Rarely do a reliever’s first warmup tosses in the bullpen create such a stir.

Craig Kimbrel wasn’t getting ready last night for the ninth inning. He was prepping for the seventh in a one-run game. Cue the gasps.

The Orioles went with the reset over their other options, and Kimbrel retired the Diamondbacks in order to preserve a 3-2 lead. One ball was scalded to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Another ball drove right fielder Anthony Santander to the edge of the warning track. But they were outs. Do not quibble.

Kimbrel is working on his mechanics. He isn’t dealing with upper-back tightness or anything else physical. And he’s still the guy who expects the ball in a save situation if he’s available. He said so earlier in the day at his locker.

The Orioles seemed to be on the same wavelength judging by manager Brandon Hyde’s comments after Wednesday night’s thriller in D.C. They didn’t appear ready to demote Kimbrel or do anything drastic.

Craig Kimbrel stood up tonight, removed his jacket and began to throw in the Orioles’ bullpen.

It was the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kimbrel said earlier in the day that he expected to get the ball again in a save situation, but he jogged onto the field for the top of the seventh with the Orioles ahead 3-2. The lights flickered as if he were closing. The entrance didn’t change.

Just the timing of it.

Kimbrel retired the Diamondbacks in order on a 101.4 mph line drive to Ryan Mountcastle, a strikeout at 94.4 mph and a fly ball near the warning track in right field. Twelve pitches, eight for strikes, and Kimbrel was done.

CINCINNATI – As the Orioles watched left-hander John Means roll through seven scoreless last night, getting more swings and misses than he had since his 2021 no-hitter, they had to be excited and elated.

Here it was just May 4 and now both Kyle Bradish and Means are back. The team is 22-11 and in first place. A staff that was already pitching well added an All-Star and a pitcher that finished fourth in the American League Cy Young Award vote in 2023.

In a span of three days, Bradish and Means looked as good as ever, proved they are healthy and combined to allow one run over 11 2/3 innings.

At one time, John Means Day meant a losing O’s team had something to look forward to. Now Means just wants to fit in with a first-place club and do his part.

“You know, this team is playing so well, you just want to join them, you want to feel that energy they are feeling," he said. "So to be back and be able to feel that, pretty incredible.”

CINCINNATI – It was April 17^th in Jacksonville, Florida, and one-time O’s ace John Means was pitching in his fourth injury rehab game with Triple-A Norfolk.

He didn’t get out of the first inning, threw just 34 pitches and gave up five runs and two homers.

But things were very different tonight. Very different.

Means, who had his best rehab game last Sunday with seven scoreless on one hit for the Tides, picked up tonight where he left off there as the Orioles beat Cincinnati 2-1 to take the first two in this series in front of 33,202 at Great American Ball Park.

There was much drama in the ninth as the Reds, down 2-0, got a run off Craig Kimbrel and had bases loaded and one out. But Yennier Cano got the save with a strikeout and flyout to end this thriller and make Means a winning pitcher.

Craig Kimbrel is feeling much better after leaving Sunday’s game against Oakland with tightness in his upper back. However, his availability for tonight remains in question.

Manager Brandon Hyde couldn’t provide much of an update during his media session.

“Not really sure,” Hyde said. “He’s going through some treatment stuff right now and then I’m going to talk to him here in a little bit. But as of right now at 3:42, I’m not really sure.”

Kimbrel did some stretching exercises on the field, played catch and had an extensive bullpen session. He appeared to be throwing with maximum effort.

Hyde is going with a closer by committee during Kimbrel’s absence, with Danny Coulombe getting the last three outs last night for his third career save.

Craig Kimbrel attracted two mound visits today from manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel. The first, after the veteran closer issued a four-pitch walk to the first batter he faced in the top of the ninth inning and fell behind 1-0 to the next. The last, after Oakland's Kyle McCann hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Kimbrel fell behind again 1-0.

A second consecutive blown save from Kimbrel might not be the worst news.

Kimbrel walked off the mound with Ebel while Hyde signaled for Dillon Tate, and the Orioles lost 7-6 before an announced crowd of 40,887 at sun-splashed Camden Yards.

Another attempt failed to record his eighth save this season and the 425^th of his career, which would tie the Red Sox’s Kenley Jansen for fifth place on the all-time list. Kimbrel's fastball was in the mid-90s, but something obviously wasn't right.

Hyde said afterward that Kimbrel had upper-back tightness." Kimbrel was in the trainers' room and unavailable to the media.

He had to wait until his third at-bat today and the 14^th of his major league career, but Jackson Holliday’s first hit came in the last of the seventh today. And it helped fuel a game-winning, two-run rally for the Orioles.

With the O's trailing 4-3 after Milwaukee's Blake Perkins homered off Yennier Cano in the top of the seventh, Jordan Westburg led off the home seventh and punched a single into left.

Then Holliday had his big moment.

