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The Orioles today announced their 2024 Grapefruit League schedule, which is slated to begin Saturday, February 24, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. against the Boston Red Sox. The club’s 2024 spring schedule features 16 home games, including eight weekend games.
The O’s will face nine different opponents during Grapefruit League play, with 13 of the club’s 32 games against American League East divisional rivals – Boston Red Sox (3 games; 2 at home), New York Yankees (2 games; 1 at home), Tampa Bay Rays (4 games; 2 at home), and Toronto Blue Jays (4 games; 2 at home).
The Orioles will play a spring-high six games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, three of which will be at Ed Smith Stadium. Baltimore will also host the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and Philadelphia Phillies during the 2024 Spring Training slate.
The team’s 16-game road schedule features three games at the Braves and Pirates, two games at the Blue Jays, Rays, and Twins, and one game at the Phillies, Red Sox, Tigers, and Yankees.
The 2024 season will mark the Orioles’ 15th Spring Training season in Sarasota and the club’s 14th season at the renovated Ed Smith Stadium.
The Orioles will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 1983 World Series title with a special pregame ceremony on Saturday, August 5, prior to the 7:05 p.m. ET game against the New York Mets. The pregame ceremony will feature returning players of the 1983 championship team, including Orioles Legends and National Baseball Hall of Famers EDDIE MURRAY, JIM PALMER, and CAL RIPKEN, JR.
The first 20,000 fans, 15 and over attending Saturday’s game will also receive an EDDIE MURRAY 1983 World Series bobblehead, presented by Royal Farms.
In addition to Murray, Palmer, and Ripken, over 20 members of the 1983 World Champion Orioles have already confirmed their attendance, including MIKE BODDICKER, AL BUMBRY, STORM DAVIS, RICK DEMPSEY, DAN FORD, GLENN GULLIVER, TITO LANDRUM, DENNIS MARTINEZ, TIPPY MARTINEZ, SCOTT McGREGOR, PAUL MIRABELLA, DAN MOROGIELLO, ALLAN RAMIREZ, GARY ROENICKE, LENN SAKATA, JOHN SHELBY, KEN SINGLETON, JOHN STEFERO, and BILL SWAGGERTY.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:20 p.m. to enjoy the ceremony. To purchase tickets for the August 5 game, please visit Orioles.com/tickets.
Murray and additional members of the 1983 team, along with the Oriole Bird, will participate in a clinic at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for 50 local Baltimore City youth from The Weinberg Y in Waverly, providing instruction on the fundamentals of baseball.
PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles have put outfielder Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and recalled Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Ryan McKenna.
Hicks was removed from last night’s game with hamstring cramping after diving for a fly ball. He underwent testing to determine whether he had a strain.
Cedric Mullins is on the injured list with a right adductor groin strain, and Hicks joins him after batting .252/.349/.435 with four doubles, a triple, six home runs and 20 RBIs in 42 games since the Orioles signed him on May 30.
McKenna batted .253/.315/.392 in 62 games with the Orioles. He’s hitting .217/.294/.500 with two doubles, a triple and three home runs in 12 games with Norfolk.
Colton Cowser could start in center field tonight against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker.
The Double-A Bowie Baysox have a record that is under the .500 mark at 43-47. But they are just a ½ game out of first place in the second half. And since May 19, they have been playing .589 ball at 33-23.
Infielder Coby Mayo was a big reason for that. He had an OPS of 1.027 in 78 games with Bowie until his recent promotion to Triple-A Norfolk. On July 14, the Baysox added shortstop Jackson Holliday, now ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the sport by both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com.
But as the Baysox have played better since a slow start, three somewhat unheralded position players with varying levels of success on the stat sheet, have been fixtures in the lineup. Billy Cook, who can play all over the diamond on defense and outfielders John Rhodes and Donta' Williams have all had some nice stretches of play for Bowie. All three are members of the Orioles’ 2021 draft class.
After a slow start – and he was hitting under .200 well into May, Cook’s bat has heated up big time. Baltimore’s 10th-round pick out of Pepperdine in that 2021 draft, Cook posted an OPS of .885 in May, .909 in June and it’s 1.017 in July. So yeah, that bat is hot.
