Henderson leaves today's game with lower right side discomfort (O's win 11-8)

SARASOTA, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked a few days ago about a drama-free camp, how the only injuries were sustained prior to the report dates. The conversation included warnings about the risks of jinxing it.

Here we are.

We learned earlier today that Jordan Westburg hasn’t played since Saturday due to lower-back soreness. And shortstop Gunnar Henderson exited today’s game after one inning with lower right side discomfort.

No further details are available. Manager Brandon Hyde will provide an update in his post-game media scrum.

Henderson made a nice running grab of Bo Bichette’s line drive in the first. He led off the bottom of the inning with a ground ball to first baseman Will Wagner, who bobbled it and flipped to pitcher Easton Lucas.

To avoid a collision, Henderson had to slow up a bit as he approached the bag. Luis Vázquez entered the game in the top of the second and Henderson walked to the clubhouse with an athletic trainer.

Nothing that happened on the play suggested a serious injury or even a tweak. Maybe the Orioles were exhibiting spring training caution.

Henderson reported to camp last spring with left oblique soreness and was brought along slowly.

An extended absence this year would rob the Orioles of a player who finished fourth last year in Most Valuable Player voting. Their everyday shortstop and one of the best young talents in baseball.

* The first pitch thrown today by Grayson Rodriguez produced a sharp ground ball back to the mound that ricocheted off his foot. Third baseman Ramón Urías retrieved it and recorded the out.

Rodriguez was fine. The athletic trainers stayed in the dugout. And the side was retired on 12 pitches, including a strikeout of Addison Barger.

Making his spring debut, Rodriguez went 1 2/3 innings and threw 15 of his 25 pitches for strikes. He struck out two batters, and the only baserunner came after Rodriguez hit Nathan Lukes with a 94 mph fastball.

The plan called for Rodriguez to complete the first and check how he felt. The quick inning, with only 12 pitches thrown, enabled him to come back out.

Asked about his stuff, Rodriguez said, “For the most part I liked it other than the hit by pitch, yanked down a little bit. But I was able to drive the fastball, changeup was working good, was able to throw the new sweeper once and got a bad swing on it, so I was pretty excited about that.”

Davis Schneider was the victim of the sweeper on the second pitch he saw before striking out to lead off the second.

“Getting more comfortable with it I’d say day by day really playing catch with it, throwing in the pens,” Rodriguez said. “I’d say it’s kind of the same hand position as my curveball. Right now, the learning part is just where to start it in the strike zone. Just getting more familiar with how it moves and being able to throw it for strikes.”

The stadium radar gun had Rodriguez topping out at 94, but didn’t care about the readings. His indifference comes with experience.

“This being my third, fourth big league spring training, it’s about getting ready, not trying to prove anything,” he said. “Last spring training, I think I hit 100 my first outing and my back was a little sore after that. And this year is all about getting in a rhythm, getting ready, making sure the body feels good for the season.”

Twice forced onto the injured list with lat/teres strains, Rodriguez tweaked his offseason throwing in an attempt to avoid a third occurrence.

“Just a minor adjustment,” he said. “Really bringing the arm back, kind of arm path stuff, want to take a lot of the load out of the lat. I used to kind of bring the ball down a little bit further. Right now, I’m working on keeping the arm up and utilizing the (scapula) more to take that pressure off the lat.”

* Ryan O’Hearn drew an 11-pitch walk against Easton Lucas to lead off the second and was thrown out trying to go first to third on Ryan Mountcastle’s single into right field.

That was the only way to stall the Orioles in the inning.

Ramón Laureano doubled down the left field line to score Mountcastle for a 1-0 lead and Ramón Urías followed with a two-run homer to left. Nick Gordon popped up, but Vázquez walked, Adley Rutschman was hit by a pitch, Cedric Mullins delivered an RBI single and Tyler O’Neill launched a mammoth three-run homer to left field for a 7-0 lead.

O’Neill ditched the sleeveless shirt that he wore in batting practice, but he had a serious flex against Jays reliever Andrew Bash. The ball cleared the concourse.

* Roansy Contreras retired the four batters he faced after replacing Rodriguez. … Colin Selby retired the first two batters in the fourth, then issued back-to-back walks sandwiched around a wild pitch and balk. He drilled Leo Jiménez with a 93 mph fastball to load the bases and two runs scored on Orelvis Martinez’s bloop single into right. … Two more runs were charged to Selby on Myles Straw’s two-run bloop single into center off Yaqui Rivera. … Justin Armbruester retired the side in order in the fifth and tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Update: Hyde didn’t express any concerns over Henderson.

“We took him out for precautionary reasons,” Hyde said after an 11-8 win. “On that ball that Bichette hit, he kind of just landed on his side and it just felt a little sore in there. First inning of a spring training game in February, we felt like the best thing to do was just let him go inside and look at it and relax. We’ll continue to monitor it and see how he is tomorrow.”

The Orioles haven’t scheduled an MRI.

Hyde liked Rodriguez’s changeup today and how the fastball “ticked up.”

“I thought the offspeed stuff was good, got to his pitch count,” Hyde said. “It was a good first start for him.”

Reliever Nate Webb pitched in a game for the first time since March 2023 – he underwent Tommy John and Achilles surgeries – and retired the side in order with two strikeouts and a popup to first baseman Samuel Basallo.

“He missed a lot of time and I know he’s been itching to get on the mound in game action,” Hyde said. “To have him come in and do a good job throwing strikes, it’s something we need to get a little better at right now in spring training is command of the strike zone. I thought Webby did a great job pounding the strike zone when he was in there.”

Basallo hit a long home run to center field in the seventh inning. The ball cleared the scoreboard and landed on one of the back practice fields.

“It’s fun to watch Sammy hit,” Hyde said.

“I feel really good,” Basallo said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Honestly, still can’t believe it.”

The longest ball he’s hit?

“I think it’s probably in my top three now,” he said.

The Orioles scored twice in the sixth on an RBI single for Jeremiah Jackson and Vázquez sacrifice fly.

Alex Pham loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and a run scored on Basallo’s error. Livan Soto doubled in the bottom half and scored on Vázquez’s infield hit and a Toronto error. Dylan Heid served up a three-run homer in the ninth to complete the scoring.

O’Neill went sleeveless again for his in-game interview outside the baseball operations center. He wasn’t trying to hit a tape-measure home run today. It just happened.

“Mostly, I’m just trying to be simple with my approach up here,” he said. “Runners in scoring position. Just trying to hit a line drive out there. It’s good to get the first one out of the way and try to do some good work tomorrow see where it gets to.

“Just understanding myself and my biomechanic. I can get a little spinny, so just trying to use the whole field and at least think that way. Puts me in a good spot and just gives me good barrel depth. Be able to extend through the zone and have some room to miss. It was a good swing for me today.”

O’Neill is blending in with his new teammates and loving the environment.

“I’ve been really impressed with this entire group here,” he said. “It’s such a young core and no egos, and everyone works so hard. It’s really good to see. I’m just trying to fit in how I can, where I can. I think I fit in really well here and I just want to continue the good work. And getting to know the guys and just chatting on the bench, just talking baseball, has been great with everyone.”