This, that and the other

This, that and the other
While evaluating reliever Fernando Abad's spring training, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde must separate bad pitches from bad luck. Abad, trying to make the club as a non-roster invite, has appeared in five games and allowed five earned runs (eight total) and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for a 10.38 ERA. He's walked two batters and struck out five. The defense behind him has been brutal in at least two of those games. Abad replaced Dean Kremer on Friday night after two errors were committed in the...
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Harvey's strong outing strengthens bid for rotation spot

Harvey's strong outing strengthens bid for rotation spot
Matt Harvey looks like he's moving away from his uncertain status and toward a locker in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park. Harvey was signed by the Orioles to a minor league deal in order to compete for a job, not simply to get ready for opening day. A disastrous spring would have put him back on the market. The results keep getting better. Harvey held the Yankees to one run and hit - Gio Urshela's solo home run - over four innings in a 2-1 win at Ed Smith Stadium. Rule 5 pick Mac...
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Means: "It feels like such a blessing and just so humbling"

Means: "It feels like such a blessing and just so humbling"
John Means used to be a fringe prospect in the Orioles' minor league system or completely ignored by outside evaluators, an anonymity that he relished. A status that no longer applies to him. You can't be chosen as your team's opening day starter two years in a row and fly under the radar. "It definitely did (motivate), but it was also kind of nice, too, to be honest," Means said today on his Zoom call. "You're not the face, you're not getting interviewed from low A all the way to the...
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Orioles and Yankees lineups

Orioles and Yankees lineups
Trey Mancini is in the lineup again tonight at first base against the Yankees after hitting his first home run of the spring last night. Richie Martin and DJ Stewart are marked absent again. Ramón Urias is starting at second base and Freddy Galvis at shortstop. Cedric Mullins is in center field, Austin Hays in left and Anthony Santander in right. Manager Brandon Hyde wants to start playing his regulars in consecutive games. Rio Ruiz is the designated hitter and Pat Valaika is the third...
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Lingering questions about the lineup

Lingering questions about the lineup
If it's too early to make final calls on the Orioles' 26-man roster, the same rule should apply to the opening day lineup. The mind starts to work on it with the announcement that the Red Sox are starting left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez on April 1 at Fenway Park. Begin building the right-handed order. The Orioles could go left-on-left from the leadoff spot with center fielder Cedric Mullins abandoning switch-hitting. He homered off a southpaw last night, but also was batting ninth. They...
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Mancini hits first home run in 11-9 win

Mancini hits first home run in 11-9 win
Trey Mancini wasn't going to become a singles hitter in 2021. He's getting back into baseball shape and still trying to tap into the power that was so prevalent two years ago. Mancini collected his first extra-base hit tonight and it was a long home run to left-center field off the Pirates' Edgar Santana in the fourth inning in the Orioles' sloppy 11-9 win in Bradenton. Santana threw six consecutive sliders to Mancini and the last hung over the plate and was tattooed. It sounded loud on the...
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Means named Orioles' opening day starter

Means named Orioles' opening day starter
The anticipated became official this afternoon. The Orioles are starting left-hander John Means on opening day against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Means has been expected to take the ball on April 1, but manager Brandon Hyde waited until today to announce it. If at first you don't succeed ... Means was supposed to start the 2020 opener in Boston, but had to work through some shoulder fatigue. Veteran Tommy Milone was named the surprise starter. Hyde gave Means the news a couple of days...
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Orioles and Pirates lineups

Orioles and Pirates lineups
Austin Hays is in right field and batting first tonight and Cedric Mullins is in center and at the bottom of the order, as the Orioles head to Bradenton again to play the Pirates. Ryan Mountcastle is the left fielder and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. DJ Stewart is at least a day away from getting back in the lineup as he recovers from a hamstring injury and gets at-bats on the back fields. Infielder Richie Martin also isn't in the lineup. Maybe on Saturday. Rio Ruiz is the third...
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Orioles lose Goudeau on waiver claim

Orioles lose Goudeau on waiver claim
The Orioles cleared a spot on their 40-man roster this afternoon in preparation for opening day in two weeks. The Giants have claimed right-hander Ashton Goudeau off waivers from the Orioles, paring the 40-man to 39 players. Goudeau appeared in two exhibition game, the most recent on Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and allowed two runs and one hit in four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five. A rotation spot didn't seem available to Goudeau, but he was a candidate to...
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MASN airing two Orioles exhibition games in final week

MASN airing two Orioles exhibition games in final week
The final week of spring training is going to include four games broadcast on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network - two Orioles and two Nationals. MASN is airing the following: March 23: Orioles vs. Rays, 1:05 p.m. March 25: Orioles vs. Pirates, 6:05 p.m. March 28: Nationals vs. Cardinals, 1:05 p.m. March 29: Nationals vs. Astros, 1:05 p.m. Orioles games also can be accessed on MLB.TV. Unless there's a sudden pitching shortage, the Orioles are playing nine innings for the rest of the spring. The...
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Rutschman versus Witt setting up as fascinating follow

