Morton extends scoreless exhibition streak, Cowser's inning adventure, Hyde on Bautista and Kittredge (O's lose 6-3)

SARASOTA, Fla. – Charlie Morton worked three scoreless innings today against the Rays with only one hit allowed, a double on a fly ball to left field that Daz Cameron had difficulty tracking in the wind and high sky. Morton hasn’t surrendered a run in six exhibition innings. Everything looks impressive.

That’s the simple surface observation. There’s much more going on with Morton, a veteran entering his 18^th major league season.

“I’ve been working on some pitch shape stuff, maybe trying to understand where I’m at a little bit more with movement and stuff, and how my mixes play together,” said Morton, always ready with a thoughtful and detailed answer. “Like today, it was good. I threw a couple pretty good four-seamers, a couple ones that I think didn’t necessarily play. I think the two-seamer, we’ve been talking about that, maybe mixing that a little bit more, especially to righties, because last year especially, righties were giving me fits. And to see some swing and miss on my breaking ball.”

Morton struck out the side in the first inning on 15 pitches, topping at 95 mph and touching 94 four times. A fourth strikeout ended the second inning, with Morton’s fastball again reaching 95 mph. Josh Lowe’s two-out walk in the third didn’t hurt.

“All in all I feel pretty good, but I think probably another few weeks, even into the regular season, until I’m really, truly and honestly aware of where I’m at,” said Morton, who threw 46 pitches, 26 for strikes.

“Right now, I’m still getting in shape, quite frankly. My arm and my body in pitching shape. But I feel good. I think I got some good feedback. And getting to work with Rutsch (Adley Rutschman) again. I think he understands kind of where I’m at. I think he gets my tools, and in conjunction with some of our guys on the analytics side, our pitching coaches, Frenchy (Drew French). I feel good about the whole combination.”

The Orioles signed Morton to a $15 million deal and he projected as the No. 3 starter, but he might go second in the rotation because of Grayson Rodriguez’s elbow injury. Reliever Andrew Kittredge underwent knee surgery today and probably will be out at least two months.

Is Morton confident that there’s sufficient depth to withstand those losses?

He isn’t the right guy to ask.

“I honestly don’t even think about those things,” he replied. “I think about, how can I support my teammates and how can I carry my load and do my job? It doesn’t really do us any good to play GM or write out these equations of what the team looks like with or without certain players. It doesn’t really benefit anybody.

“What benefits the team is that we all pull our own weight and we pull for each other. It’s not my job or my responsibility to determine whether we have enough depth. It’s my job to be a good teammate and do my job as a pitcher. This is a talented group. It’s an exciting team. It’s a group of good dudes and that’s what I’m looking forward to being a part of.”

* The second inning was full of activity for center fielder Colton Cowser.

Cowser singled up the middle to lead off the inning for his sixth hit in 15 at-bats. He dived back into first base on a pickoff attempt and got up shaking his left hand after first baseman Bob Seymour appeared to step on it.

Cowser was in obvious pain and manager Brandon Hyde climbed to the top step of the dugout.

Ryan Mountcastle walked as Cowser broke for second base, and Ramón Laureano reached on an error to load the bases. Right fielder Lowe caught Emmanuel Rivera’s fly ball and threw out Cowser at the plate.

Fortunately for the Orioles, Cowser stayed in the game and didn’t become the latest victim of an injury.

* Félix Bautista hasn’t experienced any setbacks through two spring training appearances, but the Orioles won’t pronounce him ready for Opening Day with two weeks left in camp.

“We’re trying to get him, if everything goes well, hopefully six or seven games before,” Hyde said this morning. “He hasn’t pitched in a long time, so we’ll kind of see where he is at the end of camp and if we feel like he’s ready to pitch in the big leagues for us, whether it’s right away or giving him a little bit more time. We haven’t determined that yet.

“He was the best reliever in the game two years ago, so if we can get him close to that, it’s huge for us.”

It also would be a big deal to avoid putting another name on the injured list.

Kittredge, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells can go on the 60-day IL if the Orioles need room on the 40-man roster, and Trevor Rogers and Chayce McDermott haven’t gotten on a mound. Rodriguez and Jorge Mateo also won’t be ready for Opening Day, and time is ticking away on Gunnar Henderson, who’s receiving treatment for a strained right intercostal.

Kittredge signed a contract with the Orioles that paid $9 million this season and included a $1 million buyout or $9 million option for 2026. He was an All-Star with the Rays in 2021 and appeared in a career-high 74 games with the Cardinals last summer, registering a 2.80 ERA in 70 2/3 innings.

“We know how good he is and the year he had last year in St. Louis, and we saw him pitch against us a couple years prior to that when he was healthy, how good he was,” Hyde said. “It’s a blow, and hopefully we can have other guys step up and get him back, and hopefully he can help us whenever he gets back.”

* The Orioles have 57 players in camp after optioning Brandon Young to the minor league side earlier today. Young went around the clubhouse saying his goodbyes and packed his duffle bag.

“I think last night was a tough one,” Hyde said. “I think he struggled a little bit command-wise, but he’s a starter that has command. The amount of starters we used last year, we’re gonna need him in Triple-A, and he understood that.”

MLB Pipeline ranks Young as the No. 19 prospect in the system.

“We want to get him stretched out so he’s ready for the minor league season,” Hyde said, “but also be an option for us. We’re gonna need starters.”

* Seranthony Domínguez had a rough seventh inning, allowing five runs and five hits, including Tre’ Morgan’s two-run homer that gave Tampa Bay a 5-1 lead. The Rays hit for the cycle against him. … Rutschman singled to the opposite field in the third inning to score Luís Vazquez. He's 7-for-16. … Cionel Pérez tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Curtis Mead singled and Rutchman threw him out attempting to steal. … Yennier Cano tossed a scoreless inning with one walk. … Gregory Soto struck out two batters and allowed a hit in his scoreless frame. … Rivera had two hits. … Coby Mayo dumped a broken-bat single into center field, making him 2-for-24. ... Today’s announced attendance was 7,641, a sellout and the largest crowd this spring. … Tomoyuki Sugano starts Sunday’s split-squad game against the Twins in Sarasota and Thaddeus Ward starts versus the Phillies in Clearwater. The Orioles didn’t list their Monday night starter in Bradenton, but Mitch Keller starts for the Pirates.

* Jeremiah Jackson hit a two-run homer in the ninth in a 6-3 loss. Jackson was reassigned to minor league camp but made the trip as an extra.

Hyde on Morton:
"He doesn't look 41. Just the command and the stuff. You see a lot of 94s, 95s up on the board with a really good curveball. Command is the big thing. Command with two really good pitches and multiple weapons to get guys out."

Hyde on Domínguez:
"He left balls elevated. I thought they kind of ambushed him early in the count. Some of the damage was on fastballs elevated and the curveball elevated. He hasn't had many appearances. It is spring training and he's got a lot more appearances left."

Hyde on Cowser's trip around the bases:
"I don't like to see that. The throw, and then he didn't slide at second base, too. I'm holding my breath right now. I wanna bubble wrap everybody. ... Fortunately he had a (hand) guard on."