SARASOTA – The Orioles went through another live batting practice session today on the stadium field with Cade Povich, No. 5 prospect José De León and Andrew Kittredge on the mound.

Blaze Alexander homered down the left field line against Povich in the second “inning,” after Pete Alonso singled

Leody Taveras singled to right field against Povich in the first inning and Alonso drew a walk. Povich retired Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill and Alexander.

Povich struck out Taveras in another at-bat.

“I felt really good,” Povich said. “Just trying to execute some things that I’ve been working on coming out of last year, and feeling healthy, which is I think the biggest thing. Just trying to use the lives to work on some things and just kind of get that competitive pitcher versus hitter battles back.”

Povich has pinpointed the need to finish the fastball a little more, working down and eliminating the up and arm side misses.

“Having guys like Pete be able to step in and tell you what he sees has definitely helped,” Povich said. “Helped me think a little bit about how to approach guys, and just trying to overall work on things that play off each other and really just keep it simple and not trying to overcomplicate things.”

Povich made 20 starts and twice followed an opener last season. He might get squeezed out of the rotation and doesn’t know whether he could be used in a relief role, giving the Orioles a third left-hander with Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns.

“Obviously, for the majority of my outings I’ve been a starter,” he said. “They tell me the pitch count, how many innings I have, and kind of work off that. Whatever spot they need me in for this team and to help this team, I’m going to listen and do as they say and give my 100 percent no matter what.”

De León faced three batters. Ward singled, Taveras hit a fly ball down the right field line that probably would have gone for an extra-base hit, and O’Neill walked after a foul popup that otherwise would have been an out.

Kittredge faced four batters, giving up a single to Ward and walking O’Neill on a borderline pitch. Alonso and Taveras hit fly balls.

Alonso kept the chatter going in a much smaller group of teammates at the dugout railing.

“Go orange, go black.”

“Good pitch. Go team.”

“That’s good baseball everybody.”

“I think just kind of the attitude that he’s shown to other hitters during lives, trying to work with them, it seems like almost every pitcher he faces during lives, he’s gone up to and kind of talked about things that he sees that are really good, what he might have done if I had thrown a certain pitch in a different location than where I might have thrown it,” Povich said.

“He’s a workhorse over at first base, too, just in PFP’s back there. It’s great to have a guy like him.”

Albert Suárez, Richard Guasch and Eric Torres threw live BP on a back field.

Reliever Yennier Cano impressed again yesterday in live BP and the Orioles’ bullpen can be a real strength if he’s back to 2023 form, when he made the American League’s All-Star team and finished with a 2.11 ERA. He’s the X factor.

“He’s gross. He’s still gross. Like, his stuff is still gross,” said manager Craig Albernaz.

“What I didn’t realize is how athletic that dude is. He is such a great athlete. And it’s tough to tell when you’re a reliever coming in, the athleticism being across the way, but to see it every day like in his catch play, PFPs, we were doing bunt defenses. And makes sense where our pitching coaches are making suggestions and he can do it fairly quickly because he has that athleticism.

“Right now to me, he just looks great. Confidence, moving down the slope well. And the shapes are right where they need to be. He’s continually work hard, and all my conversations with him is that, he knows he’s not a finished product, he knows that there’s always little dials to turn to get better. The dude’s a freak. He’s a freak on the mound and it’s fun that I’m wearing the same uniform as him, not watching him carve up guys on my team watching across the way.”

The Orioles did infield work on the stadium field this morning, and Coby Mayo remained at third base with Weston Wilson.

Alexander was at second base with Jeremiah Jackson and Jackson Holliday, who stood and watched. He can’t participate while healing from hamate bone surgery.

Luis Vázquez joined Gunnar Henderson at shortstop.

Holliday will have the stitches removed from his right hand Monday.

“It feels great,” he said. “They say it looks great. I don’t know. I looked at it the first time and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if that looks right,’ and they were like, ‘Oh no, it’s fine, it’s fine.’ According to them it looks great and it feels great. Mobility. Just excited to get back after it.”

Holliday doesn’t know when he can really dive into baseball activities.

“I just know Monday I get the stitches out and then I can start sweating. Right now I can’t sweat. Once I get that rolling, be able to run, lift and start to hold things I guess. So hopefully sooner rather than later,” he said.

“I can watch and get to know Alby and the new coaches and kind of talk through some of the things. Each coach is a little different, and doing things a little bit different than we did last year and the year before. Always evolving. So be out there, not be too far behind is kind of my goal and just be able to go out there and compete and play baseball is my goal as soon as this thing is over.”

Orioles Hall of Famer Adam Jones, hired last year as special advisor to the president of baseball operations/general manager and community ambassador, is in camp today as a guest coach. He’s here until Feb. 28.

“He offers so much,” Albernaz said. “It was just fun introducing him in the staff meeting. You have someone like that stature who comes in where he’s a five-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glover, Silver Slugger, what he meant to the Orioles.

“The coolest thing I mentioned in the staff meeting, too, is, what he’s doing right now with the game, like being vice president of BAT (Baseball Assistance Team), trying to help people and move it forward. He’s such a great human being. So having someone who has done it and performed at a high level in the big leagues, and also the person he is, it’s awesome to have him around.”

Albernaz is waiting until Thursday to announce the next day’s starter for the exhibition opener against the Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium.

Submit your predictions, keeping in mind who threw yesterday and today.

Albernaz issued the popular manager warning about not reading too much into spring lineups.

“Who’s hitting where in the lineup is not going to dictate where they’re gonna hit during the season,” he said. “There’s a rhyme and a reason to it. Guys getting at-bats and who’s playing.”