Pitcher Cole Irvin was the first, followed by infielder Terrin Vavra. Players jogging down the orange carpet, a Baltimore tradition for the home opener. No one suffering the embarrassment of tripping over it.  

The Orioles hoped to have the same solid footing in their game against the Yankees.

The crowd erupted for Grayson Rodriguez, and later for closer Félix Bautista. Kyle Bradish was cleared to participate after playing catch this morning to test out his bruised right foot – a session aimed more at gauging his progress and when he might be ready to get back on a mound.

Tyler Wells caught the ceremonial first pitch from Governor Wes Moore, who bounced the throw and raised his arms in mock frustration. Moore’s son, James, wore an Adley Rutschman jersey while throwing to Rodriguez. Daughter Mia threw to Jorge Mateo.

The 2023 season already started a week ago in Boston, but it felt more real today.

DENVER – The Nationals have won one game so far through the first week of the 2023 season. That one win came with MacKenzie Gore on the mound. So even though there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about since Opening Day, the presence of the young lefty on the mound should be enough to get excited about tonight’s game at Coors Field.

Gore was outstanding in his Nats debut, holding the Braves to one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. Tonight he faces a Rockies lineup that only managed one run yesterday off Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson, and that run was possible only because of a fly ball lost in the sun. You hate to ask a 24-year-old making his second-ever start for his team to serve as the stopper, but that’s kind of what the Nationals need Gore to be tonight.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how well Gore pitches if his teammates can’t provide some run support. The Nats did not provide any for Gray yesterday, shut out by Kyle Freeland and Co. Tonight, they face perhaps a more favorable matchup in José Ureña. The veteran right-hander and former regular member of the Marlins rotation struggled mightily in his Colorado debut, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks in only 2 1/3 innings against the Padres. The Nationals will have to be careful not to chase if Ureña is regularly out of the strike zone again tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 61 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
LF Alex Call
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
1B Dominic Smith
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
RF Lane Thomas
SS CJ Abrams
CF Victor Robles

After playing series in Boston and Texas, the Orioles will finally reunite with their home fans today for Opening Day in Baltimore. The Orioles (3-3) host the New York Yankees (4-2) to start a three-game series and seven-game homestand.

The Orioles have gone 45-24 in home openers in club history, including 21-10 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Birds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers last year, 2-0, to snap a three-season losing streak in home openers since 2019. The Orioles are 4-4 when their home opener is against the Yankees. The last time they played New York on this day was 2020 – a 9-3 Yankees win. They also won home openers versus New York in 1964, 1972, 2002 and 2009.  

The Orioles own a 1,199-1,222-2 (.495) all-time record in 2,423 games at Oriole Park since 1992. The Birds have mashed 3,012 home runs at Oriole Park since the ballpark opened, including 55 long balls that have landed on the iconic Eutaw Street promenade that separates the ballpark and the historic B&O Warehouse.

The Orioles went 1-2 at Boston and 2-1 at Texas. Wednesday’s 5-2 loss at Texas snapped Baltimore’s eight-game win streak against that club.

The O's opened the 2023 season by hitting multiple home runs in each of their first five games, tied for the third-longest streak to start a season by a team since at least 1901, and tied with the 1994 Orioles for the longest streak in club history. Baltimore was the only MLB team to start the ‘23 campaign with five consecutive multi-homer games. This marked the fifth time in club history that the Orioles homered in each of their first five games to start a season, and first since 2012.

Annual promotion will deliver two $50,000 prizes, including one for the O’s 50th home run of 2023

With the 2023 season underway, Orioles fans are enjoying a new level of excitement. Last season brought the first fruits of a years-long rebuild, as the O’s registered a winning record for the first time since 2016 and stayed in the hunt for a playoff berth all the way through September. Throughout last season, there was a sense that something special was going to happen each game and that there are even bigger moments ahead.

Some of the fans hoping for big moments from the Orioles in 2023 are also participating in this year’s Home Run Riches Contestant of the Game promotion from the Maryland Lottery. The fan-favorite Home Run Riches FAST PLAY game and second-chance promotion are back this year and even bigger than before. 

