The emergence of Grayson Rodriguez has been a boost to the Orioles’ rotation and the psyche of the fans after a shaky spring training.

Rodriguez made his Camden Yards debut on April 11, allowing five runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 4.1 innings in a 12-8 win against the Oakland Athletics.

“Man, that was probably the most awesome thing that I’ve ever been a part of,” Rodriguez said. “To see Oriole Park at Camden Yards from the pitchers’ mound, that’s something I’ll never forget.”

His performance in his first two starts should earn him more opportunities in the rotation moving forward. The Orioles have to be happy with his performance thus far, and Rodriguez appears to become more confident with each start.

The rest of the rotation has been mostly uneven through the first couple weeks of the season.

The addition of Kyle Gibson appears to be a shrewd move by the club. The veteran right-hander has earned a victory in each of his first three starts for the second time in his career. He won his home debut on April 10 after allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts, three walks and a wild pitch in 6.1 innings against Oakland.

Gibson says he always enjoys pitching at Camden Yards, and that’s a good sign for the Orioles.

“One thing about baseball that’s great is every park is different,” Gibson said. “Every park plays differently, every park, the ball flies a little differently, so to have a little bit different left field, I think it adds to the nuance of the game. I don’t think right-handed hitters, probably, enjoy that nuance here, but it’s part of the game.”

There are some question marks with the bottom of the rotation with the imminent return of Kyle Bradish, who will begin an injury rehab assignment later this week after suffering a foot injury in Texas.

Cole Irvin, who was acquired from the Athletics this offseason, needs to get on track after allowing nine runs and 12 hits in his first two starts for the Orioles, who lost both of those games. He has struggled with his curveball, often leaving the ball in the middle of the plate which has allowed hitters to take advantage. Through two outings, Irvin is 0-2 with a 9.35 ERA with a 2.08 WHIP. He has also walked six batters and struck out nine.

“I’m definitely not happy with the walks,” Irvin said after his most recent start against the Yankees on April 8. “They cost us an extra inning out of the bullpen. I pride myself in getting deep in ballgames and giving the bullpen a day off, so I just didn’t do enough today to allow them to rest a little bit more. Walks and deep counts … I wasn’t getting ahead of guys.”

Dean Kremer has also had some early struggles. He has allowed three home runs, which is the most of any Orioles pitcher. Opposing batters appear to have adjusted to his cutter, which was his dominant pitch last season. Kremer is winless in his first two starts with a 10.13 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. He has struck out seven batters and walked four.

Kremer lasted just three innings in Boston on April 1, allowing five runs and six hits in his first start. In the Orioles’ home opener against the Yankees on April 7, he gave up four runs and five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five-plus innings.

“I felt better this time than I did last time,” Kremer said. “I did a better job mixing pitches and keeping them off balance.”

The biggest surprise has been Tyler Wells, who won the job as the fifth starter out of spring training. Wells is also a team-first player and he volunteered to pitch in relief when Bradish was injured against the Rangers.

Wells is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two appearances. He is commanding his fastball and has shown a huge upside for the club moving forward.

“I have high expectations and high goals for myself each time I take that mound,” Wells said. “To me, it gives you something to always work for. You’re never going to be at a point where you’re just like, ‘Oh, this is going to be easy.’ This is the hardest thing you can probably do in the game of baseball is being a starting pitcher and surviving and making a career out of it.”

The return of John Means around the All-Star break should be another boost to the starting rotation.

The competition among the starters to keep their spots will become increasingly heated, and that’s a good problem for the Orioles.

Mountcastle Has Record-Setting Night

Ryan Mountcastle tied a franchise record with nine RBIs in a 12-8 victory against the Athletics on April 11. Jim Gentile (May 9, 1961, at Minnesota) and Eddie Murray (August 26, 1985, at the Angels) are the only other Orioles players to post nine RBIs in a game since 1954.

“Two greats,” Mountcastle said about Murray and Gentile. “To tie them in any category is super special. Pretty cool night.”

Mountcastle is the first major leaguer with nine RBIs in a game since Adam Duvall accomplished the feat for Atlanta on September 29, 2020, against Miami.

Mountcastle slugged two homers, including the second grand slam of his career. The grand slam traveled 456 feet, the farthest homer by an Oriole this season and the farthest of his career.

“[Mountcastle] swung the bat really well in spring training and looked like, for me, a much more mature hitter this spring, and he’s carried it into the season,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “The power he has is incredible and he’s got great bat-to-ball skills on balls in the strike zone or just off. You make a mistake and he’s ready to hit. He’s off to a great start this year. I love the confidence that he’s playing with right now, and what a special night for him.”

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

Todd Karpovich

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