Westburg makes first start at second, Mayo keeps mashing, Kremer completes four innings (O's win 10-3)

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Jordan Westburg made the bulk of his major league starts last season at second base. Thirty-five of them among his 50 appearances.

Today marked his first of the spring after four starts at third base and two at shortstop.

Westburg entered the game with five hits in 19 at-bats, including a double, triple and home run. He hadn’t drawn a walk and struck out eight times.

Veteran left-hander Chris Sale walked Westburg to lead off the top of the second inning. Westburg struck out in his next two at-bats.

“I like the way Jordan’s played,” manager Brandon Hyde said during his pregame media scrum in the visiting dugout at CoolToday Park. “He’s going to continue playing all three positions, majority third and second. Think he’s getting more comfortable at third base. I know he’s very comfortable at second base.

“It’s nice to give him quite a few looks this spring to kind of get him used to the speed of the game at third base at the big league level. This has probably been more reps than he’s had in the past.”

Westburg said he’s “trying” to get comfortable at third, where he made 18 starts with the Orioles last summer.

“I feel most comfortable at second,” he said. “I can play shortstop. It’s about getting reps everywhere and making sure when my name is called and put in the lineup at any of those three positions, I can be ready.

“I grew up playing every spot in the infield, so game changes, the game speeds up, and you have to make adjustments. As soon as I got into the organization I was reintroduced to bouncing around, so to me it’s second nature at this point to just be on your toes and just continue to work at all three spots. If there’s a way to get in the lineup, I want to be in the lineup. Now, obviously, you have to hit and that’s another deal, but I trust my defensive capabilities and I just need to continue working at all three spots.”

Westburg made his major league debut on June 26, appeared in 68 games and batted .260/.311/.404 with 17 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 23 RBIs in 228 plate appearances. He was primarily a shortstop at Mississippi State and in the minors, but a second and third baseman with the Orioles because Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo occupied his natural position.

Veteran Adam Frazier was the alternate at second, giving Hyde a left-handed bat in the lineup against right-handers. Westburg had to be patient and wait his turn.

“I thought he did really well, rookie year, came up second half, kind of platooned a little bit. Had a lot of success,” Hyde said.

“I’m sure he came in here with a ton of confidence, knowing he can play at the major league level and play well. And he’s only going to get better. I love Jordan’s makeup. He’s tough, he’s super competitive, loves to play, total team guy. We saw that right away when he came up last year and he’s only gotten better.”

Westburg seems more comfortable in the clubhouse this spring, though he’s always going to come across as a quiet personality, especially next to Colton Cowser.

“I feel like I can be myself a little bit more,” he said. “There’s not as much pressure that I’m putting on myself. On the field, I feel like I’m not doing enough right now. I feel like I’m not getting the job done in the box. I feel like on defense I’m fine, I feel really comfortable on defense, I’m really confident in my ability to play any of those three positions. But at the end of the day you’ve got to hit to be in the lineup, right? Hopefully, I can make strides before Opening Day there.

“I think it’s just trying to take competitive at-bats. I feel like right now I’m swinging at everything, maybe being a little bit too aggressive and I just need to get back to being me. I don’t know really what it is. I’m going to keep working at it. The spin’s getting the best of me, but yeah, maybe it’s early in the spring and I’m freaking out a little bit too early. That’s just who I am. I want to compete.

"I love every single one of these guys in the clubhouse, I want the competition to be good. I don't want something to happen and for it to come easy. I think it's just better for the club that way, too. Iron sharpens iron, and the more guys who are raking and playing different positions, that's just going to push the organization in the right direction, hopefully toward winning that World Series."

Hyde said after a 10-3 win over the Braves that he's more interested in the quality of Westburg's at-bats.

"I don't even know what the stats are so I have no idea what he's hitting," Hyde said. "I think he's been playing really well."

Westburg scored in the second inning when Mateo reached on a bloop single to right field, the runners advanced on Cowser’s grounder to first, and Coby Mayo poked a slider to right field for a two-run double.

Mayo moved up on a balk and scored for a 3-0 lead on Kyle Stowers’ single into center field – another left-on-left knock. Cowser, in another left-on-left matchup, singled to left field with two outs in the fourth, and Sale came out of the game.