“He started out with some struggles and now he is one of our top offensive producers,” manager Kyle Moore said in a recent interview. “Made some good adjustments. I feel like this staff was doing some of our best coaching earlier when our team was struggling. John Rhodes has done tremendous making some adjustments, Donta Williams, OPS over .800 in June and earlier he scuffled badly.
PHILADELPHIA – A line drive traveling 356 feet the other way became Jordan Westburg’s first major league home run.
He couldn’t pause to admire it, as Gunnar Henderson did yesterday with a 446-foot shot off the D-catwalk ring at Tropicana Field. Westburg raced out of the box, slowed into his home run trot and pointed his index finger toward the outfield as he approached second base.
Westburg put a sinker about three rows deep into the right field corner in the second inning. He also put the Orioles in a favorable spot, with their 31-8 record when scoring first leading the majors before tonight.
Ryan Mountcastle broke a tie with a 451-foot homer to center field in the sixth, Colton Cowser broke another in the ninth with a two-out bloop double down the left field line and a short bullpen held up at the end in a 3-2 victory before an announced sellout crowd of 44,043 at Citizens Bank Park.
There’s no slowing this team, which has won five of six games, 13 of 16 and 14 of 19. The Orioles are a season-high 24 games above .500 at 62-38, including 32-18 on the road. And they lead the idle Rays by 2 ½.
The Orioles road trip continues tonight in Philadelphia, where they play the first of three games at Citizens Bank Park. The Orioles won three of four against the Tampa Bay Rays, winning the three games by four total runs to grab a two-game lead atop the American League East.
The Orioles (61-38), who play their 100th game tonight, were 6.5 games back of Tampa Bay on July 1 and six games back on July 4. So far this month, the Orioles are 13-6 while the Rays are 4-14, and they have gained 8.5 games on the Rays in that span.
With Sunday’s 5-3 win at the Trop, the Orioles improved to 6-3 this season against Tampa Bay and to 6-0 in games decided by two or fewer runs. The Orioles are 15-10 their past 25 games versus the Rays after going 2-27 in the previous 29.
They also gained their first series win at Tropicana Field since June 23-25, 2017.
The Orioles have now won four of five, 12 of 15 and 13 of their past 18 games. They are 7-3 since the All-Star break, and a season-high 23 games over the .500 mark.
PHILADELPHIA – Adley Rutschman is out of tonight’s lineup to open the series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. However, the All-Star catcher’s health is fine.
Manager Brandon Hyde is giving Rutschman a rest day, whether it lasts the full nine innings or until he’s needed off the bench.
“He played all four games in Tampa on the turf, caught three of them,” Hyde said this afternoon, “so just give him a day off today.”
Closer Félix Bautista won’t be used tonight after pitching four of the last five days, recording three saves and a two-inning win.
Bautista leads the American League and is third in the majors with 28 saves. He’s gotten a save or win in 33 of 45 appearances for a 73.3 percentage that would be the fourth-highest in club history behind Jim Johnson’s 74.6 in 2012, Randy Myers’ 77 in 1997 and Lee Smith’s 82.9 in 1994, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles have won 12 of their last 15 games, averaging six runs during that stretch, and return to interleague play tonight against the Phillies.
Gunnar Henderson is in the cleanup spot as the designated hitter. He’s batting .291/.375/.655 (16-for-55) with five home runs, 13 RBIs and 14 runs scored in his last 14 games.
Henderson’s 16 home runs this season are the fourth most among rookies behind Corbin Carroll (21), Francisco Alvarez (19) and Josh Jung (19). The Orioles are 12-3 in the 15 games when he’s homered.
James McCann is catching, with Adley Rutschman on the bench.
Austin Hays is leading off. Jordan Westburg is playing second base, Jorge Mateo is the shortstop and Ramón Urías is the third baseman.
In some ways it was a familiar script for the Orioles. Big plays, big hits and another big win. In other ways it was different.
Different as in they won a big series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. In recent years they haven’t played very many big series there and certainly have won very many series of any kind.
Going into the 2023 season, the Orioles had lost 15 straight series at the Trop. A place where, from the 2020-2022 seasons, they went 3-18. They had last won a series there June 23-25, 2017. But they take three of four this series and leave there with a two-game lead atop the AL East.