The Maryland Lottery will again hold monthly drawings to select Contestants of the Game for each of the Orioles’ 162 regular season games. Each winner receives $500 for being picked, and will be designated as the Contestant of the Game for an upcoming Orioles matchup. They’ll also win an additional $500 for each home run the Orioles hit during their designated game.

Last year, the Orioles slugged 171 home runs, led by 33 from outfielder Anthony Santander. The $500 for each of those homers, combined with the $500 each Contestant of the Game won for being drawn, delivered a total of $166,500 prizes. 

The impact of home Opening Day in Baltimore and the renewed enthusiasm for the club really hit catcher Adley Rutschman as he was driving. Passengers in the car next to him wore his No. 35 jersey and began waving to him.

“Got me excited,” he said. “I’m ready to go today. I think everyone’s excited.”

Rutschman paused, turned in a circle and soaked up the atmosphere after moving behind the plate for the first time in his major league debut. What he’s feeling today is similar.

“It’s a new experience and everyone’s told me such great things about Opening Day’s here, just the atmosphere, so I’m really excited,” he said.

“I feel like everyone kind of has similar advice as far as, just enjoying it, making sure you take it in, and you’ll appreciate what you have.”

Among the first challenge of the day for the Orioles, even before they try to beat the New York Yankees, is to navigate that long run down the orange carpet. Every year O’s players joke about not tripping on that jog in. But in reality, it’s just a very special moment for each and every player.

They bask in the cheers of over 40,000 fans and soak it in on another Opening Day in Baltimore. Today Ryan Mountcastle is taking in his third opener in Baltimore.

“It’s crazy. I remember last year doing it," he said. "It’s definitely something that is a once in a lifetime type thing. It’s really cool. Gonna be happy to experience that and all these young guys too. Should be pretty exciting." 

Outfielder Austin Hays, who has run down a few orange carpets, was asked if he has any advice for the young players going through their first Opening Days in Baltimore.

“Just enjoy every second of it,” he said. “Watch your step on that carpet, you can get caught up on it, it has happened in the past. So, watch your step and enjoy every second of it. It really is something special here in Baltimore. Been able to open up a couple of parks now and there is nothing like Camden Yards and the orange carpet is really cool.”

Kyle Bradish is playing catch today to test a right foot and ankle that he said is showing “a lot of improvement.”

Bradish was nailed by a Jonah Heim line drive in the second inning of Monday night’s game in Texas. He’s on the 15-day injured list with a contusion on his foot after X-rays and further testing didn’t reveal a fracture.

“I have no doubt,” Bradish said when asked if he could return when eligible. “If it was a 10-day IL, I’d still be ready for that one, too. So, barring any setbacks, and I don’t believe we’ll have any, yeah, I’ll be ready.”

Bradish said he hadn’t discussed with the club whether he could jog down the orange carpet for introductions in the home opener.

“I’m going to see how it feels when I go out and play catch,” he said. “I would like to, but we’ll see.”

DENVER – Coors Field can play tricks with the minds of pitchers and hitters alike. Pitchers enter this gorgeous ballpark at mile-high elevation and panic about anything left up and over the plate being launched into the stratosphere. Hitters come here and assume all they have to do is get the ball in the air and then watch it fly.

It doesn’t always work that way. It certainly didn’t this afternoon in the 30th home opener in Rockies history, in which the home team scored one run thanks to a fly ball lost in the sun and the visitors never came close to crossing the plate themselves.

Yep, that’s a 1-0 final, only the 11th in ballpark history, the Nationals losing for the sixth time in seven games to begin the season despite getting six highly effective innings from Josiah Gray and two more from reliever Mason Thompson. Quality pitching at altitude matters not if your lineup can’t even score a run.

"It's tough," manager Davey Martinez said. "He threw the ball well. Mason came in, threw the ball well. We couldn't score any runs today."

It's the first time the Nats have been shut out this year, but it's hardly the first time they've been rendered helpless. They've scored a total of 17 runs in seven games. They're batting .227 as a team, while slugging just .289.

DENVER – Though he made it only two days into the season before landing on the injured list, Corey Dickerson is traveling with the Nationals and hoping his stint off the active roster is a short one.

