ST. PETERSBURG, Florida—Monday was reunion time for the Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
Manager Craig Albernaz was thrilled to see the refurbished Tropicana Field, home of the organization he worked for 13 years as a minor league player, coach, manager and administrator.
Former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who’s now working for the Rays, held court on the field several hours before the game.
Two longtime Orioles, reliever Bryan Baker and centerfielder Cedric Mullins, reflected on their time in Baltimore.
Mullins, who was the longest-tenured Oriole when he was traded last July 31st, signed with the Rays after a disappointing two months with the New York Mets. He’s not in the starting lineup for Monday night’s game since left-hander Trevor Rogers is starting for the Orioles. Mullins is hitting .182 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, a .524 OPS and 10 steals in 15 attempts.
“It’s going to be fun,” Mullins said. “Get to see the guys, see how they’re doing, have some fun out there and play the game.”
Mullins ticked off some highlights, his memorable debut on August 10th, 2018, robbing a home run by Seattle’s Ty France in the bottom of the ninth in T-Mobile Park in August 2023 and hitting one in the top of the 10th. The 31-year-old outfielder provided a highlight reel of catches each season.
“A lot of fond memories in Baltimore. It’s going to feel weird being on the other side for the first time, but it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said.
Mullins will be back in Baltimore a week from now when the Rays come to town, and he’ll be celebrated as the first Oriole to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.
“A lot of fans that I talked to admired the hustle in my play,” he said. “Something that I brought to the field every single day, regardless of how things were going.”
Things weren’t going well last July when Mullins and others were traded.
“I think how it all ended, I think was the shocking factor,” he said. “Just not the year we would have expected to [have]. As things were playing out, me getting traded was inevitable along with a lot of other guys as well. How things finished, just not how we expected.”
Mullins has warm feelings for many of the Orioles, but he won’t be friendly during games.
“Absolutely not. We’re competitors out there,” he said. “I’m not smiling at any of them.”
Baker, who was traded to the Rays for a competitive balance A-round pick last July, faced the Orioles twice after he was traded. This year has been something special for Baker and Tampa Bay, which leads the American League East by three games over the New York Yankees.
The Rays’ 30-15 record is the best in the AL, and Baker has 12 saves, a 2.79 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.
“I don’t even think about right now. Kind of just rolling with the punches, but it’s nice to be on the winning side,” he said. “Hopefully, we can keep that going.”
He’s always happy to return to Baltimore, where he pitched from 2022-2025.
“I’ll always look forward to getting back to Camden, one of my favorite places ever,” Baker said. “Getting my first real dose of the big leagues in that organization will always be obviously incredibly special to me. I’ll always look back fondly on those three or four years.”
Holliday on the field
Jackson Holliday was on the field, taking ground balls and batting practice. Albernaz declined to elaborate on any plans for Holliday, who remains on the injured list after February surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist.
He came to St. Petersburg from Charlotte, where he was playing for Triple-A Norfolk.
“We’ll see how today goes and see how he’s feeling,” Albernaz said. “Don’t like timelines.”
Dean Kremer, who’s on the injured list with a strained right quad muscle, is also with the Orioles.
Albernaz on Tampa Bay
Albernaz was busy greeting old friends and associates before the game.
“It’s awesome to be back here,” he said. “I’m very partial to his ballpark, this organization. They gave me a chance to live out my dream as a professional baseball player, and also it gave me an opportunity to start my coaching journey.”
Note: The Orioles clamed outfielder Michael Siani from the Los Angles Dodgers off waivers and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Siani has a .221 average in 160 games with Cincinnati and St. Louis from 2022-2025. Right-hander Jose Espada was designated for assignment.
Orioles-Rays lineups
Orioles
Taylor Ward-LF
Gunnar Henderson-SS
Adley Rutschman-C
Pete Alonso-DH
Tyler O’Neill-RF
Coby Mayo-1B
Jeremiah Jackson-2B
Weston Wilson-3B
Blaze Alexander-CF
Trevor Rogers-LHP
Rays
Yandy Diaz-DH
Jonathan Aranda-1B
Junior Caminero-3B
Ryan Vilade-RF
Jonny DeLuca-CF
Chandler Simpson-LF
Nick Fortes-C
Taylor Walls-SS
Carson Williams-2B
Shane McClanahan-LHP
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