With a 6-3 lead in the season series – and the Rays have won six straight season series from the O’s – they need just one win in four games when these clubs meet in September to win this year’s season series. That would be big for tiebreaker purposes. If these teams are tied for the division lead or any playoff spot when the regular season ends, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head play.
From Aug. 25, 2020, through April 10, 2022, the Orioles were 2-27 versus the Rays. The clubs have now played 25 games since that date and the Orioles are 15-10 in those games.
The Orioles accomplished a goal this weekend of leading their division.
Now, they want to pad it.
Gunnar Henderson singled and hit a 446-foot home run in the first two innings, and Ryan O’Hearn broke a tie in the sixth with a line drive off the left field foul pole in a 5-3 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 23,440 at Tropicana Field.
A 19th series win left the Orioles with a 61-38 record, their most games above .500 this season. They’ve gone 6-3 against the Rays, with four remaining in September at Camden Yards.
Tampa Bay would need a sweep to claim the tiebreaker if the teams are tied. The Orioles hold a two-game lead as they board a flight to Philadelphia.
The Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays wrap up this four-game series today and the worst the Orioles can do is leave with a 2-2 split. This will be the third series against the Rays this year and Baltimore has not lost any of them, winning one 2-1, splitting one 1-1 and leading this series 2-1 heading into today.
Sandwiched around a 3-0 loss Friday where they were held to two hits, the Orioles have two victories this series by one run. In each game they held a lead, got tied late as they lost the lead but went on to win the game. They pulled out Thursday’s game in the tenth and Saturday’s in the ninth.
The Orioles (60-38) now again have the AL East lead by one game over the Rays (61-41).
The Orioles are 2-1 this series, 6-3 in the second half and 11-3 since winning July 5 at Yankee Stadium. The O’s have outscored their opponents 85-52 during this 11-3 run.
The Orioles are 5-3 against the Rays in 2023. They have lost the three games by scores of 0-3, 2-7 and 0-3. The five wins have all come by two runs or less and three of the games were decided by one run. So they are 5-0 against Tampa Bay in games decided by one or two runs and 3-0 in one-run contests.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Colton Cowser is in right field and Aaron Hicks gets the start in center field, as the Orioles try for their 19th series win and a two-game lead over the Rays in the American League East.
Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg are on the bench.
Gunnar Henderson is leading off and playing shortstop. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Ramón Urías is the third baseman, with Adam Frazier at second.
Tyler Wells leads the majors with a 0.984 WHIP in 19 games. He faced the Rays on June 21 at Tropicana Field and allowed four runs (two earned) with six strikeouts in five innings.
Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes homered in the second inning.
Sometimes you have to win the game twice. Sometimes you have to do it twice within the same series.
Thursday the Orioles lost a two-run lead in the seventh but won the game. Yesterday they lost a five-run lead in the sixth and two-run lead in the eighth and yet won the game.
It is what good and tough teams can do. It is why the Orioles, who were 6.5 games back of the Rays on July 1, lead the AL East by one game today.
James McCann and Jorge Mateo drove in two runs each versus Shane McClanahan early on and late in the game McCann had an amazing sac bunt and Ryan O'Hearn had a clutch hit in the ninth. Once again there were several big plays on defense with Gunnar Henderson again in the middle of it. Cionel Pérez got a huge out and Félix Bautista was outstanding again.
It's been said this O's team features a roster without a lot of playoff experience. But they are certainly gaining big game experience in front of our eyes.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles played the kind of game yesterday that is hard to summarize in one story. Even on the internet and with its limitless space.
That’s what happens when a top pitching prospect is lights out indoors for five innings. When a lead is lost in the eighth, but a game is won in the ninth. With so many contributors and key moments. From the most obvious, like a tie-breaking single, to a sacrifice bunt that usually warrants one line or less.
Here are a few leftover observations:
Depth size matters.
Adam Frazier batted for Ramón Urías leading off the ninth and singled. Ryan O’Hearn batted for Jorge Mateo with one out, after James McCann avoided a 98.6 mph fastball by ducking and bunting at the same time, and he dropped an RBI single into right field.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles have faced Baltimore native Shane McClanahan nine times in his career. Or “too much,” according to manager Brandon Hyde.
McClanahan led the majors in ERA as he warmed for today’s start, preparing for a team that scored one run in its last 15 innings. A team that never beat him and was shut out in six innings in an earlier matchup this year.
