Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish cruises in final spring start

For one of the final times in 2023, wins and losses don’t matter for the Baltimore Orioles. Starting Thursday that won’t be the case any longer, but for today it remains the case. What’s important is how crisp the play on the field is, and today it could definitely be described as “crisp,” beginning with starter Kyle Bradish. He set the O’s up for success with a solid outing. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

That’s about as solid a stat line as you’re going to see – in Grapefruit League play, or in the regular season. Obviously in a regular season game you’d hope that your starter goes deeper into the ballgame than just five innings, however the fact remains that he qualified for the win. And as I said, solid (or “crisp”) outings by your starting pitcher set you up for success in ballgames.

The Orioles were in the driver’s seat from the very beginning in this game. The Birds put runners on second and third in the last of the first, and Cedric Mullins scored on a balk that was called on Philadelphia’s starter, Matt Strahm. This with Gunnar Henderson at bat – Henderson of course was credited with an RBI on the play.

Two innings later Anthony Santander smacked a two-run home run, giving the O’s a 3-0 lead. Philadelphia would get on the board in the fourth on Cave’s RBI-double, but the O’s marched on. They scored on a throwing error by Philadelphia in the field in the sixth inning, running the lead to 4-1. Philadelphia would get a run back in the eighth on a solo home run by Cave, however on this sunny afternoon in Sarasota, the Orioles were too much.

Bradish of course had to be removed twice during innings in his last outing (also against Philadelphia) in Clearwater, but was back in form this afternoon. And bad outings are going to happen. That’s just how baseball ebbs and flows. Bradish on today’s game versus his last start (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

Just felt more comfortable on the mound. The last outing was a weird day for me, mentally. I was actually checked in today. Like I said last week, it wasn’t really an indicator of anything. It was just a weird outing, but finishing strong going into the season. Mixed a lot well today, got ahead of guys. Couldn’t put them away, but not too worried about that.

End of the day you want to see improvement. The Orioles most definitely saw that out of Bradish this afternoon. And end of the day, they aren’t overly concerned about him. As I said, that’s just how baseball ebbs and flows.

The O’s will close out the spring slate of games tomorrow afternoon against St. Louis at Ed Smith Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by St. Louis’ Steven Matz. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Four-run seventh propels Birds to victory

The Baltimore Orioles traveled north to Bradenton this evening to take on Pittsburgh in their final spring training road game. Good effort all around by the guys in the game, beginning with starter Tyler Wells, who gave the O’s a great starting outing. Wells’ line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

The teams played to a scoreless tie through the first three innings. Pittsburgh put a run across on Wells in the last of the fourth on a sac fly-RBI by Hayes. Jordan Westburg tacked on a sac fly of his own in the fifth, tying the game at one. Wells exited the game not in line for the win only because the game was tied.

The O’s busted the game open in the seventh. With two runners on base, Jordan Westburg’s two-RBI double gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead. Westburg would score when Anthony Bemboom smacked a two-run homer, extending the lead to 5-1. Ryan O’Hearn would add a solo homer in the eighth, and the Birds took a 6-1 lead into the end of the game in Bradenton.

Almost predictably, Pittsburgh made a run. They played three runs in the last of the eighth, but never got closer to 6-4. And the Orioles headed back to Sarasota with a victory in their final road tuneup this spring.

The Orioles will close out the Grapefruit League schedule at home in Sarasota. Philadelphia comes in tomorrow, and St. Louis on Monday afternoon. The Birds will then formally break camp, and be in Boston on Thursday for Opening Day at Fenway Park.

The aforementioned game against Philadelphia is tomorrow at Ed Smith Stadium. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Matt Strahm. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Heston Kjerstad, Kyle Gibson, leaving their marks in Sarasota

There’s a decent chance that Kyle Gibson will be the Baltimore Orioles’ opening day starter on March 30th in Boston. And fans got somewhat of an extended look at him this afternoon against Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. And they had to have been impressed. In leaving Gibson in for five innings, it appears that we’re reaching the point in the spring where guys are being stretched out a bit so as to mimic a real game. Gibson’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

The seven strikeouts is noteworthy. Especially given that today’s opponent featured several regulars in the lineup. Or presumed regulars, that is. Point being that Gibson, a bona fide big leaguer, was facing other big league hitters. And he ruled the day.

