Leading Off

First, let’s take a moment to appreciate the warm embrace of baseball season. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year, and one that is best enjoyed with good friends. No, I’m not talking about your co-workers, friends, or family, with whom you may have watched/listened to the game.

I’m referring to the Orioles’ broadcasters: Joe Angel and Fred Manfra on the radio and Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer on the television. Whether it was Gary talking about the breeze in the dome, or Fred talking about “the carpet,” today was the perfect reminder that we’ve got it pretty good as a fan base.

Here’s to 161 more!

First Base

Hey, this Travis Snider guy might be OK. Seriously, of all outfielders in camp, I paid the least amount of attention to Travis Snider. I was more concerned as to whether David Lough could follow up on his (smallish sample size) second half. Or whether Nolan Reimold could make the club. Or anything else besides Travis Snider.

Snider has filed his official protest in being overlooked. Rather effectively, might I add.

Snider had a good day at the plate, notching two singles, and a double. His only black, mark offensively was getting thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. He finished the day with two RBIs.

He made an impact in the field, making a diving catch and recording an outfield assist (much of the credit goes to Caleb Joseph for a perfect tag).

If you’re going to have an Orioles debut, this is the way to do it.

Second Base

Speaking of outfielders, Alejandro De Aza would also like to remind you he is the incumbent in left field. De Aza hit a two-run home run to complete an 10-pitch at-bat. As much as I like the home run (and like most chicks, I dig the long ball), I appreciate the professional at-bat. It was the type of at-bat that taxed the starter. Even an out would have been a Pyrrhic victory for Archer.

He followed up with another great at-bat in the ninth inning. It may not have resulted in a home run, but in an offense packed with aggressive hackers (I’m looking at you, Jones…) De Aza can be a welcome presence in this lineup if he keeps it up.

Third Base

The Orioles had their “ace” on the mound today. At first, I was worried that we were going to get “first inning Tillman” (he walked the first batter), but he settled down and put together a quality start. No, not the “textbook definition” quality start, but a honest-to-goodness quality start. Tillman wen 6.2 innings, giving up 4 hits (one, a very LONG home run to Evan Longoria) three walks and four strikeouts.

Perfect? No. I would have liked to see fewer walks, and he got a lot of help from his defense. But he gave the team plenty of distance, and wriggled out of the occasional jam. Tillman’s starts are almost never pretty, but this one was a sight for a set of eyes, hopeful to see the Orioles’ pitching staff carry the team.

Home Plate

The Birds may have won, but it wasn’t all roses. First, there was a quiet day from Adam Jones – unless, of course, you count getting picked off after being hit by a pitch. Then there were the strikeouts. The Orioles racked up eleven strikeouts (only Jones and Snider avoided a K).

The bullpen was a little up and down. Strong outings from Darren O’Day, Tommy Hunter and Zach Britton saved a rocky appearance by Brad Brach. Brach followed a strikeout with a double and a single. Not a good look from a guy who has been described as having “closer stuff.”

Back to the Dugout

This game had a little bit of everything: pitching, defense, and timely hitting. It’s just the first game. and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but nothing could be finer than the return of Orioles baseball.