Mountcastle in left field for tonight's debut

Ryan Mountcastle is starting in left field tonight and making his major league debut. He's batting sixth.

Pedro Severino is the designated hitter and batting fourth. Chance Sisco is behind the plate.

Mountcastle's first act as a major league player was to spend almost nine minutes on a Zoom conference call with the media. Here's a sampling:

On his reaction to the promotion: "I was just chilling in bed and Gary Kendall gave me a call around 10 o'clock in the morning and let me know that I was getting called up. I couldn't be any more happier."

On whether it was hard to remain patient while waiting: "Not really. I just tried to get all my work in down there in Bowie and just hoping I'd get my shot and be ready when I did. We did a lot of good stuff down there and I feel prepared for the games coming up."

On what he did at the camp to convince team he was ready: "I feel a lot more comfortable in the outfield now. It's sort of a new position for me still, but I feel like I did enough work down there to be serviceable in the big leagues and help them win. I was trying to work on some plate discipline stuff at Bowie, too, and I feel like I did a good job with that, as well."

On where he's going to play with Chris Davis on injured list: "For right now, I've been playing a lot of left field, so if they need to stick me at first, I'm sure I'll get some extra reps in BP and stuff. But for right now, I think it's just left, but who knows?"

On people he thought about after getting the call: "It means so much. I've had so many people in my life helping me to get to this point. My parents, my friends, my family, my coaches. There are so many people who have helped me get to this point. Just thinking of all them and all the sacrifices they've made to help me get here. It means a lot."

On whether he's aware of the hype: "Yeah, I was getting some good love on social media and just seeing that is exciting for the fans and myself just to see that they want me up there. So, yeah, it was pretty cool to see."

On what the last few months have been like: "I didn't really know if or when I'd get the call. I was just trying to stay prepared every day. I thought there was a pretty good chance I'd get the call this year at some point, so I was at the edge of my seat for a little bit. But I just knew I needed to go out there, get better every day down at the Bowie site, and I think I did enough to do that."

On where he's grown the most in his game: "Playing left field right now, that's a new position for me. I think I've grown a lot there. I feel like I've made a lot of strides. And at the plate, I feel like I've found my swing and plate discipline and all that. I feel like I've gotten a lot better."

On what pitchers impressed him at Bowie: "I'm not going to lie, there are some dudes down there. I mean, to names the guys, obviously you know DL Hall, Grayson (Rodriguez), just all these young guys. Michael Baumann, all these guys are throwing really well down there. I mean, there wasn't one at-bat I had where I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm going to crush this one.' It was a bunch of uncomfortable at-bats and it was a good time and good competition."

For the Orioles
Hanser Alberto 2B
Anthony Santander RF
Renato Núñez 1B
Pedro Severino DH
Rio Ruiz 3B
Ryan Mountcastle LF
Chance Sisco C
Pat Valaika SS
Cedric Mullins CF

John Means LHP