The Orioles have 13 games remaining to iron out all the kinks and get as healthy as possible.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Spring training continues to roll right along, for better or for worse. And lately for the Orioles, it’s been for worse. Gunnar Henderson is still out of the lineup with no update on when he’ll resume playing. Grayson Rodriguez has already been confirmed to start the regular season on the injured list. Orioles fans can be forgiven if they’re collectively holding their breath, worried about which key player will be the next to drop.
Still, as the O’s mosey through their Grapefruit League schedule, there are some positives to take away from each passing day. Even last night’s game in Bradenton, which featured very few projected Orioles starters, brought some intriguing moments. Félix Bautista made his third appearance of the spring and displayed a velocity bump from his previous outing, if not great results as yet. And top prospect Samuel Basallo unleashed a mammoth home run to right field that seemed to travel far beyond its estimated distance of 403 feet. Mark Brown recapped the latest spring action.
The Orioles have 12 games remaining in Florida before breaking camp, then they’ll play one more game at Nationals Park on March 24 to wrap up their exhibition slate. By then they’ll have a better sense of whether Henderson and/or Bautista will be ready for Opening Day, and who will replace them on the roster if not. Hopefully we won’t have any new O’s injuries to discuss at that point.
The Orioles will be back on MASN this afternoon, making their only visit this spring to the Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This is the Yanks’ first game since getting official word that their ace, Gerrit Cole, will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2025 season. So, you know, the Orioles aren’t having the worst spring of any AL East team. Albert Suárez will be on the hill for the Birds, hoping to improve on his 9.00 spring ERA. You’ve got two weeks to shape up, Albert.
Links
Orioles notebook: Jackson Holliday at SS, Samuel Basallo’s power, and more – The Baltimore Banner
There are worse contingency plans for a Gunnar injury than having a fellow former #1 prospect fill in for him. Just, uh, ignore that throwing error that Holliday had in yesterday’s game.
Orioles announce latest round of roster cuts (updated) – School of Roch
Early camp sensation Rodolfo Martinez was among the Orioles’ latest cuts. Turns out giving up nine runs in less than four innings won’t win you a spot on the roster.
Who replaces Rodriguez in Orioles’ rotation? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff tackles more questions from readers, including one baseball sicko who wishes teams would play extra innings in spring training. Relax, buddy, we’ve got 30 exhibition games and 162 regular season games. You’ll get more than your fill of innings.
Jon Meoli: Dean Kremer knows what he brings to the Orioles’ rotation. And they’re going to need it. – The Baltimore Banner
We all know what he brings to the Orioles’ rotation: great hair.
Orioles announce addition of orange-on-orange alternate uniform – MLB.com
It’s happening, people. The all-orange uniform is back. May it also herald the return of four 20-game winners in one season.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Four ex-Orioles were born on this day, including the ageless Rich Hill, who technically does have an age (45). He’s had a 20-year, 13-team MLB career, and the O’s were his second stop, way back in 2009. He even pitched four games for the Red Sox just last season. Other former Orioles with March 11 birthdays include right-handers Frank Mata (41) and Steve Reed (60) and outfielder Phil Bradley (66).
On this date in 1991, Orioles legend Jim Palmer ended his comeback attempt after a shaky spring training outing against the Red Sox. Palmer, who had retired in 1984 and had already been elected to the Hall of Fame, was attempting to make a return to the bigs at age 45 (hey, if Rich Hill can do it…). Alas, it wasn’t to be. I think Jim can be pretty happy with his career anyway.