With a runner on base in the last of the first, Adley Rutschman hit the first pitch he saw out of the ballpark, giving the Birds a 2-0 lead. An inning later Nomar Mazara would smack an RBI-single, which was followed by a two-run homer by Heston Kjerstad. This opened up a 5-0 lead for the Orioles early on.

And they never looked back. Mazara would smack a two-RBI double in the last of the fifth, and McKenna an RBI-single. When the smoke cleared, the Oriole bullpen took care of the rest, propelling the Birds to an 8-0 victory.

Gibson was oustanding in his five innings of work. And he’s had a very strong spring in general. And Heston Kjerstand has been a dazzling star for fans thus far this spring. He’s currently hitting .389, with four homers and eight RBI. The O’s now head into the final week of spring training, or the final full week, that is. They’ll break camp one week from tomorrow, and be in Boston for Opening Day that corresponding Thursday.

The O’s head to Clearwater tomorrow to take on the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and Philadelphia is yet to name a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Boston tacks on extras late

Grayson Rodriguez has some struggles this afternoon against Boston from Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers. This on the stat sheet, that is. Boston was able to square some pitches up; he also committed a throwing error and threw a wild pitch, which scored a run. Rodriguez’s line: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R (2 earned), 2 BB, 3 K.

DuVall smacked a two-run homer in the last of the third, to give Boston a 2-0 lead. In the last of the fourth Grayson Rodriguez uncorked a Wild Pitch, scoring a run. Arroyo would add a run-scoring double, with the runner having been on thanks to a Rodriguez throwing error. Devers would add a run-scoring single later in the inning, extending the lead to 5-0.

However the O’s did have a rally in them. Heston Kjerstad would get the Birds’ scoring started for them in the eighth with an RBI-groundout. Shayne Fontana, Franchy Cordero, and Mark Kolozsary would add RBI-singles, and the Orioles were within one. However the bottom of the inning brought four more Boston runs, putting the lead back at five.

Maverick Handley would put a run across in the ninth with a sac fly-RBI, and Colton Cowser would tack on one due to an RBI-single. The Boston bullpen would close things out, and the O’s fell, 9-6.

The Orioles return home to Sarasota tomorrow as Pittsburgh comes into Ed Smith Stadium. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Vince Velasquez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Extra-base hits lead to Birds’ victory

Cole Irvin got the start this evening for the Baltimore Orioles against Toronto at Ed Smith Stadium. This is the first game in the “second half” (if you will) for the O’s in Spring Training. Yesterday was the lone off day for the Orioles, and now they make the slow trek closer to Opening Day. Irvin’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K.

Irvin gave up RBI-singles to Barger and Lukes in the top of the first inning. But that was the low point of the game for the Orioles. They turned it around very quickly.

The O’s put a couple of runners on in the last of the second, and Nomar Mazara’s two-RBI single promptly tied the game at two. One inning later they got the lead for good. Austin Hays’ two-run homer gave the Orioles a 4-2 lead.

Kyle Stowers smacked an RBI-triple in the fifth. Austin Hays and Franchy Cordero followed with RBI-doubles. This gave the Orioles a 7-2 lead. Toronto would tack on a couple in the ninth, giving the Birds a 7-4 victory.

A big deal in this game was the Orioles’ success in getting last first base on hits. They won this game due to the extra base hits. That’s a huge plus going into the season. If you can get extra base hits in games, you can tack on runs quickly. And that’s what the Orioles did tonight.

The Orioles head to Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers tomorrow to take on the Minnesota Twins. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Tyler Mahle. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman slugs Birds to victory

The Baltimore Orioles started Grayson Rodriguez this afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium against Boston. Or at least against a roster that had Boston across their chests. Boston sent their “B Team” to Sarasota today, as it was a split squad day. Rodriguez’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Rodriguez retired all but one batter in order in the first three innings. He only began to struggle in the fourth, with the second turn through the lineup. The Birds took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Jorge Mateo. However Rodrigue loaded the bases in the fourth, and Boston tied the game at one on an RBI-single by Goodrum.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Rodriguez departed the game. Obviously pitchers are on a pitch count in the spring, and one way or the other he has reached that limit. It wasn’t the way he wanted to end the outing, but again, he did pitch three outstanding innings.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez and the O’s however, those other three runners came around to score. Boston would get an RBI-single, a walk (once again with the bases loaded), and an RBI-groundout. After four the O’s trailed, 4-1.

