The twins come to Sarasota, Irvin uses his command and the rule changes their debut.
Good morning, bird country!
This is not an exercise. The Orioles have a baseball game today. We won’t be able to see any of those fancy moving pictures the kids are talking about, but the old hi-fi radio should do. Just turn your dials to 1090 AM, 97.9 FM or 101.5 FM if you are in or near Charm City.
It’s more than a little absurd that we can’t see the 2023 spring opener. We don’t need every Grapefruit League game on TV because, frankly, we won’t be watching all of them, especially when there are more scrubs than cleats in the lineup. Many teams choose which games to televise, but the Orioles are at or near the bottom of the league in terms of the volume they televise. The opener should be mandatory.
Mark put together a TV and radio guide for the Orioles Spring Games this week which should enable you to find the team via other broadcast options. The O’s radio crew will have a significant workload this spring, which is nice since other teams’ radio feeds can be hard to hear in the spring when you’re there for the O’s. You’re given a lot of information about players you’ve never heard of, and then the announcers are pretty much clueless for half the players in the Orioles lineup. But something is better than nothing and often provides a pleasant background noise in everyday work.
We already know what to expect from that first game against the Twins thanks to Brandon Hyde’s reveal on Friday. Drew Rom starts on the mound, followed by six pitchers, all non-roster. Dean Kremer starts on Sunday.
As for the lineup, it’s going to be a good group! Adleyrutschman will be the DH, Adam Frazier will play second, and Joey Ortiz will be the shortstop. Several interested parties are expected to emerge later.
The twins for their part have already provided their list. Chance Sisco acts as her DH. Sisco was a 2013 O’s draft pick and spent last summer in the Twins’ minor league system without ever getting the big league call. Louie Varland starts on the hill. He got his first taste of the majors last season with a cameo in five games.
The first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.
connections
Irvin tries O’s| Steve Melewski
I will worry about Cole Irvin’s ability to be a productive pitcher in the AL East until I’m not. His skills just scare me outside of Oakland’s cavernous coliseum.
Prospect Drew Rom is pleased to kick off Orioles’ “coming out year” as a starter for the first spring game | The Baltimore Sun
This is a big season for Rome. He was a really good minor league pitcher and the Orioles showed some confidence in him by including him in the 40-man roster over the winter. But scouts have expressed concerns about his fastball speed, and he even said back in November that he wants to sit in the mid-90s. When he can do that, his ceiling jumps dramatically.
Orioles’ spring opener is the first test of new rules | Baltimore Baseball
Baseball is changing this year and I’m looking forward to it. It won’t be as dramatic as some fears are fearing, but hopefully it will speed up play, encourage some more action when the ball is put in play and protect players.
Orioles birthdays
is it your birthday Happy Birthday!
- The late Kevin Hickey (b. 1956 d. 2012) was born on this date. From 1989 to 1991, the southpaw threw 89.2 innings from the Baltimore bullpen.
- Dave Vineyard turns 82 today. His only MLB experience came with the 64 O’s when he pitched 54 innings in 19 total appearances.
This day in the history of O
1975 – Fan favorite and former AL MVP Boog Powell is being traded from Baltimore to Cleveland along with Don Hood in exchange for catcher Dave Duncan and minor league player Alvin McGrew
2002 – Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Hawell announces intention to retire after the season. Although he made a name for himself in the Motor City, Harwell was the original broadcaster for the Orioles when the organization moved from St. Louis in 1954.
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