Burnes on Opening Day start and today's outing, Holliday hits slam in Dunedin (O's and Jays end 6-6)

SARASOTA, Fla. – Corbin Burnes walked out of the dugout today before the top of the first inning and had no one behind him. Players stayed back as the club’s Opening Day starter approached the mound, as if honoring the staff ace. Or maybe they were just a little slower. But Burnes had the field to himself for a moment.

The song “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks blared on the public address system. Burnes has them in high places, too.

Burnes was told this morning that he’d start March 28 against the Angels at Camden Yards, exactly as planned but now made official. Then, he worked 2 2/3 innings, was removed after 51 pitches - only 28 for strikes – returned for the fourth and finished with five runs and six hits allowed.

Not as planned.

More important is what Burnes does in the regular season, and he’s first to hold the baseball.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “(Brandon) Hyde called me this morning, I went in his office and he broke the news to me. It was kind of those things where we knew early on, but to get that final word, it’s a great feeling. Not many guys can say they started Opening Day, so for me to do it three years now, and three years in a row, it’s pretty special.

“I’m glad to take the ball Opening Day, but I’m going to take the ball every five days whenever I’m called upon, so that’s just one of, hopefully, 30-plus starts.”

Burnes is equipped to handle the distractions.

“It’s first game of the year, everyone’s excited, fans are excited,” he said. “You have all the extra stuff that goes on pregame in the ballpark, so it’s just a different level of adrenaline and atmosphere that kind of goes in hand with Opening Day. You’re not quite at the level of a postseason start, but definitely a little more elevated than just your natural game. But for me, this is my third year now and I go out and treat it as if it was any other start. Go through my routine, make sure I’m prepared and go out and do what I can to help the team win.

“I think there’s a lot of excitement just around the team in general. A team that won 101 games last year, won the AL East, a lot of expectations coming into the season. So, I’m coming in just to join that group and add what I can to it. This is a great group of guys, a great group of young players that play a heck of a baseball. I’m coming in trying to join that group, add what I can, give the knowledge to the young guys that I can, and just do my best to go out and compete every day and, hopefully, win more than 101 baseball games this year.”

Before coming out, Burnes was charged with three runs and four hits, with one walk, two strikeouts and a wild pitch. Morgan McSweeney struck out Spencer Horwitz to strand a runner at third base.

Burnes recorded an out with one pitch in the fourth, seemingly back on track, but Addison Barger doubled and Brian Serven hit a two-run homer to left-center field for a 5-3 lead. Burnes threw 10 pitches to increase his total to 61.

Ernie Clement hit a three-run homer to left field in the third after Burnes issued a leadoff walk to Serven and Alan Roden singled. Nathan Lukes reached on an infield hit, with Burnes making a sliding attempt to corral the ball near first base.

Davis Schneider struck out and Hyde signaled for McSweeney.

Keagan Gillies was next to replace Burnes, who has allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings this spring and carries a 12.71 ERA into his next outing.

Clement led off the top of the first with a routine single to left field, tried for second base and was thrown out by Austin Hays. It wasn’t close. Burnes retired the next five batters before Serven walked.

The Jays kept their regulars in Dunedin for the other split-squad game, but lots of damage was done in Sarasota.

“Today we’re still working on the cutter,” said Burnes, who’s expected to make two more exhibition starts. “We threw a ton of cutters in the last inning. I think every pitch was a cutter. It’s just trying to find that consistency, find the command of it. The first two innings were great. We were able to locate both sides of the plate. Fell behind a couple hitters and be able to get back in it and get some quick outs the first two innings, and then just kind of lost the feel for it the last two. Off-speed’s still in a great spot, which is very encouraging. It’s just getting the command down with the cutter.

“It’s close. It’s one of those things that we feel it in the bullpens, we feel it early on, we kind of start to lose the feel for it. It’s just keeping that consistency and being able to do it for 100-plus pitches.”

Adley Rutschman, batting leadoff today and serving as designated hitter, homered to right field off Devereaux Harrison for a quick 1-0 lead – his second homer of the spring. He singled in the third and was removed for a pinch-runner.

Jorge Mateo led off the third with a walk and Colton Cowser hit his fourth home run, clearing the center field fence to tie the game 3-3. That swing left Cowser 9-for-19 with four homers and nine RBIs in 10 games this spring.

Cowser struck out and walked in his next two trips.

James McCann hit his first spring home run in the fourth. Ramón Urías hit his second homer in the sixth to reduce the lead to 6-5. Enrique Bradfield Jr. scored the tying run in the seventh when he pinch-ran for Cowser, stole second base, raced to third on catcher Max McDowell’s throwing error, and dived across the plate on what appeared to be a routine chopper to short from TT Bowens.

That’s what speed do.

Dillon Tate registered his fourth scoreless inning of the spring. He allowed his first hit.

Roden hit a solo homer off Jonathan Heasley in the sixth.

* Meanwhile, Anthony Santander homered off Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the first in Dunedin, Jackson Holliday stepped to the plate later in the inning with the bases loaded, and a two-strike, 94.9 mph fastball sailed over the right-center field fence for a grand slam.

Holliday paused and watched his first home run, per the Jays’ broadcast, which came after singles by Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad and a Ryan McKenna walk. That swing left Holliday 8-for-25 with two doubles, two triples, a homer, five RBIs, a walk and nine strikeouts in nine games.

Holliday struck out twice and flied out in his next three at-bats.

