Two different sets of Orioles will be in action on Thursday down in Florida. They are squeezing in one last split-squad before the Grapefruit League schedule wraps up for them on Saturday.
The 1:05 game is on the road, with no local television or radio broadcast. I had not intended to set up a game thread covering both games since that first one isn’t being covered locally. However, the Orioles have chosen to send the A team on the road to play the Yankees here, which is interesting enough to me to note
it.
Take a look at this lineup:
- Taylor Ward – LF
- Gunnar Henderson – SS
- Pete Alonso – 1B
- Adley Rutschman – C
- Tyler O’Neill – RF
- Ryan Mountcastle – DH
- Coby Mayo – 3B
- Colton Cowser – CF
- Blaze Alexander – 2B
This is the first lineup all spring where I’ve looked at it and it 100% looks like it could be an Opening Day lineup. Now, part of this is because, with Henderson having been with Team USA in the WBC, there was no chance of having a full Opening Day lineup around. Another part though is that the Orioles just haven’t deployed all the rest of the expected regulars at once, until now.
If this is the Opening Day lineup, I don’t feel great about Ward, who had a .317 OBP last year, being the guy to lead it off. I don’t feel great about Rutschman as the cleanup hitter. But, as you know if you have been a Camden Chat reader for a long time, I generally never feel great about the Orioles, and it only goes badly when I do.
Dean Kremer is the starting pitcher for this road game. If the Orioles go with a five-man rotation, I wonder where Kremer fits. This is probably not a question that will be answered today, or even influenced by his performance today.
At 6:05, another set of Orioles will be at home in Sarasota against the Pirates. That game will air on MASN, with no radio broadcast. I’ll edit in the lineup for that one once there is one in a few hours.
