LeBlanc puts up blanks and Orioles cruise to win (updated)

SARASOTA, Fla. - One start won't move the needle much in the Orioles rotation competition.

Two innings aren't a sufficient amount to begin placing odds.

Three pitchers in the crowded field wanted to make an early impression this afternoon.

Left-hander Wade LeBlanc shut out the Red Sox for the first couple of frames, allowing a single to Kevin Plawecki and striking out Tommy Joseph and Marcus Wilson. Both of them looking.

(The Red Sox didn't bring their A team to Sarasota. I'm not sure the B group was allowed on the bus.)

Rule 5 pick Brandon Bailey replaced Shawn Armstrong, who retired the side in order in the third, and surrendered one run in two innings. Michael Rucker, the other Rule 5 in camp, replaced Bailey and tossed a scoreless inning in the shortest outing among the trio.

Catcher Bryan Holaday hit the Orioles' first home run of the spring, a solo shot in the seventh, and they kept piling on for an 11-5 victory over the Red Sox before an announced sellout crowd of 7,327 at Ed Smith Stadium.

LeBlanc threw eight of his 10 pitches for strikes in the first inning and eight of 13 in the second. He's viewed as having the inside track on a starting job, but he must earn it.

Today was a good first step toward doing it.

"Always good to get the first one out of the way," he said. "There's always nerves. If there aren't nerves, you shouldn't be playing anymore.

"It's good to get it out the way. Good to get out there and go to work with the guys."

Throwing strikes will win you points with the manager.

Asked what made him good today, LeBlanc replied, "Just being in the zone. Being able to kind of control those nerves and that adrenaline and kind of get back into the zone."

"He threw the ball really well," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Threw strikes, commanded pitches to both sides of the plate, kept guys off balance and that's what he's been doing for a while in his career.

"Today was just a work day for him. Pump him up a little bit next time and keep him going."

Jarren Duran greeted Bailey in the fourth with a leadoff triple to center field and scored on Kevin Plawecki's grounder.

The Red Sox threatened again in the fifth on Rusney Castillo's one-out single and John Andreoli's double on a ball that Dwight Smith Jr. struggled to track in left field. But Bailey notched his second strikeout and retired Marco Hernández on a fly ball.

Rucker gave up a leadoff single to Duran in the sixth and stranded him. He blew a fastball past Jeter Downs to end the inning.

"I thought both guys threw the ball well," Hyde said. "The fastball was coming out of Ruck's hand. Threw some really good breaking balls that were just down and off the plate. Got one really good swing and miss on one. That's kind of his bread and butter is a really hard breaking ball. He had good life to his fastball, too. He was throwing his fastball by guys. And Bailey did what we've seen.

"He's got a bag of tricks. He's got a bunch of pitches he throws for strikes. Really good changeups, a good breaking ball also. I thought it was nice to get those guys out there, get their first appearance out of the way and hopefully they can settle down a little bit."

The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs against Chris Mazza in the bottom of the first inning and failed to score. It was an annoyance rather than an omen.

Hanser Alberto and Trey Mancini singled and Chris Davis walked with the count full. Mazza might have gotten squeezed on the 2-2 pitch. But Pedro Severino struck out on three pitches and Smith bounced into a 1-2-3 double play.

Stevie Wilkerson had an RBI ground out in the second after José Iglesias walked and Rio Ruiz singled. Davis walked again with one out in the third, moved up on Severino's single off left-hander Matt Hall and scored on Smith's single for a 2-0 lead.

José Iglesias singled and Ruiz followed with a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead. Mason McCoy pinch-ran for Iglesias, who had two productive plate appearances.

The lead stretched to 5-1 in the fifth after Smith singled again and was removed for Mason Williams. Wilkerson doubled with two outs and Cedric Mullins delivered a two-run single.

Mullins later stole his second base in two days.

Rylan Bannon's two-run double in the sixth, proceeded by McCoy's single, gave the Orioles a 7-1 lead. Holaday led off the seventh with a long home run to left field off Jhonathan Diaz, and a passed ball, Williams RBI single and wild pitch increased the lead to 11-1.

McCoy made a diving backhanded stop and throw to rob Josh Ockimey and end the top of the seventh. Richard Bleier waited to thank McCoy before walking to the dugout.

Adley Rutschman pinch-hit again today, this time from the right side, and flied to left field on the first pitch. He hit a nubber in front of the plate in the eighth.

Evan Phillips recorded two outs in the ninth and was lifted. He was charged with three runs, the last coming on Ockimey's two-run shot off minor league pitcher Francisco Jimenez.

"I hate to take him out with two outs in the ninth, but couldn't let him throw any more pitches just because he isn't built up for that," Hyde said. "I just thought command ... I think it was three-ball counts on every single hitter he faced. Just had a tough time landing his slider and his fastball command just wasn't real good today."