SARASOTA–What’s happening? Albert Suárez will start for the Orioles when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday. Carmen Mlodzinski will start for Pittsburgh.
Keegan Akin, Bryan Baker, Corbin Martin, Justin Armbruester and Kade Strowd are also scheduled to pitch. Suárez is expecting to pitch two innings.
The game will be televised on MASN with Brett Hollander and Dave Johnson and heard on WBAL/98 Rock with Geoff Arnold and Ben Wagner. The game also will be available on MLB Network.
Hyde said he would start “a handful” of regulars on Saturday. “I’m going to give a few guys the weekend. We’ve got some backfield stuff going, too. I’m not in any hurry to get any of these guys in … We’re slowing getting into this.”
Hyde said he wants second baseman Jackson Holliday to get regular at-bats. Early in Grapefruit League games, Hyde anticipates playing him every other day.
“Get more comfortable at second base as well, still a really young player,” Hyde said. “We think really highly of him. I just want to see him play. I want to see him play free and easy without any pressure, try to play the game like I know he can play.
“If you talk to him, he’s definitely a lot more comfortable. He just had an offseason to get ready for that last year. There’s a lot to learn when you change positions, and to have a full year, and another offseason makes you a lot more comfortable.”
Hyde said that he’s looking for Holliday to make more contact. The 21-year-old batted .189 last season while making the transition from shortstop to second base. He struck out 69 times n 190 at-bats.
“Less swing-and-miss, be able to control the strike zone up, to be able to stay off the changeups down and away, stay on the baseball, more of a line-drive approach,” Hyde said. “I’m not looking for him to hit homers. I want him to be an exciting player. I want the bunt to be a part of his game. I want the line-drive single the other way to be a part of his game, walking.
“We need to get more aggressive on the bases, just more comfortable playing and understand the kind of player … We’re not looking for him to hit homers. We’re looking for him to get on base and be a tough out.”
What’s happened? Former Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano threw his first live batting practice, facing minor league outfielders Dylan Beavers, Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Jud Fabian.
Orioles broadcaster Ben McDonald, who’s serving as a guest instructor this week, was impressed with the 35-year-old right-hander.
“Control and command guy, just like we thought,” McDonald said. “When he made his pitches, he had good luck. He got a couple of balls elevated in the b.p. session, but clearly the split is the best pitch.
“They were working on a few things. I think if it were a real game-type situation, they’d have pitched a little bit differently than they did … I couldn’t get a read on the fastball velocity because the system wasn’t working.
“The slider was good. Definitely the splitter was the out pitch. I don’t know what the usage was in Japan. You get the feeling the usage is going to bump up here against MLB hitters. I think that’s going to be the pitch. The question is: Can he get to counts where he could really use it? Can he land it in even counts?”
What’s up with? Roansy Contreras had an active offseason. Between October 31st and February 7th, he changed clubs five times. He moved from the Angels, with whom he finished last season, to the Rangers, to the Reds, and, on January 10th, to the Orioles. The Orioles lost him to the Yankees on January 23rd but claimed him again on February 7th.
“It was a bit unexpected, but I stayed focused and continued to work hard through it,” Contreras said through a translator. “It wasn’t that I was worried or really thinking about all the movement. I was really focused on doing my work.”
Contreras was 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA with two saves in 49 games with Pittsburgh and the Angels in 2024. Many candidates for the bullpen have substantial major league experience. Contreras has pitched in 90 major league games since 2021.
“Every time I show up to spring training, I come with the mindset that I have to earn a spot,” Contreras said. “I never come in thinking that it’s going to be easy or anything is going to be given to me. Coming in that was my mindset again.”
What’s what? Oriole fans can watch workouts on the backfields at Ed Smith Stadium when the team is on the road between February 23rd and March 23rd. Workouts will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and fans can park for free on the East Lot off 12th Street.
What’s the word? “He loves the analytical data that he’s getting. It appears that he wants to be able to fit in and do whatever he needs to do. The point is, he’s willing to pitch the way they want him to pitch. They’ll get a game plan every time he goes into a ballgame, and there will be a game plan of how he wants to attack every hitter. Can he go out and execute is the question?-McDonald on Sugano
What’s the number? 13. “It takes about 13 starters to get through a season for every club,” McDonald said. “They’ve addressed that depth issue with both position players and starters.”