There were a lot of positive signs on opening day for the Orioles

It was just one game and one win. One game to start the marathon that is a major league baseball season. But opening day produced some good signs for the Orioles:

* They got some solid at-bats in keys spots, drew five walks and won without hitting a home run
* Newcomer Mark Trumbo went 4-for-5 and Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard had two hits and had fans chanting his name by his third plate appearance
* Tyler Wilson produced a clutch three-inning relief outing and stated his case yet again for the fifth starter's job
* The Orioles beat a team they went 0-7 against last year

But maybe the best sign of all happened during the first two innings. Right-hander Chris Tillman showed outstanding stuff and fanned five batters using a mid-90s fastball.

He looked very good, and a return to pre-2015 form for Tillman would be huge for the Orioles. Catcher Matt Wieters said that was the best he'd ever seen Tillman. That's a big statement.

"It's big," Wieters said of Tillman's outing. "I know he would have loved to keep going in that game. I think you could at least get a feel from those two innings that he threw, that all the hard work he put in during the offseason, it's kind of where he needs to be. Even last year, he grinded out everything. He works harder than any pitcher I've been around. He knows how important he is to this club."

Meanwhile, Wilson went three scoreless allowing just two hits on 38 pitches, 26 for strikes. His manager showed some confidence in him to put him on the mound coming out of the first rain delay. Wilson said it meant a lot that Buck Showalter showed such confidence in him.

"Absolutely. Grateful for the opportunity just like always," Wilson said. "My one promise is I'm going to give you everything I've got every time I go out there. That's is the one thing I can control. Just really excited that ended in an Orioles win.

"It was awesome. An adrenaline pump all day. It was really cool running down that orange carpet and more importantly, finish the day with a win."

Rickard had an amazing major league debut. It was a day I'm sure he'll never forget. For someone who said he was very nervous, he played with poise. He even showed some poise and smarts in how he answered a postgame question. He was asked if he thought about not catching that foul sac fly that tied the game in the seventh inning.

"We talked about it after," Rickard said. "In that certain situation, there is really no right or wrong. I took the out. It's nobody's fault there. In certain situations you do let that drop. I just thought being at home, with this lineup, that was the right play."

You know what, it was the right play. Showalter said so, too. Take the out and get out of that inning tied if you can and try to win it later. That was just how it happened, too.

The Orioles have five walk-off wins on opening day:

* April 6, 1987 versus Texas
* April 3, 1989 versus Boston
* April 2, 2001 versus Boston
* March 31, 2003 versus Cleveland
* April 4, 2016 versus Minnesota

Media days in the minors: Two of the Orioles' minor league affiliates will host media day today. It's a time when reporters hit up the players, coaches and managers with some questions. I'll be at Double-A Bowie this morning and at Single-A Frederick in the afternoon. So check back here later for updates from the homes of both the Baysox and Keys.