SARASOTA–What’s happening? After a day off on Monday, the Orioles played a game that didn’t count in the Grapefruit League standings against Team Netherlands.
Preparing for the World Baseball Classic, Netherlands, which will open tournament play on Friday against Venezuela, received troubling news shortly before gametime when its starting left fielder and leadoff batter, Jurickson Profar, was pulled from the lineup after the news broke that he was facing a 162-game suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The Atlanta Braves’ outfielder was suspended for 80 games last season.
Ray-patrick Didder, Profar’s replacement in the lineup, hit a leadoff homer. Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela hit a three-run home run and Trevor Rogers allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings in the Orioles’ 8-5 loss to the Netherlands before 3,380 at Ed Smith Stadium.
Rogers, who had allowed two hits in five scoreless innings in his first two starts, has improved this spring, manager Craig Albernaz said.
“Being left-handed helps. He does have a little bit of deception with how he delivers the ball to home. How he’s moving down the mound is the biggest key for him,” Albernaz said. “There was a lot of work being done on that. You saw it last year, but you saw it this year, too, and he’s building off it.”
Second baseman Jackson Holliday, who had surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist on February 11th, is doing well, Albernaz said.
“He’s progressing great,” he said. “He’s not trying to do too much. He’s doing exactly what he should be doing. Most important, he’s out there during practice and during the games with the boys. His progression has been awesome so far.”
Albernaz said Holliday won’t play in Grapefruit League games.
“We’re not banking on it,” he said.
What happened? Rogers was removed during the second inning and returned for the third inning, something that’s allowed in early exhibition games. Albernaz didn’t want him to exhaust his pitch count in two innings. The Orioles committed three of their four errors while Rogers was pitching.
“Rogers’ stuff was really good. He had to get more outs than he should have,” Albernaz said. “Fastball was crisp, breaking ball in the strike zone. He looked great.”
He allowed six runs on six hits, walking one and striking out four, throwing 58 pitches.
“I told [pitching coach Drew] French when I came out, ‘I don’t care what the scoreboard says, I thought like I got some good work out there.’ One of the goals today was [to] work out of the stretch a little bit more, and I definitely did that a lot of that today. It was just one of those days where they were seeing everything,” Rogers said.
It was an unusual lineup of well-known major leaguers: Rafaela, Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies, San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts and Chadwick Tromp, one of seven Oriole catchers last season, as well as unknowns that Rogers faced.
Albies homered against minor league pitcher Tyson Neighbors.
Minor leaguer Joe Glassey each allowed a run. Yennier Cano gave up two hits and walked a batter while striking out two in a scoreless fourth.
Dean Kremer, who’ll pitch for Team Israel in the WBC, pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He walked one and struck out two, throwing 53 pitches.
“The progression’s been great with him,” Albernaz said. “He looks like he’s ready to go. We’re excited for him to go pitch.”
Grant Wolfram threw a spotless ninth, striking out two.
In the first, Jeremiah Jackson, playing shortstop for the first time this spring, and third baseman Bryan Ramos made errors on consecutive batters, causing first baseman Pete Alonso to gather the infield on the mound.
“Sloppy game,” Albernaz said. “It’s frustrating. We’ve got to be better. It’s not indicative of who we are … Our guys are aware of it. They’ll make the adjustment.”
Albernaz likes Alonso’s leadership.
“He was seeing the same thing we were seeing,” he said. “Be that leader. Bring everyone in. Calm everyone down. That was good to see.”
Alonso hit a two-run home run and Jackson homered. Non-roster infielder José Barrero had a two-run single.
Before the game, the Orioles made their first cuts of spring training, optioning right-hander Chayce McDermott to minor league camp and sending right-handers Jeisson Cabrera, Keagan Gillies and Richard Guasch, and infielders Payton Eeles to minor league camp.
Their spring training roster is 69, including 28 minor league invitees and pitchers Félix Bautista and Colin Selby on the 60-day injured list.
What’s up with Willy Vasquez? The 24-year-old infielder signed with the Orioles as a minor league free agent. He spent six seasons with Tampa Bay.
“I’m trying to be consistent this year,” Vasquez said. “Trying to work on the little things I have to be better at. Here on this team, I feel so comfortable.”
Vasquez plays second base, shortstop and third, and with Holliday and Jordan Westburg hurt and Gunnar Henderson playing for Team USA, there should be opportunities in the coming days.
“That’s something I can’t control,” Vasquez said. “If they give me the opportunity, I’m going to be ready. The only thing I can control is to work hard and to be ready for the opportunity if the manager gives it to me. I feel good everywhere they put me. It doesn’t matter where they put me.”
He was out three months last season after hamate bone surgery and hit .256 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 44 games for Double-A Montgomery.
He’s 1-for-7 (.143) this spring.
What’s what? Longtime Orioles athletic trainer Brian Ebel is working with Team Netherlands and was at the game. Ebel left the team after the 2024 season. Mark Shires, a longtime assistant athletic trainer who left the team after the 2025 season, is working with Team Korea.
What’s the word? “We accomplished a lot of good things as far as going from Plan A to Plan B as far as pitching in different ways. I still like where I’m at. If that’s the worst it’s going to be on March 3rd, I’ll take it.”-Rogers on his performance.
What’s the number? 3/5. Alonso has three home runs and five RBIs, even though this game doesn’t count toward Grapefruit League stats.
What’s the record? 5-4-1. The Orioles will host the Houston Astros on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. Shane Baz, who pitched 2 1/3 innings in his first game on Friday, will start. Ben Wagner and Ben McDonald will have the call on MASN.
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