But the game wasn’t over, despite the aggressive nature of that fourth inning. Jorge Mateo had a productive day at the plate, with the aforementioned RBI early on. However he also got the Birds back on the board in the last of the fourth with an RBI-single. The inning kind of snowballed from that point, this time in the Orioles’ favor.

The Birds promptly loaded the bases with two outs. Adley Rutschman strode to the plate, hoping to make an impact. And he most certainly did, sending a “no-doubter” out of Ed Smith Stadium for a grand slam.

This gave the O’s a 6-4 lead, and the bullpen took it the rest of the way. The Orioles can brag Jorge Mateo and Adley Rutschman as their offensive showmen in today’s game. But end of the day both wins and losses are team efforts. And today the O’s won as a team.

The Orioles will stay at home tomorrow and welcome Detroit into Ed Smith Stadium. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Zach Logue. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Inconsistent outing against Toronto

The Baltimore Orioles sent Austin Voth to the bump this afternoon in Dunedin against Toronto. Much like the rest of the team, starter Austin Voth was inconsistent. File this as a start that would have been “in between stellar and awful” – had he stayed in the game longer, that is. Voth’s line: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K.

The O’s took an early 1-0 lean on Daz Cameron’s RBI-double. Springer would get Toronto on the board in the bottom of the inning with an RBI-groundout, tying the game. But the O’s rallied in the third, with Franchy Cordero’s two-RBI double giving them a 3-1 lead.

But again, inconsistent seemed to be the word of the day. Voth would put a few runners on in the last of the third, allowing a sac fly-RBI to Varsho. And the Orioles carried that lead of 3-2 into the sixth, where Cameron added on an RBI-groundout, extending the lead to 4-2.

But Toronto did some damage against reliever Mike Baumann in the sixth. Following an RBI-triple by Espinal, Kiermaier added an RBI-single which tied the game at four. Springer would then come to the plate and smack a two-run homer, giving Toronto a 6-4 lead.

It’s worth mentioning that very few presumed Oriole starters made the trip to Dunedin this afternoon. Most stayed back in Sarasota. On top of that, Toronto not only played what appeared to be their Opening Day lineup, but they played them well into the sixth and seventh innings. Nevertheless, the Birds did have a tough time getting anything going in the game today.

The outing got worse for Baumann, who in general has looked good this spring. He allowed a two-run homer to Martinez in the last of the seventh, running the Toronto lead to 8-5. Connor Norby would add an RBI-single and Heston Kjerstad an RBI-double for the O’s in the top of the ninth, but the Birds fell to an 8-6 loss in Dunedin.

The O’s return home to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow as the Boston Red Sox come to town for the first time this spring. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Kutter Crawford. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle makes Pittsburgh pay in grand fashion

Kyle Gibson was on the bump this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota against Pittsburgh. Once again, we saw a strong outing, albeit for a limited number of innings, by a presumed Oriole starter. As far as spring games go, that is. Gibson’s line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, ) BB, 2 K.

Pittsburgh got on the board after Gibson had been sent to the showers with an RBI-single by Joe. However come the bottom of the inning, the Birds took the lead and never looked back. Austin Hays smacked a three-run homer, and the O’s led, 3-1. You can file that under that escalated quickly.

One inning later, the game was busted wide open. Ryan Mountcastle came up with the bases juiced, and prompted hit a ball a long way over the walls at Ed Smith Stadium. As they say, that’s one way to clear the bases. That gave the O’s a 7-1 lead. Pittsburgh would tack on three additional runs late, and the Birds went home 7-4 winners.

Going back to that fifth inning grand slam by Mountcastle for a moment; I talk a lot about attention to detail. In this case, the opponent’s lack of attention to detail benefited the O’s. The Birds had two runners on, and a runner was allowed to reach base (to load them up) on a fielding error. In general, an error doesn’t have to be fatal. Guys pitch or work out of jams all the time – right?

They obviously do. However the fact remains that guys making mistakes like that can extend innings at worst, and just add base runners at best. In this case it loaded the bases. And Ryan Mountcastle made Pittsburgh pay for it. Nothing’s more costly than a grand slam.

