Gibson signs, the O’s DH situation, and the Baysox alternate identity goes viral.
Good Morning Birdland!
There are just two games left on the Orioles’ Grapefruit League schedule, and then one add-on exhibition before the regular season gets underway. In Florida, they play the Pirates at 1 p.m. today, and then the Braves at 1 p.m. on Sunday. After that, they head to D.C. for a final tune-up on Monday against the nearby Nationals. The entire trio of games will be on TV in some way, shape, or form.
The Orioles lost 9-1 to a Tigers split squad on Friday. It was a tough showing as Albert Suárez coughed up eight runs over 4.2 innings. His spring ERA is back up to 7.89 after he had been better in his previous three outings. Félix Bautista pitched as well, and also struggled a bit, striking out two but also walking two and giving up a home run.
The offense had to deal with Tarik Skubal, a tough matchup regardless of the date. Their only run was a Gary Sánchez solo homer. Adley Rutschman smacked a double off Skubal as well.
There was still no sign of Gunnar Henderson, while Jorge Mateo got into his fourth game of the spring. More and more it’s looking like Mateo will be ready to go north with the big league club, and Henderson could be the one to take a rehab stint. That is not ideal, but it’s better to be cautious with the star than force him back onto the field before his body is ready.
Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the team’s late-night signing of Kyle Gibson, yet another old to supplement their rotation. Gibson is probably headed for extended spring training followed by a ramp up in the minors before joining the roster at some point in April, although that has not been spelled out by the team yet.
The signing of Gibson is an indication that Mike Elias is a tad worried about pitching depth right now. That is a reasonable concern. We know Grayson Rodriguez is starting the year on the IL, and although he is back to throwing, a timeline for his return is unknown. Depth options Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott are also less than 100%. Either Suárez or Cade Povich is expected to be the fifth starter to begin the year, although both come with question marks.
Gibson is a safe bet to be…competent. The guy is gonna show up and give you five innings of decent quality. That alone has value, and it allows the Orioles to survive what could be a tough month of April. Without knowing the expected return of Rodriguez, it’s unclear how exactly Gibson fits, but his presence will allow the team to take their time with G-Rod.
Links
Chesapeake Baysox make charitable pledge after alternate identity goes viral for, well, the wrong reasons | The Baltimore Banner
It’s a baseball logo and anatomy lesson all in one. Honestly, the Baysox are rolling with this one in a perfect way, and it looks like the jersey is already nearly sold out. An incidental rendering of a private part never goes out of style.
Orioles notes on tonight’s outings from Bautista and Suárez | Roch Kubatko
Roch gives a more detailed report on yesterday’s game. It wasn’t great overall, but it is still spring training so whatever. The most important detail is whether or not Bautista will be ready for Opening Day. For now, the answer there seems to be…maybe?
2025 Positional Power Rankings: Designated Hitter
Once again the Orioles are leaving the DH role wide open so that Brandon Hyde can cycle through various options. That includes the team’s primary catcher, Rutschman, who tends to get a start or two at DH every single week of the season to keep his bat in the lineup.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Andrew Susac is 35 years old. He caught nine games for the 2018 Orioles.
- Mike Morse turns 43 today. The outfielder had a 12-game stint with the 2013 Orioles.
- The late Billy Goodman (b. 1926, d. 1984) was born on this day. He spent 16 seasons in MLB, including a part of the 1957 season in Baltimore. Over 73 games that year he posted a 116 OPS+.
This day in history
1981 – Orioles manager Earl Weaver is suspended by AL President Lee MacPhail as a result of Weaver’s forfeiture of a spring training game against the Royals. Weaver was upset with the umpires because he was not provided an official batting order after the Royals made several substitutions.
1997 – The Orioles acquire reliever Hector Ramirez from the Mets for shortstop Manny Alexander and third baseman Scott McClain.