Teheran gives up first runs, Baumann maintains his roll, latest Holliday update and more (O's lose 5-3)

TAMPA, Fla. – While the Orioles continue to evaluate Julio Teheran as a possible rotation or bullpen piece, they’re about to find out how he handles spring training adversity.

It finally arrived today.

Teheran hadn’t allowed a run or hit in his first two appearances over three innings, but the Yankees scored four runs in the bottom of the first while working him for 27 pitches, and he was done after 2 1/3.

The pitch clock violation before his first offering to leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu was a bad omen.

LeMahieu struck out on a slider, but Alex Verdugo singled, Anthony Rizzo walked, Giancarlo Stanton reached on a fielder’s choice – Rizzo was safe at second base – Trent Grisham walked to force in a run and Austin Wells drove a changeup into left-center field for a three-run double.

Teheran retired the next two batters on ground balls, came back out for the second inning and got a double play from Verdugo after LeMahieu singled with one out. He threw 11 consecutive strikes after walking Grisham.

Two more batters awaited Teheran in the third before manager Brandon Hyde came out of the dugout. Rizzo walked on four pitches and Stanton flied to deep left field on Teheran’s 52^nd pitch. Only 31 were strikes.

Teheran was charged with four runs and three hits with three walks and one strikeout.

The Yankees won the chess match.

“I feel like they had a plan with me coming into the game, and obviously I was just sticking to my plan,” he said. “Throwing my two-seam, especially to righties, I was throwing it inside, and the way I pitch, obviously I don’t throw anything on the plate. For me, the way they kind of deleted that pitch, they made me go with different pitches, and I didn’t realize until my last inning that I was like, ‘Why aren’t they swinging at those pitches, that for me, they look kind of close.’ But that’s part of the game.

“Sometimes you get things like this, that are really good and they get an approach and make you pitch differently.”

The positive takeaway for Teheran was being stretched out.

“That’s what I’m going to take for my next outing, that I got to (52) pitches,” he said. “Obviously, I wanted to finish the third inning, but I was up in the pitch count. But everything else was good. I feel like I made the pitches when I needed to. The bases loaded, obviously I was looking for a ground ball and he was just hacking, and I left that changeup on the plate and that’s what happens when you make a mistake. You get hit here. That’s part of the game.”

* Mike Baumann stranded Rizzo after replacing Teheran, and he notched his fourth scoreless and hitless outing.

Baumann retired the first 13 batters he faced this spring before walking former Oriole Jahmai Jones with two outs in the fourth. LeMahieu nailed Baumann on the side of his right thigh with a 101.9 mph line drive, but the reliever tracked down the ball and threw to first base.

“It got all leg,” he said, laughing. “That one got me.”

Wells struck out on a 97.3 mph fastball to end the third inning. Baumann’s four-seamer touched 98 mph during the at-bat. Kevin Smith led off the fourth by fanning on an 88.7 mph knuckle-curve.

Baumann went 1 2/3 innings in his longest appearance.

“I feel good,” he said. “It was nice to go in there in the middle of an inning and then go back out, kind of sit down and go back out for an inning. Just felt pretty confident out there.”

The Orioles switched Baumann to a permanent relief role last spring and decided to shorten his outings. He went 10-1 with a 3.76 ERA and 1.314 WHIP in 60 games.

“I felt like, since last year, it’s just learning from each outing and trying to build off each one, whether it be good or bad,” he said.

“I’d say overall there were some ups and downs. I think at the end of the year I was happy with how most of it went. There’s definitely a lot to learn from, and when I went back and reflected, there’s definitely some things I could have done better, but a lot of things I want to carry into this season to build off and hopefully get better this year.”

A better outcome for Baumann would be inclusion on a playoff roster. He didn’t make it for the Division Series.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I think their job is to put the best roster out there, and at the time that’s what they went with. We’ve got a ton of good arms, a ton of talent, so there’s a lot of well-deserving guys there.”

Baumann is out of options and earning his opportunity to break camp with the team. Meanwhile, Dillon Tate has tossed four scoreless innings with one hit allowed and no walks, Keegan Akin has tossed five scoreless with one hit, one walk and five strikeouts, Andrew Suárez has thrown six scoreless, and Bryan Baker has thrown four scoreless with one hit and six strikeouts, but he’s also walked four.

Wandisson Charles has tossed four scoreless innings, Chayce McDermott has tossed 6 2/3 scoreless, and Cade Povich has allowed one earned run in seven innings.

“There’s a ton of good arms and I’m just trying to have no regrets at the end of the day, whatever happens,” Baumann said. “So that’s, to me, just doing the best I can and putting in 100 percent each day. There’s a ton of good arms and a lot of well-deserving arms, so we’ll see what happens at the end of camp.”

* Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann loaded the bases in the fifth on two singles and a walk, but he escaped the jam. The bases were full again with no outs in the sixth – left fielder Shayne Fontana lost a fly ball in the sun as he approached the line and the play was ruled a single – and a run scored on a 6-4-3 double play to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead.

The Yankees put a runner on third base against Zimmermann in the seventh after a single, stolen base and throwing error by catcher David Bañuelos, but Coby Mayo fielded Luis Torrens’ grounder and threw home for the out.

* Jackson Holliday hit a tape-measure grand slam yesterday in Dunedin and beat out a slow roller up the third base line today leading off the top of the first inning. He can hurt a pitcher in multiple ways.

Holliday lined a single into center field in his next at-bat against Yankees right-hander Will Warren to raise his average to .333 and OPS to .988. He struck out on his last at-bat, his 12^th in 10 games.

Tyler Nevin had two more hits today and is 12-for-32 (.375) with an .894 OPS in 14 games.

Samuel Basallo received his first spring at-bat in the eighth inning, ran the count to 2-2 against Cody Morris and bounced a changeup to the mound.

* Basallo flied to left field with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees. The Orioles are 14-3-1.

"I think he's tired of hitting on the back fields," Hyde said. "I know he was excited about at least getting an at-bat or two today. As the baseball gods have it, he's in that spot in the end. It was fun to see him out there today."

Basallo hadn't played while recovering from a stress fracture in his right elbow. He won't be cleared to catch until late April.

"I feel really happy, and obviously it felt really nice to just be able to go out there and have a couple swings," Basallo said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "Obviously, the results weren't what I wanted, but it was a really nice experience overall."

Basallo also said his elbow feels "really good," that he feels no discomfort when swinging or making some light throws.

"When it's time to be able to go out there and do it in a game, that's their decision," he said.

Connor Norby had an RBI single in a two-run ninth. Mayo walked.

Hyde came away impressed again with Baumann.

"The overall stuff is just ticked up from last year," Hyde said. "A little bit more rhythm in his delivery. Got a ton of life to his fastball, thought he threw some really good curveballs again today. Love the way he's throwing the ball right now."

As for Teheran's start, Hyde said, "That's a tough top half of the order there, it's a major league top half of the order, and they took some pretty good swings against him. Teheran's got to be on the edges and I thought he missed location a couple times. But he got up over 50 pitches and I thought he changed speeds OK."