Reflecting on yesterday's opening day win in Boston

Too soon to trend after one game?

Manager Brandon Hyde's faith in Rio Ruiz as a second baseman was rewarded yesterday when the infielder ran down two shallow fly balls with over-the-shoulder catches in right and center, then made a diving stop and throw to rob Alex Verdugo in the seventh inning.

Two innings at the position before yesterday. More to come as long as it's unsettled and the other options are utility players Pat Valaika and Ramón Urías.

"Rio played outstanding at second base," Hyde said. "When we talked about Rio at second a week ago, I've always loved Rio's feet, his hands. He plays the game defensively. He can slow the game down. I know he was a quarterback in high school. There's all sorts of athleticism, the things that he has, and I just want him to catch the ball and be able to make the routine play, balls he can get to, and he did all those things and a little bit more."

The idea of auditioning Ruiz at second base came about a week and a half ago. Hyde called him into the manager's office in spring training and asked what he thought.

"From his reaction, I felt like, 'You know what? This is something I'm going to try,' because he was so excited to do it," Hyde said.

"He's always asking to play short and things like that. Everybody thinks they can play shortstop that's played infield or played shortstop in high school, so he's always mentioned those things to me. And when I asked him how he felt about it, he was super excited to get out on the field the next day and go to work with Manso (Tony Mansolino) on it. It put my mind at ease. However, this is his third game playing second base.

"He played well today. I don't want to add more than that. He played very, very well today, he picked us up big-time and I'm really happy for him."

Urías was inserted at second base in the ninth inning with the Orioles ahead 3-0. Ruiz moved to third base as a defensive replacement for Maikel Franco.

Perhaps an early glance at Hyde's plans when the Orioles are protecting a lead.

Could become a trend.

Ryan Mountcastle's two-run double in the sixth inning on his first opening day was significant beyond the margin it provided. There was the way he worked the count full against Matt Andriese, took a borderline cutter for a strike and lifted a 93-mph four-seam fastball high off the Green Monster.

"I thought he hit that ball out," Hyde said. "To contribute the way he did and put a really nice swing on it to give us the lead and kind of break the ice for us a little bit. Opening day is special for everyone. When it's your first one, it's something you'll remember for the rest of your life, and when you produce the way he did, that's an incredible moment for him personally and was huge for us."

Mountcastle is a career .351 hitter (13-for-37) with runners in scoring position.

"He's a young kid that's played a month in the big leagues," Hyde said, "and he's hitting fourth in the American League East. Because he's got poise, because he's got confidence, this guy's going to be a really good hitter in this league. He is a threat when he swings the bat."

John Means retired the last 18 batters he faced, allowed only one hit in seven innings and picked off Kiké Hernández after a leadoff single in the first. His fastball sat in the low 90s and he didn't care. Dialing it down a little and calming himself led to his torrid four-start finish in 2020.

"When you look at the radar gun, it looked like he was throttling down a little bit and pitching, and for me that's what he did the last three starts, four starts last year was locating a really good fastball already, but being able to add and subtract with his changeup and not overthrow it and not make it flat, as well as continuing to get confidence in his breaking ball," Hyde said.

"His stuff plays. It's about pitching ahead in the count. I love the way John Means throws in, to be able to get them off of the changeup and off of the fastball down and a way, where they can't look at one spot, where they can't look up, down, but there's multiple weapons that he can go to. And that's what he's done now. That's what he did today and that's what he did the last few starts last year."

The Red Sox hadn't been shut out on opening day since 1976 against Jim Palmer and the Orioles, who won 1-0 at Memorial Stadium. They hadn't been held to two hits since 1959 at Yankee Stadium.

Means is the fourth Orioles pitcher with a scoreless opening day start on the road, joining Jeremy Guthrie in 2011 against the Rays (eight innings), Mike Mussina in 1995 against the Royals (five) and Palmer in 1975 against the Tigers (nine).

The last Orioles left-hander to toss seven or more scoreless innings was Wei-Yin Chen in June 2015 against the Phillies. The last to do it while allowing one hit or fewer was Chris Waters in August 2008 in Anaheim.

The question of who is closing may or may not have been answered yesterday.

César Valdez got the call in the ninth, but he also was warming in the seventh. Multi-inning saves certainly are do-able for Valdez, but we don't know whether he would have stayed in the game if needed to replace Means.

Tanner Scott walked two batters and struck out two in the eighth on a slider and 97 mph heater. He was the set-up man. Valdez, who could string together every fastball and not equal Scott's velocity, got a strikeout and ground ball on 79 mph changeups and the game-ending fly ball on a 76 mph change.

Hyde could flip the script in other games. He could choose someone else to close based on matchups and availability. He isn't making a designation.