Off reliever Abner Uribe, he hit a 1-0 two-seamer at 99.3 mph into right field for a groundball single at 101.4 mph off the bat. Westburg scampered to third and a rally was brewing in Birdland. That hit made Holliday now 1-for-14.

Gunnar Henderson followed with a line single to right to score a run and tie it 4-4, and Holliday made a dash for third and beat the throw. That was important as the next batter, Adley Rutschman, grounded into a 6-3 double play. But because he was on third, Holliday scored the go-ahead run for the 5-4 lead.  

BOSTON – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde thought his club would face three right-handers in the Red Sox series, dictating how he wrote out lineups, but Nick Pivetta won’t pitch on Wednesday due to soreness in his elbow/forearm area.

The substitute for Pivetta hasn’t been announced.

The offense has scored only 23 runs in the past seven games and went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Orioles are batting .195 against lefties.

“I’m not sure who’s throwing tomorrow, but at least two (right-handers) as of right now,” Hyde said. “We have to do a better job against left-handed starters, honestly. I know our record was good against them last year, but the way our lineup is constructed, we’re going to see everybody’s best left-handed starters, their best left-handed relievers. We haven’t swung the bat the best against them this year. We’ve got to do a better job of it going forward.”

Austin Hays is on the bench today against right-hander Brayan Bello. The mustache is gone, and the slump also needs to disappear.

BOSTON – The Orioles have an odd attachment to Opening Day – their own and their opponent’s.

They get to hop in the middle of more festivities this afternoon against the Red Sox, who began their season with a West Coast swing through Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim.

No other team or fan base is allowed to complain about the schedule. The Red Sox own the rights.

They also won seven of 10 games to move 1 ½ ahead of the Orioles.

Eyes shouldn’t be strained from reading too much into either team’s start. However, the off-day allowed for some reflection on the Orioles.

PITTSBURGH – To awaken the Orioles' offense this afternoon, Ryan Mountcastle took the logical route and made loud noises.

It worked for a brief spell, but he couldn’t prevent another slumber. And it killed the series for the Orioles.

Yennier Cano handled closing duties with Craig Kimbrel unavailable and didn't protect a one-run lead. Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski singled, Connor Joe walked to load the bases. Rowdy Tellez grounded to Mountcastle, who got the out at the plate, and Edward Olivares sent a bouncer up the middle that Gunnar Henderson smothered with a diving stop.

With the hint of a game-ending double play in the air, Henderson tapped the bag with his hand and fired the ball past Mountcastle, letting two runs score and giving the Pirates a 3-2 win and back-to-back walk-offs at PNC Park. Henderson was trying to rise from his prone position and execute the latest gem today in the field.

"I usually make that play 99 times out of a hundred, and it just so happens that the throw got away from me right there," Henderson said. "That was pretty unfortunate."

PITTSBURGH – After pitching four times in a span of six games, Orioles reliever Yennier Cano stayed in the visiting bullpen yesterday until Oneil Cruz's walk-off single in a 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Pirates.

Cano is in All-Star form again in the early stages of the 2024 season. He’s tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his usual high-leverage role.

“Very impressed,” said Tim Cossins, who works as the Orioles field coordinator and catching instructor but is in the bullpen for games. “It’s kind of a continuation of what we saw last year. And the way he prepares and the way he goes day to day, it’s not surprising. He’s just one of those guys that’s super routine-oriented and super locked in.”

The finest work might have come in Cano’s most difficult outing.

The Royals put runners on second and third base with no outs Monday in the eighth inning of a tie game. What followed was a groundout with the infield in, an intentional walk, a popup and a called third strike on Nick Loftin.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Tyler Wells appears to be in first-half season form.

Wells was dealing again today against the Rays, allowing only a solo home run by Orioles tormentor Randy Arozarena over four innings. Coupled with his outing on March 1 in North Port, the right-hander has surrendered one run and three hits in six innings.

Nothing has happened to change the perception that Wells is a favorite to nab one of the open rotation spots.

“I think one thing that me and Frenchy (Drew French) talk about a lot is just execution,” Wells said, “and that’s one of my big things today is focus on the good, continue to execute and the results will take care of themselves.”

Wells retired the side in order in the first inning on eight pitches, seven for strikes. He walked Isaac Paredes leading off the second and got the next three outs on a fly ball, strikeout and grounder. René Pinto singled to lead off the third and was erased on a double play.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Catcher Samuel Basallo, the No. 2 prospect in the Orioles’ system, expects to play in the Spring Breakout game on March 14 in Bradenton that features top prospects going head-to-head for seven innings.

Basallo would serve as the designated hitter because he doesn’t expect to be cleared to catch until late April “more or less” due to a stress fracture in his right elbow.

“I sure hope so,” he said this morning via interpreter Brandon Quinones, “and I think those are the plans as of right now.”

Basallo took live batting practice yesterday at Twin Lakes Park for the first time this spring. He’s been hitting against coaches.

