The day is finally upon us, that magical day that baseball fans mark on their calendars each year. It’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball.
Even though a meeting between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros may not cause you to rush to a television, this one finally DOES count. The Orioles won’t lift the lid on the season until Tuesday, but what has seemed like the longest offseason in recent memory (even though it was technically the shortest for Orioles fans in 14 years) is finally over.
There are plenty of good storylines to dive into, but let’s start with the O’s pitching rotation, which for the first time in a while seems fairly solidified.
It seemed to be a running joke last season between many of the Orioles beat writers and reporters when it came to asking Buck Showalter who would start a certain game. There always seemed to be one game in each series where the pitcher’s name was TBA. He might have actually started more games for the Birds than anyone else last year. Heading into this season, that issue simply isn’t an issue at all.
Jason Hammel gets the ball to start the season against Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price. After that we see a pair of guys who had strong campaigns in 2012 when Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez battle the Rays. Friday’s home opener will feature Jake Arrieta for a second straight season, while Chris Tillman is slated to come off the disabled list from his minor abdomen injury to make Saturday’s start. If this group can provide the team with a chance to win each ballgame, Buck Showalter will be a happy camper and fans will see more games in the win column than not.
The other interesting thing to keep an eye on heading into the first week of games is how the lineup will look. The Birds will battle a left-hander in Price in the opener before likely running into three straight righties. It will be exciting to see what is done with the lineup, especially the combination of Nate McLouth and Nolan Reimold in left field and the DH spot.
The leadoff man is also going to be a mystery each day. We already know that in the early part of the season, Buck Showalter will take the pressure off Brian Roberts and bat him ninth. This leaves McLouth along with Nick Markakis as candidates to lead off for the Birds. Where the order shakes out from there is anyone’s guess.
Another big mystery going into the campaign is how Chris Davis fares at first base. I was in the Mark Reynolds camp this offseason when it came to bringing The Sheriff back to Baltimore. I was also surprised at the lackluster (some would say non-existent) effort the O’s made to court Reynolds.
By no means do I think Reynolds was a superior defensive first baseman, but I thought he offered something to the club, and almost as important, wanted to be a part of it. That being said, Davis has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to play a solid first base. He’s worked on it tirelessly this offseason and while I’m skeptical, I’m also willing to keep an open mind and give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to manning the bag. Manny Machado’s promotion last season solidified the team’s defense at third base, but let’s hope that we don’t have another issue across the diamond in Davis.
Even though it’s not the O’s, I’m as excited for first pitch tonight between the Rangers and Astros from Houston as a kid on Christmas morning.
Speaking of holidays, a Happy Easter to all the readers who celebrate it out there. I’ll be celebrating that, along with the start of what will hopefully be an exciting season of baseball throughout the majors.