Dickerson, who suffered a left calf strain Saturday against the Braves and was placed on the 10-day IL the following morning, flew with the Nats to Colorado and will spend this road trip rehabbing. The veteran left fielder is already taking light swings in the cage.

“I wanted him here,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He’s feeling better each and every day, which is a good sign.”

Though he’s able to swing a bat, Dickerson has not tested his leg yet. Martinez said that will probably happen first on an AlterG treadmill, after which a decision will be made if he can progress to the field.

Dickerson technically is eligible to return one week from today. Given how few at-bats he was able to take before suffering the injury, he may need to go on a minor league rehab assignment before coming off the IL.

DENVER – Hello from Coors Field, where the Rockies celebrate their home opener this afternoon, the Nationals serving as the visitors for the festivities. It’s not exactly warm here: There were slow flurries last night, and the temperature was below freezing this morning. But it’s supposed to approach 50 degrees later this afternoon, and the bright sunshine does actually make it feel warmer than the temperature.

The Nats come to town for a four-game series, hoping the thin Colorado air helps them hit the ball with a bit more authority. They hit only two homers in six games during the opening homestand, and each of those was a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth with the team trailing by multiple runs. Perhaps the combination of Coors Field and the Rockies pitching staff will help flip that troubling trend.

Unfortunately, the Nationals aren’t going to want the ball to fly too much today with Josiah Gray on the mound. As you surely know by now, the right-hander gave up the most homers in the majors last season, and despite an outstanding spring in Florida served up three of them to the Braves in his 2023 debut. This will be a real challenge for him today, especially considering how much he relies on his breaking balls, which don’t break as much at altitude.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 49 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
LF Alex Call
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
1B Dominic Smith
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams

If I had asked who would be leading the Nationals in on-base percentage six games into the season, how many of you would have said Victor Robles?

Those of you with your hands raised are lying.

But it’s true, as the 25-year-old center fielder currently leads his team by getting on base at a .476 clip through the season’s first two series.

“For me, his on-base percentage,” manager Davey Martinez said when asked what numbers will be most significant in judging Robles’ success this year. “We talk a lot about team at-bats, too, and what they do in team at-bats. So he's a guy that needs to be very situational, whether it's bunting a guy over, getting a guy over from second base with no outs, driving in free runs from third base with less than two outs. Those are the little things that I want to see Victor do.”

It’s a small sample size, sure, but keep in mind where we’re coming from. Robles posted a career-low .273 on-base percentage in 132 games last year and he hasn’t come anywhere near his career-best rate of .348 in 2018 (which came in only 21 games).

On Opening Day, Patrick Corbin suffered through some defensive errors behind him, some bad luck on weak contact by Braves hitters and some poor pitches on his own part. He couldn’t retire the only batter he faced in the fourth while giving up four runs (two earned) and throwing 85 pitches.

In today’s matinee finale against the Rays, he was more efficient with his pitches but at times not all that effective, with the results more of the same in a 7-2 loss to complete a three-game sweep in front of 13,836 fans at Nationals Park.

Corbin kept his pitch count down throughout most of the outing, much better than his first start on Thursday. He had only thrown 69 pitches and 47 strikes while keeping it a 3-2 game through five innings. And he was getting ahead of hitters at a better rate, something he also struggled with against the Braves. Of the 21 hitters he faced through five frames, he got ahead of 12 of them to limit the Rays to six hits and three runs.

But in the sixth he ran into some classic Corbin issues. One out away from a quality start and possibly allowing himself to come out for another inning, he gave up a home run to Harold Ramírez after getting ahead 0-1. The 80-mph slider was just below the zone for the Rays designated hitter to golf over the center field fence to end a streak of 11 consecutive retired batters.

After a single by Manuel Margot, it was time for some of the usual bad luck to strike Corbin again. Victor Robles, who had just made a nice diving grab to rob Isaac Paredes of a leadoff hit, lost Taylor Walls’ fly ball to the Sun Monster, resulting in an RBI double. Then Jose Siri hit an RBI single to right, advanced to second on a throwing error by Lane Thomas and was put out at third on a heads up play by Jeimer Candelario and CJ Abrams.

