo homer in the top of the second cut the lead in half. But Kolten Wong’s RBI-single in the sixth extended the lead to 3-1. The Birds would also net a run that inning on a wild pitch, scoring Michael Perez. Detroit would put two across in the ninth, but the O’s would eventually take the game, 4-3.

Tomorrow the Birds head to CoolToday Park to take on Atlanta. Dean Kremer get the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Chris Sale. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Coby Mayo double lifts Birds late

Julio Tehran got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in Sarasota against Pittsburgh. It was the first night game of the spring for the Birds, this at Ed Smith Stadium. Tehran’s line: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

Not a bad outing for Tehran. He mixed his pitches fairly well. This over two innings of work, of course.

The O’s took an early 2-0 lead in the last of the first when Anthony Santander smacked a two-run homer. Santander would come up to bat again in the third, this with the bases loaded and nobody out. And he’d ground into a double-play, giving the Birds a 3-0 lead.

And while that’s not the most favorable outcome, it’s still a favorable outcome. It gave the O’s a run. Again, the goal with the bases loaded and nobody out should be multiple runs. But you’ll take a run all day long.

Especially given that Pittsburgh mounted a comeback. Bruce Zimmermann would walk in a run in the top of the fifth. He would then balk in a second run, and before you knew it Pittsburgh had tied the game when Suwinsky reached on a fielding error by Gunnar Henderson. This was followed by Lamb’s run-scoring single, giving Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead in the fifth.

But the O’s weren’t about to drop their first night game of 2024. Adley Rutshman promptly tied the game with an RBI-single in the last of the fifth. The Birds would put a couple of runners on on the eighth, and Coby Mayo’s two-RBI double would give the Orioles the lead again for good, and they finished with a 6-4 win.

The O’s will also enjoy their first off day of 2024 tomorrow, with no game on the docket. So a day of rest awaits them.

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins day-to-day with hamstring discomfort

Baltimore Orioles’ center fielder Cedric Mullins left yesterday’s 7-2 loss to Minnesota in the last of the first inning. He advanced to second base on an Adley Rutschman groundout, gestured towards his right hamstring, and left the game. He was greeted in the dugout by trainers. Manager Brandon Hyde on Mullins:

I don’t think any of us are alarmed by it. I think it’s just one of those day-to-day things right now.

Courtesy of MLB.com

Just for the record, Mullins injured his groin at the end of May against Cleveland last year. He missed about a month’s worth of games, and the Orioles found a way to make due. Point being, if you think this hampers the O’s if Mullins has to miss time in the regular season, keep in mind that they have a next man up mentality.