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Baltimore Orioles Tie The Phillies, Diaz Stays Scorching

ByNick Stevens|
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: Yusniel Diaz #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Team rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: Yusniel Diaz #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Team rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The Baltimore Orioles ran their record to 3-2-1 this spring with a tie against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies may have secured the services of Bryce Harper on a 13-year/$330 million contract as today’s game played out, but they couldn’t defeat the Baltimore Orioles in Thursday’s spring training contest. The game ended with both teams tied at five after nine full innings of play.

I know, signing a franchise-altering mega-star to a monster contract is a lot more fun than winning a meaningless spring training game but we aren’t a Phillies blog so we will stick to what happened on the field this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles.

Dylan Bundy made his spring debut, using his 90-92 mph fastball to help him through two innings of one-run baseball. His first inning was quick and effective, striking out one and producing harmless contact. Things changed in his second inning of work.

Bundy went mainly fastball in the second inning as Philadelphia hitters sat on the pitch with ease, making solid contact and quickly loading the bases with no outs. Bundy worked himself out of the jam by allowing one run on a sacrifice fly.

His final line: 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.

Before today’s game, I mentioned that Bundy needed to start spotting his fastball if he wants to turn things around in 2019. He missed his spots a few times, resulting in hard, line-drive contact, but this was just his first outing and he came away from the game healthy. His location will be something to monitor, moving forward.

The star of today’s show was, once again, top prospect Yusniel Diaz. Diaz went 3-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and two doubles. Showcasing his smooth swing and quick hands, both doubles by Diaz weren’t far off from clearing the outfield fence. He might provide a bit more power to this Baltimore Orioles lineup than some originally believed and I’m perfectly fine with that.

And if there were any concerns about Austin Hays‘ ankle, well you can push those to the side. Hays played centerfield and made one miscue in the field, but finished his day 1-4 from the leadoff spot, including a triple which he shot into the right-center field gap.

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I don’t know how much to read into Hays playing centerfield yet. It could be just a way to get Hays some much-needed playing time or does the new regime want to get a genuine look at him there? We’ll see as the spring season moves along.

Extra notes from around the field in today’s win for the Baltimore Orioles.

  • Jimmy Yacabonis tossed two scoreless innings, striking out two and refusing to allow a hit. His fastball touched 98 mph and was working very well this afternoon. You have to imagine that Yacabonis will be solid once the organization makes a firm decision on his role.
  • Miguel Castro worked a scoreless frame. He struck out one and did not allow a baserunner.
  • Cody Carroll entered in the 9th inning with a two run lead. After giving up a single and then striking out the next two hitters he faced, Carroll surrendered a two-run home run to Darick Hall.

The Baltimore Orioles will split up and play two games tomorrow. Neither the 1 pm game against the Tampa Bay Rays or 6:35 game against the New York Yankees will be televised.

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