Sorting through spring stats and their relevance

Sorting through spring stats and their relevance
SARASOTA, Fla. - We've been warned in song to never fall in love with a dreamer. Former Ravens coach Brian Billick told the media to never fall in love with a guy in shorts, the message delivered each year in training camp. And every baseball manager preaches the dangers of falling in love with stats derived from exhibition games. Love stinks. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is walking that fine line between judging competitors for various roster spots on their spring numbers and resisting the...

A few leftovers from yesterday's win

A few leftovers from yesterday's win
SARASOTA, Fla. - Cody Carroll was handed the ball and a two-run lead yesterday and retired the side in order to close out a 7-5 win over the Tigers. All it took were three fly balls - from Kody Clemens, Héctor Sánchez and Wenceel Perez - to get the save. Carroll struck out three batters in his previous outing on Thursday, also in the ninth inning, but a fly ball from the Phillies' Darick Hall carried over the right field fence for a game-tying two-run homer. Saves come and go. "You just...

Wrapping up a 7-5 win

Wrapping up a 7-5 win
SARASOTA, Fla. - It's been a bad weekend for pinkies. Second baseman Jonathan Villar came out of today's game in the top of the fourth inning with some swelling in his right pinky finger, the result of a head-first slide into second base and an unfortunate collision with an infielder's spikes. Christopher Bostick replaced Villar, who singled and stole second base in the first inning and drew a walk in the third. "He had a little cleat in the finger and it just started to swell a little bit...

Wilkerson willing to play anywhere in super-utility role

Wilkerson willing to play anywhere in super-utility role
SARASOTA, Fla. - On the Stevie Wilkerson bingo card, make sure to mark all of the positions he's played and hope they fall in a row. Wilkerson started in right field yesterday against the Red Sox in Fort Myers and shifted to second base in the fourth inning. He's also played left field and first base in exhibition games. The card doesn't allow for positions where he's worked out. Otherwise, a chip would be placed over shortstop, third base and center field. The former eighth-round pick out...

Wrapping up a 9-1 win

Wrapping up a 9-1 win
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has been waiting for a day when he could boast about the club's pitching and defense. On the same day. He found it this afternoon in Fort Myers, where the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 9-1. Mike Wright shut out the Red Sox through the third inning. Yefry Ramirez allowed one run, on Xander Bogaerts' homer, and two hits over three innings. He didn't issue a walk and struck out two batters. Paul Fry retired the side in order with two strikeouts in...

Wright hasn't done much wrong in three outings (O's win 9-1)

Wright hasn't done much wrong in three outings (O's win 9-1)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Mike Wright took a sharp grounder off his right foot today with two outs in the third inning and the next batter poked a single up the middle. Another ball that didn't catch air. Past starts might have crumbled for Wright, but he retired Jackie Bradley Jr. on a fly ball and headed for the clubhouse with three more scoreless innings on his ledger. Making a push for a spot in the back end of the rotation, Wright blanked the Red Sox on three hits with one walk and two...

Orioles and Red Sox lineups

Orioles and Red Sox lineups
SARASOTA, Fla. - Stevie Wilkerson is in right field today, the latest position switch for the utility candidate. The Orioles are going with a Rule 5 double play combination again today against the Red Sox, with Richie Martin at shortstop and Drew Jackson at second base. Cedric Mullins is in center field and Trey Mancini is in left. Jace Peterson is playing first base. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Eric Young Jr. DH Trey Mancini LF Rio Ruiz 3B Richie Martin SS Jace Peterson 1B Drew Jackson...

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies

Orioles lineup vs. Phillies
SARASOTA, Fla. - Dylan Bundy makes his first spring start today as the Orioles return to the road to play the Phillies in Clearwater. Austin Hays is leading off and playing center field again. Chris Davis is on the trip and batting third. Yusniel Diaz is batting cleanup and playing right field. Jace Peterson moves to third base. Rule 5 pick Drew Jackson is the designated hitter. Austin Wynns is catching. For the Orioles Austin Hays CF Jonathan Villar 2B Chris Davis 1B Yusniel Diaz RF Joey...

Reviewing Orioles spring training before today's game

Reviewing Orioles spring training before today's game
SARASOTA, Fla. - Four games into the exhibition schedule, following a couple weeks of workouts, seems like an ample amount of time to build some early impressions of the Orioles. The good and the disappointing. Reactions and overreactions. Chris Davis hit a home run yesterday in his fifth spring training at-bat and it was a tape-measure shot off a breaking ball. It could mean something or nothing, but I recognized that swing from the days when he was scary good in the middle of the...

Davis on his home run and wrapping up an 11-5 loss

Davis on his home run and wrapping up an 11-5 loss
SARASOTA, Fla. - The first three at-bats ended in strikeouts and the familiar walk back to the dugout. A fresh start for Chris Davis, the latest since signing his franchise-record contract in January 2016, already had taken on a familiar look. A groundout made Davis 0-for-4 in two spring training games, but there was contact. And it would get much louder in the fifth inning when he drove a breaking ball from Tampa Bay's Austin Pruitt over the center field fence and off the scoreboard in the...

