Rodriguez's pairing with Rutschman a camp highlight

SARASOTA, Fla. – Grayson Rodriguez climbed the mound today at Ed Smith Stadium for his live batting practice session. Adley Rutschman crouched behind the plate. They were together again, and the interest level in the second full-squad workout of spring training soared like the temperature.

Rodriguez froze Jordan Westburg with a fastball, which Rutschman framed, and broke James McCann’s bat. The organization’s top pitching prospect brought some series heat, along with everything else in his arsenal.

“It felt great,” Rodriguez said afterward. “Obviously, anytime you can get out there, see hitters in the box, it’s a lot different from the offseason. Today, we’re just another step closer to spring games.”

A five-pitch repertoire was laid out to a group of hitters that also included outfielders Kyle Stowers and Colton Cowser and shortstop Joey Ortiz. So much young talent in camp.

“We wanted to throw everything today to see how it plays against the hitters,” Rodriguez said.

The Orioles got their answer.

“He looked good,” Rutschman said. “It’s been a while since I caught him in a game-like scenario, since last May in Norfolk. But he looked good today, mixing well.

“It’s tough because it’s the first live, but as far as I could tell he looked good. And it’s just nice to catch him again and feel that chemistry.”

The Orioles finally promoted Rutschman to the majors on May 21, his debut stalled by a strained right triceps. Less than two weeks later, on the verge of receiving the same call, Rodriguez left a start against Jacksonville after 5 2/3 scoreless innings with discomfort later diagnosed as a Grade 2 lat strain.

They should have been together in the Orioles clubhouse, but the reunion was put on a painful hold.

Rodriguez began pitching again in September, exactly three months after walking off the Harbor Park mound with an athletic trainer, but the Orioles didn’t call him up.

“That’s always tough,” Rutschman said of the injury. “The game’s unfair sometimes and he’s such a good guy, so you always want the best for him. It’s tough to see anyone go through an injury like that because you know how hard it is mentally, but he’s bounced back well and he looks really good right now. It’s exciting.”

The Orioles are expected to break camp with Rodriguez in their rotation. He has nothing left to prove in the minors, and nothing physically right now to stop him.

“I’m looking forward to the season,” Rutschman said. “We’ve got a lot of good pitchers and he’s obviously one of them, so it’ll be fun to see how it all shapes up.”

Get used to seeing them paired together, perhaps starting with the opening series in Boston or the one that follows in Arlington.

“Anytime he’s back there, you know it’s going to be a good day,” Rodriguez said. “I think he knows me better than I know myself.”

* Tyler Wells also threw live batting practice today, followed by Rodriguez, Spenser Watkins, Cionel Pérez, Keegan Akin, Logan Gillaspie and Yennier Cano.

Kyle Gibson, a possibility for the Opening Day start in Boston, did his throwing yesterday.

“He looked really good,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Talking to him this morning, he feels good after his outing. That’s the most important thing. But I thought he was pretty sharp.

“Kind of getting used to the clock a little bit, too. We had the pitch clock out there. We want our guys to understand the tempo of the new rules.”

Hyde appreciates the leadership that Gibson is providing, especially with Jordan Lyles gone.

“He’s been fantastic,” Hyde said. “We knew ahead of time how much of a great clubhouse presence he has been over the course of his career, and his experience last year with pitching in the postseason with a World Series club, I think that’s really cool. We have a lot of young starters, young pitchers in camp, and to have somebody with that kind of experience, maturity, it’s going to be really beneficial.”

* Dean Kremer will appear in one of the early exhibition games before joining Team Israel in Miami for the World Baseball Classic.

Cedric Mullins will be flying to Arizona to join Team USA. He’s been barreling everything in camp, and he provided one of the highlights yesterday with a long home run off left-hander Cole Irvin.

“Ced and (Anthony) Santander have probably taken the most at-bats of anybody so far because we’re trying to get them game speed as quickly as possible,” Hyde said.

“Ced looks confident right now. He looks good at the plate. He’s trying to take as many left-handed at-bats as possible versus left-handed pitchers, and right now he’s swinging the bat well.”

* Cade Povich, the 22-year-old left-hander acquired from the Twins in the Jorge López trade, is attracting a lot of attention with his bullpen and batting practice sessions.

“I talked to some of our hitters yesterday that faced him. Really impressed with his stuff,” Hyde said.

“We’re real excited to have him. The left-handed starter ability, he’s only 22-years-old. We talked to him this morning in our meeting and he’s really enjoying his first major league camp, trying to soak in as much stuff as possible. … I think he’s getting a lot out of it.

“He’s got big-time stuff. We’re really excited about him.”

* Reed Garrett, signed to a minor league deal last month after making seven relief appearances with the Nationals, struck out Santander on the Camden Yards field. Garrett blew two fastballs past him and the bench erupted, with shortstop Jorge Mateo the loudest heckler.

Santander wasn’t the only strikeout victim during Garrett’s dominant outing.