Rutschman versus Witt setting up as fascinating follow
Here's a summer activity that might interest some fans. Track the performances of Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Then stay on it through the rest of their professional careers. Rutschman is going to play for Double-A Bowie after games begin in early May. The Royals are suggesting that Witt could break camp with the team at 20 and with no experience beyond rookie ball. General manager Dayton Moore is on record as saying the team will be "very open-minded"...
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Means and Hays the primary stars in Orioles' 5-2 win

Means and Hays the primary stars in Orioles' 5-2 win
The math is intertwined with logic to make left-hander John Means the opening day starter for the Orioles. It just isn't official. Means held the Braves to one run and two hits tonight in four innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. He's allowed two runs and four hits with eight strikeouts in his last two appearances covering eight innings. Putting him on the mound every fifth day aligns him to pitch on April 1 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park to begin the 2021 season. Done deal. Means...
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Hernández receiving treatment on sore elbow (plus other notes)

Hernández receiving treatment on sore elbow (plus other notes)
The early news on Félix Hernández is more encouraging than his premature exit yesterday. Hernández tossed a 1-2-3 first inning against the Rays and departed with soreness in his right elbow. "He came out of the game with elbow discomfort, he still has a little bit, we're just treating him today," manager Brandon Hyde said in his Zoom call. "He was in the training room just getting treatment on his elbow this afternoon." The Orioles aren't ready to speculate on whether...
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Orioles and Braves lineups, plus hearing from Franco

Orioles and Braves lineups, plus hearing from Franco
The Orioles are breaking out a lineup tonight against the Braves that could come close to duplicating the opening day order. Cedric Mullins is in center field and batting first, with Trey Mancini following at first base. Anthony Santander is in right field and Ryan Mountcastle is in left and batting cleanup. Freddy Galvis and Yolmer Sánchez form the double play combination and Rio Ruiz is starting at third base. Austin Hays is the designated hitter, which is one of many combinations this...
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Alan Mills eager to manage again

Alan Mills eager to manage again
Alan Mills is ready to manage again. The former Orioles reliever didn't leave baseball. It sort of left him. Hurricane Dorian washed away the end of the Gulf Coast League's regular season and playoffs in 2019, making the Orioles owners of the best record at 38-15 and Mills the choice as Manager of the Year. The minors were canceled last summer due to COVID-19. Mills stayed home in Lakeland, Fla., with no offer to serve as an instructor at the alternate camp site in Bowie or in the fall...
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How the latest news jumbles the roster analysis

How the latest news jumbles the roster analysis
Make opening day roster plans and duck the wrenches thrown at them. The Orioles intended to carry first baseman Chris Davis, but he hasn't played since Feb. 28 due to a lower back injury. The result is likely a trip to the injured list, whether 10 or 60 days. Hunter Harvey was a candidate to serve as closer, or at least a high-leverage reliever, but he's on the 60-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Félix Hernández was signed to a minor league deal and penciled into the...
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Hernández leaves game with elbow discomfort

Hernández leaves game with elbow discomfort
Veteran starter Félix Hernández left today's start against the Rays with discomfort in his right elbow. He's undergoing an examination and the Orioles should have more information in the morning. Hernández retired the side in order with two strikeouts, but manager Brandon Hyde sensed that there was an issue. "I thought the velo was the same," Hyde said following a 7-1 seven-inning loss in Port Charlotte. "He was getting outs, he had a good slider. I just thought the body language...
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Franco deal official, Hernández leaves start early

Franco deal official, Hernández leaves start early
Third baseman Maikel Franco entered the Orioles organization today about the same time that veteran pitcher Félix Hernández made a mysterious exit from his start against the Rays. Franco signed a one-year contract that pays $800,000, with a possible $200,000 in incentives, as first reported by MLB Network's Jon Heyman and confirmed by a source. Franco receives a bonus if he's traded, the same perk given to shortstop Freddy Galvis in January. Both sides agreed that Franco's option can...
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Hyde provides updates on Martin and Stewart (Franco signs)

Hyde provides updates on Martin and Stewart (Franco signs)
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is withholding Richie Martin from his first game until after Thursday's off-day. Hyde is being cautious with Martin, who had the hamate bone removed from his left hand in January. Martin hit yesterday on a back field at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. "Wrist is feeling pretty good," Hyde said today on his Zoom call. "We're pushing him back a couple days. ... He's going to continue to take at-bats on the back field here. "It's just coming off a hamate and your...
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Orioles and Rays lineups

Orioles and Rays lineups
Richie Martin won't make his spring debut this afternoon against the Rays, with manager Brandon Hyde giving him a little more time following hamate bone surgery rather than sending him to Port Charlotte to play shortstop. Martin underwent the procedure in January after breaking the bone in Puerto Rico. He batted yesterday in a simulated game and was expected in the lineup today, but his first Grapefruit League activity remains on hold. The former Rule 5 pick said on his Zoom call that he'll...
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