masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgTemperatures are expected to rise into the 50s today, with zero chance of rain. This qualifies as baseball weather in Baltimore as the season’s first homestand draws to a close.
Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim is expected to make his Orioles debut against Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Vance Worley will take the mound in his Orioles debut.
Two of the last three Orioles to get into a game will take the field unless there’s been a change in plans with Kim. We know for sure that Worley is…

Temperatures are expected to rise into the 50s today, with zero chance of rain. This qualifies as baseball weather in Baltimore as the season’s first homestand draws to a close.

Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim is expected to make his Orioles debut against Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Vance Worley will take the mound in his Orioles debut.

Two of the last three Orioles to get into a game will take the field unless there’s been a change in plans with Kim. We know for sure that Worley is pitching.

We’re pretending that last night never happened. Mike Wright and left-hander Drew Smyly were supposed to start, they warmed up as if they were going to pitch, and they no longer were available for today after the Orioles announced the postponement.

Wright was bumped from Friday to Saturday to accommodate Chris Tillman, who worked on three days’ rest. Weather and Worley combined to bump Wright again, and we don’t know when he’s going to debut.

As I wrote yesterday, the Orioles have Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez and Tillman scheduled to start at Fenway Park. We’ll find out today whether manager Buck Showalter is going to make any adjustments.

I’m also curious how Kim would fit into today’s lineup. Would he serve as the designated hitter instead of Pedro Alvarez, who was supposed to be on the bench last night with Smyly pitching. It would have been lefty versus lefty, which no longer is the case with Odorizzi on the mound.

Joey-Rickard-throw-spring-sidebar.jpgKim could play left field and Joey Rickard could stay in center field if Adam Jones misses another game with soreness in his rib area. If Jones returns to the lineup, which Showalter hinted was a possibility, does Kim start in left instead of Rickard?

Do you dare mess with the Rule 5 pick? I only know that you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, spit in the wind or pull the mask of that old Lone Ranger.

Worley has never faced the Rays and he’s gone against only one current player, Logan Morrison, who’s 1-for-5 with a walk and strikeout against him.

Odorizzi faced the Blue Jays in his first start and allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits and struck out 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings in the Rays’ 3-2 victory. He’s 2-2 with a 4.79 ERA in eight career appearances (seven starts) against the Orioles and 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA and 1.950 WHIP in four starts at Camden Yards, with 16 runs and 29 hits allowed in 20 innings.

Jones is 8-for-20 with a double and home run against Odorizzi. J.J. Hardy, who hasn’t been in the lineup the past two nights because of stiffness in his left calf, is 4-for-14 with a home run. Ryan Flaherty is 1-for-10 with five strikeouts.

Odorizzi is 11-11 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.095 WHIP in 36 career games at home and 9-13 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in 33 games on the road.