It was the top of the fifth inning on March 2 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. For most of those watching that day, it was just another spring training baseball game with the Chicago Cubs hosting Kansas City. But for right-hander Gray Fenter, it was not just another day. He was about to pitch in a big league game for the first time. Taken by the Cubs from the Orioles organization in December's Rule 5 draft, Fenter was trying to beat long odds and win a bullpen job for a team that has been in the...

John Means got his work in today. His arm is healthy. The opening day assignment is waiting for him. The rest are just details. Means threw 82 pitches in 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs in a 6-5 loss to the Pirates at LECOM Park in Bradenton. He walked the leadoff batter in each of the last three innings. He struck out the last two that he faced. He's ready. "I feel like I'm ready to go," he said in his Zoom call. "Feel like my body is there. I'm recovering well. Yeah, I feel pretty...

In his next to last start before his opening day assignment in Boston, Orioles lefty John Means saw the Pittsburgh Pirates produce a load of foul balls against him and he got his pitch count up, working into the fourth inning in Bradenton. Means had quite a wild ride as the Pirates batted in bottom of the first. Shortstop Kevin Newman jumped on a first-pitch fastball and doubled to deep left. Erik González then produced a single on a swinging bunt toward shortstop to leave runners on the...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he doesn't anticipate making any roster cuts for the next few days. Then they should be spread out over the last few weeks, with opening day April 1 in Boston. Fifty-seven players remain in camp, including the batch at Twin Lakes Park. There's a lot of work to be done. Chris Davis remains out of the lineup and workouts since straining his lower back on Feb. 28. Is the 60-day injured list a possibility? Hyde was short with his answer on today's Zoom call,...

Rio Ruiz is playing third base this afternoon and manager Brandon Hyde has put Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays in the same outfield again, as the Orioles head back to Bradenton to play the Pirates. Mullins is leading off and playing center field and Hays is in right. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Third baseman Maikel Franco gets the day off and returns to the lineup on Tuesday. Trey Mancini is the first baseman as he keeps proving that he'll be ready for opening day and an...

Tanner Rainey would've liked to walk off the mound at the end of the sixth inning Sunday and felt nothing but positive vibes about his first game appearance of the spring. Alas, these things don't always work out quite so swimmingly. Rainey's 2021 Grapefruit League debut, delayed three weeks by a small muscle strain near his right collarbone, wasn't pretty. "Today was not a good showing," the Nationals reliever said during a Zoom session with reporters. "The only positive I take away...

One reason right-hander Matt Harvey is having a good spring and making a strong push for an Orioles rotation spot is because he has found a new pitch. It's not at all new to the sport, but the power sinker is new to Harvey. It's really just a two-seam fastball being used by a pitcher who seldom threw one during a career that spans eight seasons. But when Harvey spent time before reporting to Sarasota at Baseball Performance Center in Pleasantville, N.J., they found he could throw the power...

The matchup was eye-popping on paper, the rare March 21 matchup that actually got people excited. Max Scherzer versus Jacob deGrom. A majority of regulars in the lineup for both the Nationals and Mets. Including both pitchers electing to bat against each other in an opening night preview 11 days early! And, yes, both pitchers have officially been named opening night starters, Mets manager Luis Rojas having announced deGrom earlier this month and Nats manager Davey Martinez having finally...

Turning in a perfect NCAA basketball tournament bracket is easier than figuring out the Orioles' opening day roster. Not knowing whether the Orioles carry 13 or 14 pitches is a complication, but there are others. The confusion isn't subsiding. It's actually increasing daily. The growing possibility of DJ Stewart going on the 10-day injured list has created more roster turmoil. It's March madness. If the Orioles carry 13 position players, they can hold onto outfielders Ryan Mountcastle,...

The recipe for ramping up a player in 2021 spring training includes a dash of hitting, a dash of fielding, a dash of baserunning. The exact amount depends on the individual and team. A later signing could require handfuls. The Orioles are going to keep Maikel Franco busy with less than two weeks remaining until opening day. Workouts on the back fields for a couple of days, an intrasquad game yesterday and his first exhibition game this afternoon. More starts at third base and maybe swings as...