Good vibes in camp, Morton shows off his veteran value, and Sugano debuts today.
Good morning Birdland,
Spring training is still happening, even if we aren’t getting much TV or radio coverage this week. The Orioles beat the Tigers 8-7 on Tuesday.
Charlie Morton worked a scoreless inning while Dean Kremer, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto, and Cionel Pérez were not as fortunate.
Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr. both homered. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday had a single apiece. Terrin Vavra swiped a base, but Holliday was nabbed on his attempt. Tyler O’Neill worked two walks.
What do all of these stats means? Just about nothing. It is encouraging to see players perform well, but it does not guarantee regular season success. The opposite is also true.
Next up for the Birds is a trip to Bradenton for another game against the Pirates—the two teams play each other a LOT in spring. The big storyline of this one is the debut of Tomoyuki Sugano. The veteran is slated to start and toss an inning or two. The ultimate outcome won’t matter much, but scouting reports on what his pitches look like will be interesting nonetheless.
Other than that, no news is good news in Orioles camp. There are no trade winds whirling, and it sounds like players are just getting their work in. Opening Day is only four weeks away.
Links
In trademark fashion, Morton lending ‘infinite wisdom’ to O’s | Orioles.com
The Orioles took a one-season break from having the “wily, old veteran” in their rotation last year. In 2024 they added an ace instead. It’s tough to say which is more valuable, but one is certainly easier to find. Charlie Morton should at the very least be dependable. He has thrown 160+ innings in each of the last four seasons, and that streak extends even further if you exclude 2020.
Sugano on the Grapefruit League mound today, Hardy’s take on Holliday | Roch Kubatko
Oh yeah, we get some Tomoyuki Sugano action today, baby! It will probably only be for an inning or two, and there won’t be any TV or radio coverage, but it is definitely happening.
What the fun vibe in Sarasota says about the Orioles’ culture | The Baltimore Banner
We do love a goofy group of guys, and it sounds like that’s exactly what we will be getting in 2025. It will be even more fun if those guys win a whole lot of baseball games.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Josh Towers turns 48 today. A 15th round pick of the O’s in 1996, he beat the odds to become a big league pitcher, and spent parts of two seasons in Baltimore (2001-02) before having a longer run in Toronto.
This day in O’s history
February 26th has been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, instead, here are a few happenings from beyond Birdland:
1919 – Grand Canyon National Park in northwestern Arizona is established.
1929 – Grand Teton National Park, a 96,000 acre area in Wyoming, is established.
1979 – The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
2008 – The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea, the first event of its kind to take place in the country.