After a three-day hiatus from our television screens, the Orioles are back on the air this afternoon with a MASN broadcast against the Rays. Trevor Rogers becomes the first O’s starter to make an encore appearance this spring after opening with two scoreless innings against the Yankees last Friday.
He’ll take on another AL East opponent today, though this Rays travel lineup bears little resemblance to the one they’ll use in the regular season. There are nearly no recognizable names in Tampa Bay’s
order. The bottom of their lineup includes players like Tre’ Morgan, Raynel Delgado, Bradford Dill, and Tatem Levins. Those guys are so anonymous that I just made up one of those names and you don’t know which one!
The O’s, by contrast, have a lineup full of guys who will be on the Opening Day roster (aside from #9 hitter Weston Wilson, who is a long shot). Dylan Beavers will be making his first start in center field, something he’s done 70 times in his minor league career but never in the majors. Beavers isn’t considered a great defender in center, but if he can hold his own at the position, that would give the O’s some added flexibility in the outfield and allow Colton Cowser to get more rest. Today the Orioles are facing Brody Hopkins, one of the Rays’ top prospects.
Orioles lineup:
SS Gunnar Henderson
LF Taylor Ward
1B Pete Alonso
RF Tyler O’Neill
C Adley Rutschman
DH Ryan Mountcastle
2B Blaze Alexander
CF Dylan Beavers
3B Weston Wilson
LHP Trevor Rogers