Stowers led off the fifth with a line drive single to right field off right-hander Pierce Johnson. Cowser singled off Aaron Bummer in the sixth, making him 8-for-18, and Mayo hit his first spring homer, with the ball clearing the grassy hill in left field and landing in the parking lot.

"I knew it was gone. I didn't know if it was going to stay fair," Mayo said.

"Usually when I hit those balls they kind of hook foul the last second, so I was hoping it was going to stay fair. It stayed so straight."

Mayo is 9-for-26 with a team-leading five doubles and nine RBIs.

"I was feeling a little off and in the cage in Clearwater," Mayo said. "I put in some good work with (upper-level hitting instructor) Sherman Johnson, and kind of got back to my old ways a little bit. Something clicked and I feel great.

"You come into camp preparing to do everything you can for them to make a tough decision, and whether that's going back to Triple-A or making the team, I just want to do everything I can to give myself an opportunity."

"Really impressive," Westburg said. "I haven't gotten to play with him in the minors and this is my first extended look at him essentially, getting to play alongside him, and it's impressive. We all know the juice is there. I didn't realize the hitability is there right now. It's really coming out. He looks like he's made strides from the last time I saw him, and he looks good defensively, too. I know he's bouncing around first and third, but he looks like he's getting more comfortable over there. I'm excited for him and happy for him."

Mayo appreciated his teammate's flattering report and the positive feedback from guys still learning about him.

"It's really cool to have these guys who I've worked out with during instructs and spring training, but not necessarily played with, playing on the same field with them is always really cool," Mayo said. "Westburg went up there and did a heck of a job last year and he's somebody I can always learn from 24/7. It's always great hearing those compliments."

* Hyde said earlier in the day that he hoped to stretch out Dean Kremer to four-plus innings and maybe 60-65 pitches. Kremer needed two pitches to retire the first two batters, and he struck out Matt Olson on seven.

Kremer, in his third spring start, retired the first seven batters with three strikeouts before Eli White doubled. Kremer made a nice barehand pickup and throw to retire Luis Liberato and coaxed a fly ball from Ozzie Albies, but center fielder Ryan McKenna appeared to lose it in the sun, reached for it at the last instant and couldn’t make the catch, the RBI double reducing the lead to 3-1.

The Braves scored again in the fourth after Matt Olson led off with a double, Marcell Ozuna singled and Kremer fielded Travis d’Arnaud’s sharp one-hopper and started a 1-6-3 double play. Kremer retired Orlando Arcia on a popup to complete four frames while Nolan Hoffman was warming in the bullpen.

Kremer is the first Orioles pitcher to finish four innings in an outing.

“With every outing, you’re trying to go a little bit deeper and deeper in games, where it’s a balance of working on things and also trying to get guys out and lengthening yourself as a starter,” Kremer said. “It went well today.”

Asked about how his stuff played against a good Braves lineup, Kremer said, “Solid. I have enough stuff to get guys out. It’s the big leagues. I’m here for a reason. I have to have decent stuff to get guys out.”

Said Hyde: "I thought that was his best outing. Really good life to his fastball. I thought he threw some good curveballs, one or two for a strikeout. Working on that split-change and I thought threw some good ones there, too."

* Keegan Akin tossed another scoreless inning, giving him five.

Cade Povich retired all three batters he faced in the sixth, striking out two, but he allowed an unearned run in the seventh that reduced the lead to 6-3. He came back out and tossed a scoreless eighth.

* The Orioles have made one round of roster cuts and just over two weeks remain in spring training. Has Hyde obtained any more clarity on the 26 players he’s taking north?

“Not much, not much,” he replied.

“I think these next couple weeks are going to say a lot. You spend the first couple weeks kind of just letting them play a little bit, and these next couple weeks we’re going to be evaluating a little bit harder, have more conversations. We haven’t had much at this point. It’s more about just letting these guys play a little bit. Now, we’re getting closer, we’ll start having more discussions on who we’re taking with us.”

* The Orioles scored four runs in the ninth inning, two on John Rhodes' bases-loaded double off infielder-turned-pitcher Charlie Culberson.

Wandisson Charles had a walk and strikeout in a scoreless bottom of the ninth.