The season gets going again, Holliday crushes in debut, and the good of the Angelos family.
Good Morning, Birdland!
The Orioles had to sit on the sidelines yesterday for the always-frustrating built-in rain date that follows a perfect Opening Day. Fortunately, the schedule has them back on the field today, and the weather in downtown Baltimore should hold out for some baseball. Right now, the forecast around first pitch is set for 66 degrees with clouds and a tiny chance of rain.
Today will be the first time we get to experience the earlier start times that have been instituted for nearly all of the Orioles’ Saturday home games this season. It could take some time to adjust to 4:05 first pitches, but ultimately it makes loads of sense. It’s late enough that your daytime activities are mostly wrapped up, and then the games should end early enough to not interfere with evening plans. I’m a fan!
On the field it will be interesting to see how Brandon Hyde deploys his squad against a right-handed starting pitcher.
It seems like almost a guarantee that Ryan O’Hearn will slot into the lineup somewhere as the left-handed hitter subbed in for the righty Jordan Westburg on Opening Day. O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle platooned for much of 2023, and that may be the case again in 2024.
Jorge Mateo showed his value in the first game of the season, finding success against a lefty, including a stolen base. But he struggled mightily with righties a season ago. That could mean Westburg gets his first innings in the field, or perhaps newbie Tony Kemp (and his left-handed stick) makes his Orioles debut.
Colton Cowser should earn his first start of the season as well. His presence would allow Anthony Santander to work out of the DH spot, in turn upgrading the defensive alignment. If Cowser doesn’t start here, then we would have to assume he is simply the fourth outfielder, an odd role for a former top pick so soon after his debut.
Beyond the lineup, we will also get our first regular season look at Grayson Rodriguez. The 24-year-old was so good in the second-half last season. The O’s will be counting on him a ton this year, particularly while John Means and Kyle Bradish are on the mend.
Links
Holliday opens Triple-A season with leadoff homer, flirts with cycle | MLB.com
Ho hum, just your standard 3-for-5 performance with a home run and four RBI. Holliday’s bat is ready. But he also made a throwing error from second base, so maybe there are some things to work on with the glove. Regardless, he should be in Baltimore relatively soon.
Vespi’s surprise inclusion on Orioles Opening Day roster | Roch Kubatko
The Orioles’ front office is very secretive, and it makes sense most of the time. But it felt somewhat pointless that they waited SO long to simply announce that Jacob Webb was going on paternity leave and Nick Vespi would be up from Norfolk in order to finalize their roster. Sounds like they had known the plan since Wednesday night!
Sarasota is a gift Peter Angelos left the Orioles | Baltimore Baseball
For all of the grief that the fanbase (oftentimes fairly) has given the Angelos family over the years, you have to admit that they are handing over the reins to the franchise in very good shape. The talent within the organization may be at its highest point of all time, the front office is stacked with smart people, they (finally!) got the stadium lease done, and the ballpark down in Saraosta appears to be world class. This is not a fixer upper for David Rubenstein’s crew. It’s the nicest house in town.
Orioles owner David Rubenstein to negotiate for development rights to Camden Yards area | The Baltimore Sun
Nope, nope, nope! The season has started. I am officially uninterested in leases, or development rights, or anything of the sort. It’s baseball season, baby!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
No former Orioles were on on this day, but a few other noteable people were, including artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853), musician Eric Clapton (1945), entertainer MC Hammer (1962), musician Tracy Chapman (1964), and singer Céline Dion (1968).
This day in O’s history
2023 – For the first time ever, all 30 teams play on Opening Day as no rainouts affect the schedule. Among the highlights on the first day of the season is Adley Rutschman’s five-hit performance in an Orioles 10-9 win over the Red Sox.