Orioles notes on tonight's outings from Bautista and Suárez

SARASOTA, Fla. – Félix Bautista finally made it back into a Grapefruit League game tonight, his first in a week, and he stuck around for two outs and 26 pitches.

If the idea was to gain clarity on his status for Opening Day, the mission failed.

Bautista surrendered a wind-aided, opposite-field home run to Zach McKinstry. He struck out two batters but also walked two. Afterward, he described the outing as “good, excellent,” via interpreter Brandon Quinones.

“Apart from everything, I felt good, my arm feels really good,” he said. “I think right now the most important thing is feeling healthy and making sure I feel good out there.

The fastball topped out again at 98 mph and was clocked at 97 four times.

“My arm feels really good right now,” he said, “and I do think that with time and as you get into real games, that velocity will start to get back up a little bit.”

Bautista was able to get swings and misses with his splitter and slider. It isn’t only about the heat on a chilly Sarasota night.

“I went out there today with that goal in mind of practicing those pitches even more in addition to the fastball,” he said. “I thought I did a good job with that.”

Each appearance brings the same questions about the March 27 roster and whether Bautista can be on it.

“Yes,” he said. “I keep working with that goal in mind.”

Would Bautista be surprised if he isn’t in the visiting bullpen at Rogers Centre?

“Well, what can I say?” he replied. “I’m an employee here and they’re the ones who make that decision, and ultimately whatever decision they make, I’ll take it in stride.”

Bautista threw on a back field Monday, which explains the gap in appearances. He’s going to pitch again Sunday against the Braves in North Port.

Each outing also gives Bautista a chance to sharpen his cutter, a new pitch in his arsenal. Teammate Yennier Cano also is throwing one.

“It started last year as part of my pitching program,” Bautista said earlier today. “Since a lot of hitters already know that I throw my fastball and my split, it’s a matter of using that pitch to change their perception and what they expect me to throw.”

* Albert Suárez retired seven of the first eight batters he faced tonight, with Josue Briceño lining a home run to right field with one out in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Briceño, the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was chosen the Arizona Fall League’s Most Valuable Player in 2024 after hitting 10 homers.

The third and fourth innings didn’t enhance Suárez’s bid to join the rotation in his final outing of the spring. That is, if results even matter.

The Tigers tallied a combined seven runs, the last two after minor league pitcher Joe Glassey let two inherited runners score. Manager Brandon Hyde removed Suárez after 3 2/3 innings and 68 pitches, 41 for strikes, and the right-hander was charged with eight runs and seven hits at that point to raise his ERA to 8.27. Suárez had allowed 19 runs in 20 2/3 innings.

Re-entering the game in the fifth inning under spring training rules, Suárez walked a batter and struck out one. His pitch count reached 83 and his exhibition ERA went down to 7.89.

“Overall, it feels good,” Suárez said of his camp. “I feel like I’m ready for the season. My body’s in good shape. I think overall it was a good spring training for me, especially learning a new pitch (slurve).”

The rematch was no contest after Suárez held Detroit to one run in five innings Sunday in Lakeland.

The Tigers scored twice in the third on two hits a walk and sacrifice fly. Adley Rutschman’s throwing error on an attempted pickoff didn’t impact Suárez’s line.

Trey McSweeney had an RBI single after Ryan Kreidler doubled and McKinstry walked. Jake Rogers flied to center field for a 3-0 lead. Suárez threw 25 pitches over the first two innings and 22 in the third.

Andrew Navigato walked and stole second base with one out in the fourth and Bligh Madris singled to center field for a 4-0 lead. Suárez couldn’t calm the storm. Kreidler hit a two-run homer to left-center field, McKinstry and Sweeney singled and Hyde came out of the dugout.

“The goal was go as long as I can,” Suárez said. “We always look at the results, but in spring training it’s more like how can we do adjustments to be ready for the season.

“Probably make sure the breaking balls are more in the strike zone and stay on top of the fastball. That’s the little things. Maybe mechanically a little bit, but not too much.”

* Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal held the Orioles to one run and three hits with nine strikeouts over six innings. He was throwing 100 mph on the stadium radar gun.

Skubal retired the first nine batters before Jordan Westburg reached on an infield single. He retired 12 of 13 before Gary Sánchez led off the fifth inning with his first home run and RBI of the spring on a deep fly ball to center field.

Instead of being rattled, Skubal rolled, getting Ramón Laureano to pop up and striking out Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo for the second time.

Rutschman doubled off Skubal for the third hit.

Tyler O’Neill popped up and grounded out, made a lunging catch in right field and came out of the game in the top of the fifth, with Dylan Carlson replacing him. O’Neill jogged to the clubhouse with his equipment bag between innings.

* Hyde said he thought Seranthony Domínguez’s stuff was “a little bit better” last night, though the right-hander surrendered a home run to the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe. Domínguez retired the other four batters and struck out two to lower his ERA to 19.50 in six innings.

“Just a really terrible pitch to Volpe there,” Hyde said. “The inning was a little cleaner. He’s just had so many deep-count, behind-count, feeling for his stuff, it seems like. I thought that was encouraging last night, even though that was a bad pitch. Besides that, I thought he was pretty good.”

Evaluating late-inning pitchers in spring training is difficult because they feed on the adrenaline that only the regular season can produce.

“That’s very true,” Hyde said. “Usually guys tick up, especially back-end relievers, as the moment gets a little bigger, and it’s hard to simulate a major league moment at the end of the game or in a big spot late in the game. You would hope that guys’ stuff ticks up in those moments.”

* Minor league pitcher Logan Rinehart threw a pitch in the ninth inning and walked off the mound with an injury. ... Hyde said the Orioles haven’t announced their third and fourth starters because “we’re still working out some possibilities of, not just the first start but kind of down the road, how guys line up, off-days, things like that.” He added, “It’s more of just matching up the third and the fourth starter with really what April and May look like for them.” … Charlie Morton starts Sunday’s game against the Braves in North Port, but a Monday starter isn’t listed. Spencer Strider takes the ball for Atlanta. … Zach Eflin opposes the Pirates’ Paul Skenes Saturday afternoon in Bradenton. ... Tonight's game drew another sellout crowd, this one announced at 7,505 to bring the final spring total to 100,156.