Wondering if two Rule 5 infielders fit on the roster

Wondering if two Rule 5 infielders fit on the roster
SARASOTA, Fla. - Three exhibition games won't provide many clues as to how manager Brandon Hyde envisions the construction of his 25-man roster, especially with players continuing to jump positions. But the two Rule 5 infielders might bring a few of his ideas into focus. Richie Martin made another start at shortstop yesterday against the Twins, going 1-for-2 before Jack Reinheimer replaced him. Drew Jackson started at second base, giving the Orioles a Rule 5 double play combination. "They're...

Wrapping up a 7-1 loss

Wrapping up a 7-1 loss
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles returned to Sarasota this afternoon without any updates on the medical chart. No one got hurt. They'll take the victories that don't show up in the Grapefruit League standings, which no longer list them as unbeaten. Nate Karns and Hunter Harvey felt good physically while allowing two earned runs in the Orioles' 7-1 loss to the Twins at Hammond Stadium. Karns surrendered three runs overall in 1 2/3 innings. Byron Buxton hit a two-run shot off Harvey in the...

Karns lasts 1 2/3 innings in O's debut (with quotes, O's lose 7-1)

Karns lasts 1 2/3 innings in O's debut (with quotes, O's lose 7-1)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - When a pitcher who makes the trip from minor league camp is warming twice in the bullpen, it's a sure sign that the starter's outing isn't running smoothly. Nate Karns is healthy, which is the primary interest of the Orioles. He stumbled in the first inning today of his first start after missing the entire 2018 season with an elbow injury, but only in the figurative sense. With his fastball clocked at 91-93 mph on the stadium radar gun, Karns allowed three runs (two...

Notes on Schoop, the rotation, Ortiz and more (O's down 2-1)

Notes on Schoop, the rotation, Ortiz and more (O's down 2-1)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Former Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop took his last swings in the cage this morning at Hammond Stadium, headed down the dugout steps and knew he was being followed. One of Schoop's tools must be eyes in the back of his head. He turned and smiled as a couple members of the Orioles beat crew waited for him to notice. What followed was a four-minute reunion that included his thoughts on leaving the Orioles - and their lack of interest in bringing him back - close friend...

Orioles lineup vs. Twins

Orioles lineup vs. Twins
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' first road trip this spring includes a Rule 5 middle infield. Richie Martin is starting at shortstop today against the Twins in Fort Myers. Drew Jackson is starting at second base. Cedric Mullins is leading off and playing center field. DJ Stewart is batting cleanup and serving as the designated hitter. Jace Peterson is on the move again, starting today at first base. Austin Wynns is catching. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Joey Rickard RF Renato Núñez 3B...

Mullins and Sisco among standouts in Orioles' first game (O's win 7-2)

Mullins and Sisco among standouts in Orioles' first game (O's win 7-2)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Though the batting order in the first exhibition game shouldn't be viewed as a precursor to the regular season lineups, Cedric Mullins carried the look of a legitimate leadoff hitter today against the Twins. Mullins walked, stole second base and scored in the first inning, doubled and scored in the third, and singled and scored in the fifth, as the Orioles posted a 7-2 victory at Ed Smith Stadium. Christopher Bostick replaced Mullins in center field, another movable piece...

Orioles enter exhibition opener in competitive mode

Orioles enter exhibition opener in competitive mode
SARASOTA, Fla. - Just as it's unwise to read too much into the choice of a starting pitcher for the first exhibition game, the same applies to the order of the hitters and where certain players are positioned in the field. The leadoff hitter today against the Twins may be lowered or excluded Sunday versus the Blue Jays. The catcher isn't assured of breaking camp with the team, let alone being behind the plate on opening day. Take it all with a grain of salt, though it made more sense to do so...

Jackson trying to stay with Orioles as other Rule 5 pick

Jackson trying to stay with Orioles as other Rule 5 pick
SARASOTA, Fla. - A leisurely stroll for minor league infielder Drew Jackson turned into a joy ride. With a couple of crazy turns along the way. Jackson was left unprotected by the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft, held on the final day of baseball's annual Winter Meetings, and the Phillies selected him with the 11th overall pick. "My phone started blowing up," he said. Then came the one call that blew up his visions of going to spring training in Clearwater. "Very weird day," said Jackson, who...

Notes on Mountcastle, Cobb and more to wrap up latest workout

Notes on Mountcastle, Cobb and more to wrap up latest workout
SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde continues to rotate players at different positions in camp. Heads can spin trying to track them. Ryan Mountcastle, Chris Bostick and Jace Peterson worked out at third base this morning on the Earl Weaver "Little" Field. Rio Ruiz and Steve Wilkerson moved to first base. Rule 5 picks Richie Martin and Drew Jackson were stationed at shortstop. Zach Vincej and Jack Reinheimer took ground balls at second base. Hyde is new to the organization and...

Orioles claim Osich, Escobar reports to camp

Orioles claim Osich, Escobar reports to camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles made another waiver claim this afternoon, selecting Josh Osich from the Giants, while also adding a fifth left-handed reliever to their 40-man roster. Osich, 30, joins Richard Bleier, Tanner Scott, Paul Fry and Donnie Hart. Non-roster southpaws Sean Gilmartin and Chris Lee also are in camp. Infielder Hanser Alberto has been designated for assignment to make room for Osich on the 40-man roster. The Orioles claimed Alberto off waivers from the Yankees last month. The...