After consultation with Major League Baseball, tomorrow’s Home Opener at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the Orioles and Yankees has been postponed due to the forecast of severe inclement weather. The game will be made up on Friday, April 7 at 3:05 p.m. ET.

Tickets for tomorrow’s postponed game will be valid for the April 7 game, no exchange necessary. If you are unable to attend on April 7 and are the original ticket purchaser, you can exchange your tickets online at Orioles.com/MyAccount on a dollar-for-dollar basis. All exchanges must be completed before 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 6. Some restrictions may apply. For more information, please visit Orioles.com/Weather. 

The gates to Oriole Park at Camden Yards will open three hours before first pitch, at 12:00 p.m. Fans attending Friday’s game are encouraged to be in their seats, and fans at home are encouraged to tune to MASN, by 2:20 p.m. to enjoy the Home Opener pregame festivities. All fans in attendance will receive an Orioles 2023 schedule magnet.

Complimentary tickets are non-exchangeable and must be used for Friday’s makeup date. 

For the fourth time in their first six games of the new season, the Nationals are facing a left-handed starter in Shane McClanahan for this afternoon’s series finale against the Rays.

While trying to avoid a sweep in just the second series of 2023 and with it still being so early, manager Davey Martinez is playing matchups, stacking his starting lineup with right-handed bats and giving some of his everyday lefty hitters a day off.

That leaves Luis García on the bench for the second straight game after he was removed from the lineup for the first time this season against rookie southpaw Josh Fleming on Tuesday. He did record a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh against righty Kevin Kelly.

Martinez confirmed there is nothing physically wrong with his young second baseman, insisting that he's just playing the matchups. Shortstop CJ Abrams is the only left-handed hitter starting today, with Michael Chavis once again replacing García at second base.

“No, we got a run of just left-handed pitchers, so I kind of want to pick my spots with him,” Martinez said of García. “He came in yesterday, pinch-hit, hit the ball well. But this guy we're facing today, he's tough. He's tough on lefties. Abrams stays in there a little bit better on sliders, so he's gonna play short today. And Chavis swung the bat well yesterday, so I want to get him back out there again and give him a couple of days. But Luis will be back in there. We got a lefty tomorrow, we'll need him today, but he'll be out there again tomorrow.”

Today is April 5? With a sunny forecast and temperatures expected to reach the 80s for an early weekday game, it feels more like July 4 in the District, am I right?

Anyways, good morning from Nationals Park, where the Nats wrap up the first homestand of the season with a 1 p.m. game against the Rays, the only remaining undefeated team in the majors.

Patrick Corbin becomes the first Nationals starter to make his second start in the rotation during today’s finale against the Rays. The Nats will hope to get more length from their veteran southpaw after he only pitched three innings plus one batter against the Braves on Opening Day. Thanks to a couple of errors by shortstop CJ Abrams, some bad luck on soft contact and a few mistakes of his own, Corbin gave up seven hits and four runs (two earned) with three walks and three strikes while throwing 85 pitches (48 strikes) six days ago.

Corbin has made one start against the Rays in his career, going five innings and allowing three runs on three hits and four walks with three strikes at Tropicana Field on June 9, 2021.

The Nationals lineup will have to deal with the fourth left-handed starter they’ve faced already to begin this young season in Shane McClanahan. The 25-year-old Baltimore native is coming off his first All-Star campaign while finishing sixth in American League Cy Young voting last year with a 12-8 record, 2.54 ERA and 0.926 WHIP in 28 starts. He pitched six shutout innings with six strikeouts in an Opening Day win over the Tigers.

The warning, or maybe it was just a gentle reminder, came from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias on the day that the Orioles made their deepest roster cuts in spring training.

“We’re going to need more starters,” Elias said, as media crowded him outside the baseball operations center and sought an explanation for Grayson Rodriguez’s unexpected optioning to Triple-A.

Elias wasn’t breaking new ground, of course, as he stood on the concrete. No team goes through an entire 162-game grind with the same five members of its rotation. But the Orioles were only four deep into their season, the home opener on hold until later in the week, when Jonah Heim’s 104 mph line drive nailed Kyle Bradish on the right foot Monday night and made those words echo louder.

