Catching up on Orioles camp results

The Orioles are 4-4 in the Grapefruit League, losers of two straight, and it means as much as the heart-healthy claims on boxes of Cheerios. Maybe if you power-walk to the fridge to get the milk.

Spring training records aren’t important. Take the wins where you can get them, but don’t judge a game by the final score.

For example, the 5-2 loss to the Pirates Saturday. Much more impactful were Cade Povich’s three scoreless innings. He put on a clinic, locating his fastball and secondary stuff. The changeup was outstanding.

Four of Povich’s six strikeouts were looking. He had the Pirates guessing wrong. He had outstanding stuff. And he had a catcher, Adley Rutschman, who did some fine framing.

Povich said afterward on the MASN broadcast that he thought he missed with a curveball, but Rutschman got him the strike.

Take yesterday as another example. Dean Kremer tossed three scoreless innings with one hit allowed. Christian Herberholz retired the first two batters in the ninth and blew the save. Herberholz made the trip from minor league camp. A year ago he was pitching at Auburn University.

Thaddeus Ward struck out four batters in two innings but also surrendered a pair of solo home runs that gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead. He isn't making the club.

Kremer is locked into the rotation, anywhere from third to fifth. I’ll assume fourth between Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. Povich is on the outside despite his 2.60 September ERA and the five scoreless innings this spring with one hit, one walk and seven strikeouts.

Manager Brandon Hyde confirmed the math to the media that gathered Friday. “If everybody stays healthy throughout camp,” he said, “you’ve got five guys, plus Albert (Suárez) is the sixth.”

Povich was the seventh. The Orioles aren’t going with a six-man rotation and certainly won’t push it to seven. He’d need a few injuries to make it work. Or maybe one that would put Suárez in the rotation and him in the bullpen.

Hyde appreciates Povich’s results and his attitude, how he didn’t become discouraged by the Morton and Sugano signings. Povich has the right mindset. Compete for a job but understand that he might have to start out in Triple-A again. He wouldn’t be the first Oriole to wait for a blockage to clear. Older fans remember Don Baylor and Bobby Grich, and there are more recent examples.

Sugano and Grayson Rodriguez looked good in their first appearances. Sugano follows Morton today in a game that airs on MASN and ESPN. Félix Bautista gets into his first game today since Aug. 25, 2023.

Brandon Young had four scoreless innings on his ledger before returning Saturday for a third frame and being charged with two runs. Bryan Baker has retired all six batters he’s faced.

Rutschman and Jackson Holliday are having much better at-bats. Tyler O’Neill is expected back in the lineup today after missing Saturday’s game with an illness. Jordan Westburg is swinging a bat and getting past his lower-back soreness. Gunnar Henderson apparently is going to be fine after leaving Thursday’s game with soreness on his right side. He’s expected to be cleared for baseball activities in a few days.

Concentrate on that stuff.

Outfielder Dylan Beavers was reassigned yesterday to minor league camp, but he went 3-for-8 with a double and go-ahead, two-run homer. Catcher Samuel Basallo singled and scored two runs yesterday and is 3-for-7 with a blast to center field that cleared the scoreboard. Norfolk is going to be a fun team to watch.

Focus on that, too.

Coby Mayo started at first base Friday and third base yesterday, and the combined 0-for-5 left him 1-for-16 with two RBIs. Heston Kjerstad is 2-for-14 with a home run and seven strikeouts.

Seranthony Domínguez has made two appearances and allowed four runs and five hits in two innings, including three home runs. The first of two Saturday was a classic Florida wind-blown fly ball, but the second was a screaming line drive through that same wind. Suárez has allowed seven runs and nine hits with four walks in 4 1/3 innings.

The Orioles won’t overreact to any of it, though they’re hoping for more out of Mayo after his rude introduction to the majors. They’ll remain patient, work with him and wait for the bat to heat up. Kjerstad is expected to be one of the outfielders breaking camp. Domínguez and Suárez will be in the bullpen.