We’re just two weeks from the home opener, Mateo made his debut, and Holliday is looking good
Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! I hope you had a nice weekend. It was a relaxing one for me, and I’m looking forward to baseball on my TV almost every night very soon. We’re just 10 days from Opening Day and exactly two weeks from the home opener. I can’t wait to return to Camden Yards on March 31st to see that orange carpet and check out the new (temporary) sound system!
The Orioles were busy over the weekend with four games between Saturday and Sunday. Mark Brown detailed Saturday’s exciting walk-off win by the prospects and the disappointing performance from the big leaguers earlier in the day.
Yesterday was split squad day where they beat the Tigers 7-1 on the road and fell to the Phillies 12-1 at home. Let’s dive into the performances, shall we? And we’ll start with the win.
Albert Suárez continued his quest for the rotation with a five-inning, one-run performance. His lone run came in the fourth inning when the Tigers rallied for three hits. Suárez faced the minimum number of batters in the other four innings despite allowing a single and a walk. Maverick Handley picked off a runner at first base in the first inning and Suárez induced a double play ball in the fifth.
On offense, the lineup teed off against former Oriole Jack Flaherty. Jackson Holliday, playing shortstop, reached base three times, including a triple to lead off the game. Colton Cowser hit his second home run of spring and Dylan Carlson had a two-hit, three-RBI day.
Now, the less fun news. Opening Day starter Zach Eflin got knocked around a bit. He allowed two baserunners in a scoreless first inning, but wasn’t so lucky in the third. An error by Jordan Westburg started the third inning and things snowballed from there. Eflin allowed the next three batters to reach, struck out a batter, and was pulled from the game. His relief, Nathan Webb, did not help him out. A bases loaded double brought in all of his inherited runners.
Eflin came back out to pitch the fourth (yay, spring training) and ended on a clean inning. He threw 84 pitches overall. He’s just shaking off the rust! I know the results don’t matter but I still wish they’d been a little better.
Being that it was the home game, the lineup had a few more regulars. Adley Rutschman, Tyler O’Neill, and Cedric Mullins all contributed exactly one single. Westburg doubled. Ramón Laureano hit a solo homer for the team’s only run and pinch-hitting prospect Vance Honeycutt added a single of his own.
And in exciting news, Jorge Mateo made his spring debut! It was uneventful, and 0-2 in five innings played. But it sure is nice to see his name in a box score.
For today’s St. Patrick’s Day game, the Orioles travel to Fort Myers to play the Red Sox, so expect it to be extra Irish-y. The game will be broadcast on MASN, piggybacking on the home team’s broadcast as they have multiple times this spring.
Links
Camden Chat’s 2025 Pre-Season Contest – Camden Chat
Don’t forget to participate in our yearly contest! So far 116 of you have made your guesses in the 30-question quiz.
Jorge Mateo returns, but being ready for opening day is not a guarantee – The Baltimore Banner
It was great to see Mateo back out on the field! He hopes to be ready not long after Opening Day.
From Paul Skenes to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., extensions to get done now and ones that can wait – The Athletic
Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman both fall into the “better for the team than the player” category. That’s definitely true for Gunnar, but I’m honestly not sure about Rutschman.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. plays in prospect showcase days after friend’s death – The Baltimore Banner
What a sad story. Thoughts with Enrique Bradfield after the loss of his friend in a motorcycle accident.
Orioles health notes on Mateo, Urías and Rivera, Hyde on Ðomínguez’s rough spring – Blog
Having Ramón Urías, Gunnar Henderson, Jorge Mateo, and even Emmanuel Rivera dealing with injuries is not ideal.
Jackson Holliday continues to swing a hot bat in Orioles camp – MLB.com
Jackson Holliday is really being talked up this spring. I sure hope it’s not a letdown.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles are St. Patrick’s Day babies just like you. The most notable is Chris Davis, who is celebrating his 39th birthday today.
Davis was acquired in an absolute steal of a 2011 trade that brought him to Baltimore with Tommy Hunter in exchange for Koji Uehara. Uehara had a rough go for the playoff-bound Rangers and appeared in just 37 games for the 2012 team before he reached free agency. Davis and Hunter combined to appear in 1375 games for the Orioles.
Davis spent several years as one of the best power hitters in baseball. He is ranked 6th in Orioles franchise history in home runs with 253. Because it’s his birthday, I won’t write about how his career ended. We all know.
Also born on this day in history are César Valdez (40) and Raúl Chávez (52). Valdez pitched in relief for the Orioles in 2020 and 2021, appearing in the majors for the first time since 2017. He and his “dead fish” change-up were a great story until they weren’t. Chávez was a catcher who got into 16 games with the 2006 team.
On this day last year, Kyle Stowers became the first player to hit three home runs in a spring training game. He still didn’t make the team and was sent to Triple-A Norfolk where he got off to a scorching start. He’s now with the Miami Marlins and I wish him great luck.
In 2022, the Orioles signed pitchers Chris Ellis and Conner Greene. Both saw time out of the bullpen that year; neither was good. In 2021, they signed Maikel Franco. Franco played in 104 games with the 2021 team despite an OPS+ of 65.