The excitement from yesterday is still resonating through the fans of Baltimore. Sure, it was just the spring opener, but there was magic, excitement and a lot of fun to be had.
Fans got to see 2020 No. 2 overall pick Heston Kjerstad put on a show. Future star shortstop Jackson Holliday collected his first spring training hit, while Joey Ortiz showed why he is not only a defensive wiz but becoming an offensive force as well.
How do the Orioles follow that act up, winning yesterday by a score of 10-5? You send surprise sensation Dean Kremer to the mound to face off against the Detroit Tiger’s and former O’s top prospect Eduardo Rodriguez.
Today’s lineup is exciting to start out. Ryan McKenna will bat lead off and start in center. He will be flanked by the forgotten and dangerous Kyle Stowers in right and the exciting top prospect Colton Cowser in left.
The double play duo will be Jordan Westburg, who is electric at the dish and in the field, and Connor Norby, who has quietly, due to his surrounding cast, pushed his way into Baseball America’s Top 100, at No. 93.
Terrin Vavra, who started at second yesterday, returns to play third today after a power surge in the spring opener. At catcher, we will get to see new O’s acquisition James McCann for the first time.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has said Jackson Holliday will play again today, and there should be some other young prospects to excite the crowd as replacements.
Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s today. He will be followed by Cade Povich, Logan Gillaspie, Yennier Cano, Kyle Dowdy and Reed Garret.
Here are the starting lineups for today’s game:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (1-0):
1. Ryan McKenna CF
2. Terrin Vavra 3B
3. James McCann C
4. Kyle Stowers RF
5. Jordan Westburg SS
6. Franchy Cordero DH
7. Lewin Díaz 1B
8. Colton Cowser LF
9. Connor Norby 2B
SP. Dean Kremer RHP
DETROIT TIGERS (1-0):
1. Riley Greene CF
2. Nick Maton 3B
3. Miguel Cabrera DH
4. Kerry Carpenter LF
5. Spencer Torkelson 1B
6. César Hernández 2B
7. Matt Vierling RF
8. Ryan Kreidler SS
9. Jake Rogers C
SP. Eduardo Rodriguez LHP
Opening Side Notes:
With the new pitch clock being implemented, Anthony Santander became the first Oriole to be dinged for a violation in yesterday’s game.
The new rules require the batter to be ready and facing the pitcher at the nine-second mark. This is part of the new pitch clock implementation that MLB will be using this season, which both hitters and pitchers will have to adjust to.
Speaking of the pitch clock and its effect, yesterday’s Orioles game was completed in two hours and 54 minutes, according to the official score card. This will be something to pay attention to as baseball looks to speed the game up and add a little more excitement.
D.L. Hall was the talk of camp yesterday, as he had his hair cut completely off. After seeing him for the last two seasons with his hair growing longer and longer, Hall decided it was time.
Originally, he was going to cut it when camp broke, but due to the hotter temperatures in Sarasota, Florida, Hall ended up cutting it earlier. The O’s lefty said he’s sleeping better now, as his hair used to wake him up by getting in his face.
He has saved the hair to take north with him, as he will donate it to Wigs and Wishes, who donate wigs made from human hair to those battling cancer.
Hall will donate his hair to be used to help a child and get to meet the child who receives the wig. All this will happen when Hall returns to Baltimore.
Keep up with The Baltimore Battery for all the latest updates, news and notes from Orioles spring training.
Who are you most excited to see in today’s game? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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