It also made a sickening thud, with initial fears that Bradish suffered a fracture. X-rays were negative for that, but further tests had to be scheduled because MRIs always reveal more.

I wonder why teams even bother with X-rays. There’s always the inevitable MRI.

ARLINGTON, Texas – As news surfaced before first pitch tonight that rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez was expected to make his major league debut on Wednesday afternoon for the Orioles, the club prepared to take the field against Texas. They were looking for a series win and to follow up last night’s uplifting shutout victory over the Rangers.

And they got the win and made it look rather easy, beating Texas 7-2 for their first 2023 win that did not come by either one or two runs. The Orioles improved to 3-2 tonight and Texas falls to 3-2. After sweeping defending National League champion Philadelphia to start their year, the Rangers could get swept in this series by the Orioles.

Just before the game started, multiple outlets reported that the Orioles would call up Rodriguez to make his big league debut in tomorrow afternoon’s series finale.

Rodriguez, 23, the No. 6 prospect in the sport per Baseball America, would be facing Texas right-hander Jacob deGrom, a pitcher with a career 2.55 ERA and two Cy Young Awards. He would also be pitching in his home state for his debut. The O’s drafted him in Round 1 (No. 11 overall) in the 2018 draft out of a high school in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Rodriguez was considered likely to break north with the Orioles in the Opening Day starting rotation, but late in camp was sent back to the minors after pitching to a spring ERA of 7.04 over 15 1/3 innings. He made his Triple-A season debut in Norfolk’s season opener at Durham last Friday night, allowing three runs (two earned) over four innings. He was scheduled to pitch this Thursday for the Tides at home, but now that plan has changed. Rodriguez would be pitching on normal rest tomorrow.

Ryan McKenna gets the start in left field tonight as the Orioles try to guarantee a series win in Texas.

Gunnar Henderson collected his first two hits last night, including a home run, but he's on the bench against Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney. Ramón Urías is starting at third base.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter and Austin Hays is in right.

Cedric Mullins is the leadoff hitter rather than moving down to ninth, as he did versus Boston lefty Chris Sale.

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Anthony Santander DH
Austin Hays RF
Ramón Urías 3B
Adam Frazier 2B
Jorge Mateo SS
Ryan McKenna LF

ARLINGTON, Tex. – The Orioles starting rotation, which covered just 12 innings in three games at Boston to start the year, got another short start today. But this one had nothing to do with the pitcher’s performance.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish, who went 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA last season, took a line drive off his right foot. One-time O’s draft pick Jonan Heim drilled the comebacker at 104 mph. It knocked Bradish off his feet and out of this game. The ball was hit so hard it caromed to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle who recorded an out on the play.

Lefty reliever Danny Coulombe hurried into the game and faced a second and third, two outs situation. And he struck out lefty-hitting Brad Miller on a slider to keep the game 0-0 to end the second inning.

The O’s had big hopes this year for Bradish, in large part to his strong finish to the 2022 season. Over his last 13 starts of the year, beginning in late July, he went 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA. In his last eight starts, he threw four quality starts, going 3-2 with a 2.76 ERA and .500 OPS against.

In Boston, Opening Day starter Kyle Gibson’s five innings was the longest outing by the rotation, which allowed 20 hits and 15 runs over 12 innings. That forced the O’s bullpen to throw 13 2/3 innings in that series and they will be needed heavily again tonight.

After a sluggish start to last season, Lane Thomas is full-steam ahead in the first handful of games to begin 2023.

Sorry for the Lane Train pun, but I can’t help myself.

Thomas is already pacing the Nationals offense by going 5-for-16 (.313) with a run, a double, an RBI and .917 OPS through the first four games. In a much bigger sample size, he hit only .195 with a .581 OPS and nine extra-base hits through the end of May 2022.

It’s just four games, but Thomas is second on the team in batting average and is one of only three players so far to hit for extra bases.

Thomas has been touted as a fastball hitter since his arrival in the 2021 trade with the Cardinals that sent veteran left-hander Jon Lester to St. Louis. He only hit .247 with a .220 expected batting average against the heater last year. So far this year against fastballs, he’s already 4-for-6 with an expected average of .375 and an expected .587 slugging percentage.