The Orioles have another exhibition (not televised locally) today. Nothing counts for 32 days.
Hello, friends.
There are now 32 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. As of yesterday, the Grapefruit League has begun for the O’s. They played the Pirates in their first exhibition game, dropping a 10-5 contest. It was close until the ninth inning, when a minor leaguer over for the day (not even a non-roster invite) allowed a grand slam. You can check out my recap of the game here.
It’s going to be a lot more interesting to see how the games end up going once the expected Opening Day starting pitchers are in there. That wasn’t the case yesterday, with projected reliever Albert Suárez getting the start and failing to get through two innings. Today’s game has Cade Povich, to me a projected Norfolk Tide, as the starting pitcher. Monday will be the first time we get a regular starting pitcher in action, with Dean Kremer set to start.
Not that you’ll be able to watch Kremer on Monday, because the Orioles will not be back on MASN again until Saturday. After today, they won’t be televised anywhere until Saturday, not on MASN or on any of the other teams networks either. Today’s game against the Phillies gets under way at 1:05 and will not have an Orioles broadcast of any kind. If you subscribe to MLB.tv you can get either Phillies TV or radio for the game.
It’s too bad that the game won’t be on MASN, because this will probably see us get our first look at something resembling real game action for Adley Rutschman, who I’m curious to see after his second half last season. Tyler O’Neill, who also didn’t play yesterday, will likely be involved in this one also. Nothing that happens today really matters, but I hope that they and others can start to show that they’re on the way to hitting the ground running once the regular season begins.
Around the blogO’sphere
Ten things to watch during Orioles spring action (Orioles.com)
The ten things industrial complex cannot be resisted for long. The list is a solid survey of things that will be important to keep an eye on as the fake games go along. The first thing on the list, regarding Albert Suárez, did not get a good first answer with yesterday’s game.
Holliday stays busy at second base in exhibition opener (School of Roch)
Roch’s recap of yesterday’s game focuses on the fact that there were a number of ground balls heading towards Jackson Holliday and he handled them well.
Roster prediction: Coby Mayo, Cade Povich face long odds as spring games begin (The Baltimore Sun)
Perhaps no better illustration of how long the odds are for Mayo to make the Opening Day roster that he was a reserve who entered yesterday’s game after the starters.
Jimmy’s Famous Seafood will not return to Oriole Park at Camden Yards this season (The Baltimore Banner)
“We made the decision to go in a different direction,” says an unnamed Orioles spokesperson. It is most likely that the new direction will be less delicious.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 2016, the Orioles were reported to have been in agreement on a three-year contract with outfielder Dexter Fowler. There were two days of excitement until Fowler showed up in Cubs camp instead, having signed there. The 2016 O’s sure could have used Fowler’s .276/.393/.447 batting line in the leadoff spot.
If you really want, you can go back and read what Past Mark said in reaction to this report. There are a number of joking references to “pending physical” because that was when the Yovani Gallardo limbo was happening. Fowler just bailing entirely and signing with another team was beyond imagination.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1995-96 outfielder Bobby Bonilla, and 1981-87 outfielder and later coach John Shelby. Today is Shelby’s 67th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: composer George Frideric Handel (1685), historian and activist W. E. B. Du Bois (1868), actor Peter Fonda (1940), and actress Emily Blunt (1983).
On this day in history…
In 532, the reigning Byzantine Emperor Justinian I placed the first stone for what would become an Orthodox Christian place of worship in what was then known as Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia still stands in what is today called Istanbul, Turkey.
In 1455, according to tradition, the Gutenberg Bible was published. It’s an important historical event for being the first book published (in Europe, anyway) using a movable type process.
In 1836, Mexican troops initiated a siege of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Though the Mexicans eventually captured the fortress, they were not able to prevent Texas from becoming an independent republic that was swiftly annexed into the United States.
In 1945, during World War II, United States Marines reached the summit of Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. The initial raising of an American flag was not captured for history but it was quickly recreated in a now-famous photograph. Three of the six men photographed were killed before the battle ended a month later.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on February 23. Have a safe Sunday.