In this case it was the Orioles benefitting off of an opponent’s mistake. However that should serve as a lesson to the Orioles as well – you have to tidy up your defense. If you don’t make mistakes like that in games, the other team can’t take advantage. The Orioles might well have still scored a bunch of runs that inning, mind you. But you can’t give the opponent extra outs and extra base runners.

Tomorrow the O’s head to BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater to take on Philadelphia. Tyler Wells gets the start for the Birds, and Philadelphia’s yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles fall late on three wild pitches

The Baltimore Orioles dropped a hard-fought ballgame this afternoon at Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers against Minnesota. Grayson Rodriguez provided the Birds with another strong outing. If it was a regular season game, we’d say that he set the table. Rodriguez’s line: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

Anthony Bemboon was on third base in the top of the second when Minnesota pitcher Maeda was called for a balk. That allowed Benboom to score, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Minnesota would tie the game at one in the bottom of the inning on Miranda’s solo homer, the lone run surrendered by Rodriguez.

Minnesota would take a 2-1 lead in the last of the fourth on Jeffers’ RBI-double. However the O’s battled back. With two runners on in the sixth, Josh Lester smacked a two-RBI double, giving the Birds the lead back at 3-2.

One inning later Jackson Holliday continued his hot spring with an RBI-single, extending the Orioles’ lead to 4-2. Minnesota would add a run in the seventh, but the Birds appeared to break the game wide open in the eighth. Robert Neustrom added a sac fly-RBI, and Shane Fontana reached on an error, scoring another run and extending the lead to 6-3.

At this point all the Orioles needed to do was shut Minnesota down. Or to record three outs in the last of the ninth before Minnesota scored three runs. This after Holland’s RBI-double cut the lead to 6-4.

Brandon Hyde tapped Olfreidy Gomez to pitch the ninth inning. The first problem was he allowed two runners into scoring position. This with less than two outs. However he allowed both runners to score on wild pitches. He uncorked a third one to drive in the winning run, and the Birds headed back to Sarasota with a 7-6 loss.

Grayson Rodriguez was strong today, save for the solo homer. But solo home runs won’t kill you. But the lesson in this game lies in attention to detail. Wild pitches will often hurt you. This afternoon several in the same inning cost them the game. Granted it’s spring training, but you play like you practice.

The O’s return to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota tomorrow to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Vince Velasquez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Baltimore Orioles top Philadelphia on Ryan O’Hearn’s walk off homer

Cole Irvin got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon under the sun in Sarasota. Another strong outing by a presumed Oriole starter; Irvin did his work and got the heck out of dodge. Irvin’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Philadelphia drew first blood in the third inning when Bohm smacked an RBI/l-double. This of course being the lone run Cole Irvin surrendered. However one inning later the Orioles countered with an “Earl Weaver special.” Austin Hays came up with two runners on, and smacked a three-run homer.

That gave the Birds a 3-1 lead, however it didn’t last. Bohm came back up in the top of the sixth, and smacked a solo homer. He was followed by Hall, who also smacked a solo home run, taking Philadelphia back-to-back. Later in the inning Cave smacked a two-run homer, giving Philadelphia a 5-3 lead. Martinez and Machin would add RBI-singles in the eighth to tack on two additional runs for Philadelphia, who then led 7-3.

However keep in mind that this was a spring game. This meaning that the guys playing late in the ballgame are guys trying to make the roster. An extended job interview, if you will. In short, hungry players.

Coby Mayo smacked an RBI-single in the last of the eighth, cutting the lead to 7-4. Mayo would later score on Connor Norby’s RBI-groundout. Add a two-run homer by Colton Cowser, and before you knew it the game was tied after eight innings.

Eduardo Bazardo sent Philadelphia down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth. And the Orioles put two runners on in the last of the inning. That brought Ryan O’Hearn to the plate. Who only smacked a three-run walk off homer to win the game for the O’s.

It’s a spring game. But that‘s the sort of win that rallies a team. It’s the type of win that this Orioles’ team was noted for last year. And they’re starting early in 2023.

The Orioles head to Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers tomorrow to take on the Minnesota Twins. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Kenya Maeda. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.