“I felt really good and I feel really good overall,” he said. “I was just really happy that I was able to return and play again.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – The fan excitement over spring training has spilled over to the mailbag, which also is spilling.

Time for some mailbag leftovers for breakfast, a mash-up for this side of the site.

Same editing rules – little to none – and same appreciation of your participation.

What did catcher Maverick Handley do to make the Orioles mad at him and not place him on the 40-man roster?
The Orioles didn’t protect anyone in the Rule 5 draft and got away unscathed. They like Handley. He’s in camp. But they rolled the dice that he’d remain in the organization.

What's the early consensus regarding Jackson Holliday? Has it changed from the previous proclamation that he may break camp?
Holliday isn’t promised a spot on the Opening Day roster. He’s competing for it. Nothing has changed. He may break camp.

NORTH PORT, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson is taking live batting practice this morning back in Sarasota, his first sessions since reporting to camp on a reduced schedule.

Henderson felt some tightness in his left oblique in January while long-tossing at home. He’s hit in the cage during regular batting practice.

The presence of a real pitcher should be the final step before his exhibition debut. But his return isn’t imminent.

“I would imagine wouldn’t be too many more days before I get out there,” he said. “I don’t have the exact day, but I would say sometime this coming week.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said Henderson and second baseman Connor Norby should get into their first game in the “next three to four days.”

It’s still very early in spring training but never too early to take a shot at guesses – and that is what they truly are, guesses – at the makeup of the Opening Day roster.

Today I will take a shot at projecting an eight-man bullpen that would work behind a starting group of five pitching in some order to include Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Cole Irvin and Tyler Wells beginning March 28.

At the back-end closing games is righty Craig Kimbrel, who will have that job for the opener barring a big surprise or an injury issue.

The Orioles, minus Félix Bautista for this season after his surgery, will be turning over the job to a very experienced pitcher who is a nine-time All Star that ranks eighth all-time with 417 saves.

He led the NL in saves four straight years from 2011-2014 and has 11 seasons of 20 or more saves.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The 10^th day of Orioles spring training also brings the first exhibition game. Blowing past another mile marker. A home game for a team that wants to do more traveling in the playoffs after October’s brief stay in Arlington, Texas.

Corbin Burnes is the surprise starter this afternoon against the Red Sox in Sarasota. Manager Brandon Hyde explained that Burnes is lined up in camp to pitch today. And Burnes obviously had some input in it.

He wanted to ball on the stadium mound instead of a back field. And Hyde clearly has no qualms about a division opponent seeing Burnes.

Yeah, let’s do away with that concern. Teams have scouts and video, and certainly a working knowledge of an ace like Burnes. There are no secrets here.

The lineup will be posted later this morning, along with other pitchers available behind Burnes. We only know that Adley Rutschman is catching, but many of the regulars are expected to play. It’s the first game and it’s airing on MASN. Don’t hold back.

The evolution of a baseball season touches a team’s roster, and the Orioles underwent some interesting and important changes in 2023.

James McCann was on the injured list Opening Day with a strained oblique, but he served as a trusted backup to All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman and a veteran leader in the clubhouse. A media favorite for his availability and thoughtful responses, for being a standup guy even while seated at his locker. A manager favorite for his toughness.

The kind of positive influence that organizations appreciate.

Other exclusions from the Opening Day roster had nothing to do with injuries and might be forgotten, considering their impact on the first division title since 2014.

Reliever Yennier Cano appeared in three games in 2022, allowed nine runs and nine hits with five walks in 4 1/3 innings and didn’t make the club out of spring training this year. He allowed four runs over seven exhibition innings, but walked only one batter and struck out 10 after tweaking his delivery and discovering how to repeat his arm slot.

A few weeks back, I wrote about three players that surprised us in a good way with their play during the 2023 season. It was easy to note Ryan O'Hearn and Yennier Cano, both were huge surprises and so big for the 2023 Birds.

I added Kyle Bradish and not that we didn't think he could be a good pitcher. But maybe not that good. But he was and he wound up fourth in the Cy Young Award voting.

Here is that earlier blog here. 

Here are a few more surprises from the season. 

Outfielder Aaron Hicks: On the same day the Orioles put Cedric Mullins on the injured list for the first time - May 30 - they signed Aaron Hicks. A few days before that he had been designated for assignment by the Yankees and later released.

Gunnar Henderson needs to build a wing onto his trophy case. The kind that also can't be clipped.

Henderson will be named American League Rookie of the Year tonight in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The first Oriole since closer Gregg Olson in 1989 and the seventh overall.

I believe in miracles, but there isn’t one that can deny Henderson of the honor.

Henderson already won The Sporting News and Major League Baseball Players Association Players Choice Award as the league's top rookie. His competition tonight is the Red Sox’s Tristan Casas and the Guardians’ Tanner Bibee.

I can’t reveal my ballot until tonight’s announcement, but yeah, those three sound right to me.