It’s only spring training, most will say. But the Orioles are using strong pitching, some extra-base hits and good defense to win games this spring.
Of course, there are still some hiccups, like another day struggling with runners in scoring position. Overall, it was another victory and some strong efforts for players trying to make the big league team.
Grayson Rodriguez made his spring debut this afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, working two innings and throwing 37 pitches, 22 for strikes. He allowed one hit, an opposite field home run, walked one and struck out two.
“We were trying to go up with it. A little bit down in the zone. He was able to kind of take a two-strike approach to it,inside outt it down the line. It was a homer. I’d like to think that doesn’t happen in Camden. But it’s a good thing none of these count.”
– Grayson Rodriguez on his home run pitch to Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry
Rodriguez is incorporating a two-seam fastball into his repertoire and threw the pitch frequently today. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said the pitch even reached triple digits.
Following Rodriguez was Dillon Tate, who is making his way back after missing the 2023 season. Tate pitched a clean inning with a flyout, a strikeout looking and a fly ball.
“Great sinkers. He threw some nice sliders, also. The sinker was going straight down. It was low-to-mid 90s, and it looked like the D-Tate from a couple of years ago.”
– O’s manager Brandon Hyde on Dillon Tate’s performance against the Tigers
Mike Baumann pitched a clean inning and was followed by Nick Vespi (W, 1-0). Despite giving up a run on two hits, Vespi would pick up the win for the game.
Chayce McDermott (H, 1) pitched 1.2 innings, giving up a hit and two walks in his first inning of work. He was relieved by Keagan Gillies (H, 1) to close out the inning.
McDermott returned to pitch the seventh (spring rules) and picked up a strikeout and two ground balls to pitch a clean inning.
It was Alex Pham (S, 1) who was the highlight pitching-wise. He would pitch the final two innings of the game, retiring all six batters, including two via strikeout.
Offensively, the Birds put traffic on the bases with seven total hits and seven walks. They scored five times in the game.
James McCann had a two-run double in a four-run fifth inning for the O’s. Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo, who went 1-for-2 with a walk, also collected RBIs.
Daniel Johnson continues to turn heads in camp, as he went 3-for-3 with a double and triple and scored two runs. He is now hitting .444 for the spring with an OPS of 1.555.
The Orioles are now 4-1 in Grapefruit League play and will play the Minnesota Twins tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. EST in Fort Myers at Lee Health Sports Complex. Dean Kremer will make his spring debut for the Birds.
Side Notes:
Kyle Bradish continues his throwing progression. He played catch from 90 feet today but ramped up his throwing from previous sessions.
Gunnar Henderson took live batting practice today with no discomfort. He has yet to play this spring due to oblique discomfort but is getting close to making his debut. Hyde has yet to give an exact day for Henderson’s spring debut.
Jackson Holliday collected his first hit this spring in today’s 5-2 over Detroit and is now 1-for-7 with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Coby Mayo, on the other hand, is now 4-for-6 this spring and has reached base in seven of his nine plate appearances.
Who stood out to you in today’s game? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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