Opening day notes and quotes with Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim and more

Happy opening day, everyone - and welcome to the 2016 Orioles season!

When they play ball today at 3:05 p.m. at Camden Yards against Minnesota, right-hander Chris Tillman (11-11, 4.99 ERA in 2015) faces right-hander Ervin Santana (7-5, 4.00 ERA in 2015). In his last seven starts last season, Santana went 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA.

While Santana will be making his first opening day start, this is the third in a row for Tillman. In the last two openers, he went 1-0 with an ERA of 1.54. He pitched the Orioles past Boston's Jon Lester and Boston in 2014 and Tampa Bay's Chris Archer last April.

Tillman went 0-1 with a 7.24 ERA during spring training with a .345 batting average against. Despite what those stats might indicate, Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace said Tillman had a good spring and he's confident the right-hander will pitch well today.

"We see a guy, when he is making good pitches, sometimes balls fall in and things happen that the untrained eye doesn't see. When a guy is throwing the ball well, you just know it," Wallace said.

"I think Chris came into camp in real good shape. Knowing him the way we know him now, he has a little bit of an attitude (to pitch better in 2016) and wants to have a really good year. He had a good spring, I don't care about the stats. He threw the ball well and had a real good side session the other day."

About those predictions: Anybody notice the predictions that the Orioles will have a bad season? Of course you noticed, it's been happening for weeks now.

A reporter asked outfielder Adam Jones if he cared about such predictions.

"You know, I don't," he said. "You have to play the games. That is the true test. Who knows? No one knows. Except Vegas, for some reason.

"It's not about proving anyone wrong, it's about proving to ourselves that we are right and we can play," Jones said. "We've won the most games in the AL last four years and still no ones gives a rat's crap. Which is perfectly fine with us. We just have to go out and play good baseball and focus on what we need to do."

Jones talked about the meaning of the opening day contest.

"They are all special," he said. "For the young guys and first-timers, this is pretty cool. For (Joey) Rickard, it's pretty cool. Rule 5 guy, think his whole family will be here. Mychal Givens, (Mike) Wright, (Tyler) Wilson - all those guys, I think, will really cherish how Baltimore does opening day. It's pretty cool actually."

Bundy is ready: Right-hander Dylan Bundy certainly should cherish his first opening day in Baltimore. After a strong spring, he feels healthy and ready to help this team out of the bullpen. What went well for him this spring?

"Fastball location was pretty big," he said. "Commanding the fastball is the biggest part of pitching in my mind. Being able to do that and also throw my offspeed pitches for strikes early in counts."

Before he tries to navigate his way through American League batters, he must navigate his way down the orange carpet during this afternoon's pregame ceremony.

"I don't want to trip. Might have to practice it with the right shoes," Bundy said with a laugh.

Kim speaks: Because he declined to play in the minor leagues, which was his contractual right, Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim has become a controversial figure. Even before he plays in one major league game.

Before Sunday's workout at Camden Yards, the Orioles outfielder spoke with reporters with the help of translator Danny Lee. He was asked if he feels he has earned a spot on the roster and how tough the last week was for him.

"Earning a spot, I was just trying my best to stay on the team," Kim said. "Have not really thought about that. I was able to watch and learn on the bench during the (last few) games. It was okay to watch from outside the field."

Kim added he continues to get support from his teammates.

"With great team support, I am very sure I will get used to the United States and major league baseball," he said.

O's leaders in all-time opening day starts:

20: Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr.
13: Mark Belanger
12: Paul Blair, Eddie Murray and Boog Powell
11: Brady Anderson
10: Rick Dempsey