The challenge for the Orioles was bereft of subtleties. It was a hammer to the head.
They pounded McClanahan in the fourth, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs. They got an impressive performance from rookie Grayson Rodriguez. And they recovered from a late blown lead to move ahead in an important series with a 6-5 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 25,025 at Tropicana Field.
Key hits off the bench were the final nails.
The Orioles beat Tampa Bay 4-3 in 10 innings Thursday night and were held to just two hits in a 3-0 loss last night. So the O’s and Rays are right back where they were and separated by just percentage points when this series started.
They are tied for first atop the American League East with the Orioles at 59-38 (.608) and Tampa Bay at 61-40 (.604) and two games to go this series.
Friday’s loss snapped the Orioles’ six-game road win streak, their longest away from Oriole Park since an eight-game streak from July 25 to Aug. 13, 2020.
With Thursday's win, the Orioles have now gone 71 consecutive series without being swept. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most consecutive series of at least two decisions (no ties) without getting swept in Orioles history, ahead of 46 consecutive sweepless series from 1971-72. It is the ninth-longest such streak in MLB history, trailing the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals (124), 1906-09 Chicago Cubs (115), 1903-05 New York Giants (105), 1922-24 New York Yankees (83), 1904-1906 Philadelphia Athletics (74), and 1921-23 St. Louis Browns, 1997-99 San Diego Padres, and 2003-05 Atlanta Braves (72).
The Orioles have won 10 of their past 13 games and have scored 79 runs in those games.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson moves back to third base today and Jorge Mateo is the shortstop, as the Orioles continue their series against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Jordan Westburg is out of the lineup.
Austin Hays is leading off and playing left field. He’s in a 4-for-31 slump in his last nine games.
Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ryan Mountcastle is batting cleanup as the first baseman.
Grayson Rodriguez is making his 12th major league start. He faced the Rays on May 9 in Baltimore and allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Wander Franco and Taylor Walls hit home runs. Walls went on the injured list today with a strained oblique.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Félix Bautista sat in the visiting bullpen last night, knowing the phone wasn’t ringing for him.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde needed Bautista to close out Wednesday afternoon’s game at Camden Yards. He needed Bautista Thursday night to cover the ninth and 10th innings in a 4-3 win over the Rays that catapulted his club into sole possession of first place.
A save situation last night was going to be someone else’s responsibility.
Let the Mountain rest.
The Orioles were shut out 3-0. The entire offense went into a slumber.
The Orioles showed confidence in rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez when they gave him the ball on Monday in the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They brought the kid back from the farm knowing he would face one of MLB’s best offenses followed by a start against Tampa Bay, which comes this afternoon.
They knew his MLB stats this year showed a 2-2 record and 7.33 ERA. That his ERA when last seen in the majors was 11.14 over five starts in May.
They also knew he was pitching well on the farm, had made solid gains on his control and command and was also hitting 100 mph again when his heater topped out.
Rodriguez allowed four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings in that Monday game against the Dodgers, but the final line included two runs that scored after he left the game. He allowed just one run over the first five innings before he took the mound for the sixth.
It was sure an outing to build on and much better than when he was last seen on the O’s mound.
With a series-opening win against Tampa Bay under their belts, the Orioles look to make it two in a row tonight to open this four-game series. And they start tonight behind a pitcher on a real roll.
The Orioles (59-37) beat the Rays (60-40) 4-3 in 10 innings in the opener of the series. Colton Cowser’s sac fly to left on an 0-2 pitch scored the go-ahead run in the 10th. And then right-hander Félix Bautista put up a zero to get the win in the last of the 10th. Bautista, pitching for the second day in a row, needed just 15 pitches to get six outs in the victory.
The Orioles are in first place for the first time after 95 games of a season since Aug. 15, 2016. Until last night, the Rays had been in first place (or tied for the lead) in the American League East for the entire season.
The win means the Orioles have now gone 71 straight series without being swept. Baltimore is now 29-17 on the road, 6-5 in extra-inning games, 11-5 in July, 21-11 in series-opening games and 17-9 in one-run games.
The Orioles have now won 10 of their past 12 games, outscoring opponents 79-44 in that span.