Santander wasn’t going to be outdone. He belted a three-run homer in the top of the fourth after Connor Norby and Gunnar Henderson singled. Henderson had two hits atop the order.

McKenna and Michael Pérez hit their first home runs.

Albert Suárez allowed three runs in the first, two on Alejandro Kirk’s homer, but blanked the Jays over the next three innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four.

Suárez has 13 strikeouts and no walks in nine innings.

* Errol Robinson has a locker in catchers row in the main clubhouse, the spot occupied by Silas Ardoin before the Orioles reassigned him to minor league camp.

Robinson is an infielder, but he doesn’t care where the Orioles hang his uniform.

He’s officially a spring training invite after his exclusion from the original list, but also a constant presence in camp. Robinson made the trip to Dunedin today for his 13^th exhibition game. He was tied with Coby Mayo and Tyler Nevin for second-most on the club behind Daniel Johnson’s 13 when the day began.

“This feels good,” said Robinson, who found out about his new camp status about a week ago. “It feels good to be around the guys. Shoot, you’re one step closer, right? You’ve got a locker in the locker room, you’re a little bit closer.”

Robinson, signed to a minor league deal in January and waiting to make his major league debut at age 29, was 5-for-11 with a team-leading six walks and four stolen bases before today.

“I’ve been feeling pretty good,” he said. “It’s nice to get some ABs in game action. It’s nice to have dudes who are making decisions be able to see you every night consistently. Back-half parts of games, that would be my role anyway - as a player, coming onto the team, coming off the bench. So, to be able to kind of embrace the role, take it day by day and see what the game calls for. It just so happens we're getting into these close games later into the game and coming back and winning them, which is cool. Certainly cool to be a part of that also, but just trying to show my worth as much as I can.”

“I’ve got him right now a top-five MVP candidate in the Grapefruit League for what he’s done for us. Him and D.J.,” Hyde said.

“They’ve played almost every single game, they’ve played extremely well, they’ve been an absolute joy. They play with a ton of energy. They’ve made those last three or four innings real fun for everybody to watch because of how hard they play. I know that they love being in major league camp. E-Rob got kind of a late invite out of necessity and he’s been absolutely incredible since he’s been here. Happy for both of those guys and it’s been fun having them in camp.”

Robinson spent the last two summers in the Cardinals organization. He saw an opportunity with the Orioles but didn’t think he’d get into this many games.

“I’m a bit surprised,” he said. “Anytime somebody steps onto a major league field, I don’t feel like I don’t belong here, but I’m a bit surprised and just happy, blessed. Super blessed for the opportunity. Can’t beat it.

“I’d love to get a start in, or two. I think that would be pretty fun, as well, but I’m kind of embracing the role for what it may be looking forward and just getting comfortable. Feeling pretty good, though. Just ready to get back on the field, and if coach comes up to me and says I’m going to play today, I’ll be excited for it.”

Robinson has accomplished the difficult task of getting noticed in a camp practically overflowing with young talent.

“This is a really fun team. It’s really fun all around. From the office guys, coaches and players, it’s amazing. It’s been a great experience to this point,” Robinson said.

“I’ve been able to learn. There’s been some guys teaching. I talked to Adam Jones every day. Had a chance to talk to Brian Roberts, who I watched growing up. J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters, who was also at Camden Yards, as you guys know. I got to watch him. It’s really been a great experience. Everybody here is really professional, this is a winning organization. You can tell.”

Robinson is a local product, born in Boyds, Md. and a graduate of St. John’s College High School in D.C. He says its been “kind of hectic” on his phone with so many people trying to contact him.

“I’ve been kind of ignoring it, to an extent,” he said. “I’ve got my family here. My family surprised me a few days ago, so I’m hearing their noise, which is enough. I try to silence everything else and just play, because I think I’m in a pretty good spot for where I am right now at this point in spring training. Just trying to let guys know that I can play, that I’m available and that I’ll do everything I can to help.”

* Robinson increases the camp roster to 58 players, though Félix Bautista is on the 60-day injured list and Kyle Bradish and John Means also aren’t going to break camp with the team. The Orioles have made only one set of cuts and are going to take their time with the toughest calls.

“I think that’s why you’re going to see us have, probably, a bigger camp toward the end than normal, just because we’re going to be making so many decisions the last couple days,” Hyde said.

“One of those reasons is because we have a lot of guys who are out of options. So, we’re going to try to hold onto these guys as long as possible, evaluate everything. We’re going to try to stay healthy as much as we possibly can to see where we are the last couple days before we break. But that is part of the business and it’s part of the game. Options and lack of options are part of the decision-making process. And this year we have quite a few guys who don’t have any options left. That’s going to factor into our decisions.”

Among players out of options are McKenna, Mateo, Urías, Nevin, infielder Nick Maton, and pitchers Cole Irvin, Cionel Pérez, Jacob Webb and Mike Baumann.

* The Orioles and Jays finished in a 6-6 tie in Sarasota.

Andrew Suárez tossed a scoreless eighth and hasn’t allowed a run in six innings.

Hyde said he isn’t concerned about Burnes’ results, knowing that the veteran is focusing on the cutter and getting ready for the season.

“I don’t put any stock in the results, especially with someone like him,” Hyde said. “I know he’s trying to work on a lot of things, especially that last inning. We got him over 60 pitches and out there four times, so that was awesome. It feels good coming out. … He had a couple things he wanted to work on today and he came off the mound healthy and threw the ball well.”