Monday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Cardinals, 1:05

Mar 27, 2023 - 5:00 PM

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This is it. The last spring training game has arrived. The Orioles have this one last exhibition tune-up before they break camp. Roster decisions must be finalized soon. This may even occur after today’s game, although it’s not guaranteed.

As a treat, this is one of the three Grapefruit League games where MASN is actually bothering to have a crew on-site for the game to do a broadcast. Too bad if you would have rather watched some of the games with prospect-heavy lineups, because what you’re getting instead is a near-Opening Day lineup. Well, that’s not so bad either. A preview of what will be to come regularly for much of the year is worth seeing three days before the season begins as well.

It’s definitely a tune-up lineup for the regulars, rather than squeezing in all of the fringe guys to see if anyone can make a last effort to distinguish himself. Here’s how the Orioles have the starting lineup set for today:

1. Cedric Mullins - CF
2. Adley Rutschman - C
3. Ryan Mountcastle - 1B
4. Anthony Santander - LF
5. Gunnar Henderson - DH
6. Ramón Urías - 3B
7. Terrin Vavra - RF
8. Adam Frazier - 2B
9. Jorge Mateo - SS

Dean Kremer, who’s been announced as the #2 starter to begin the season, gets the ball here. Kremer being the #2 starter will also line him up to pitch the home opener a week from Thursday. As the only starting pitcher to have success over something like the full season last year, Kremer has certainly earned the position. You could probably argue he should be pitching actual Opening Day instead.

It’s something of a weird lineup with Santander in left field and Vavra in right, with Austin Hays on the bench. That would not be a bottom of the lineup I’d like to regularly see in the season. Though at least it’s the bottom of the lineup. That’s where the two worst hitters should be.

This is the Cardinals lineup:

1. Brendan Donovan - 2B
2. Lars Nootbaar - LF
3. Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
4. Nolan Arenado - 3B
5. Willson Contreras - C
6. Tyler O’Neill - CF
7. Nolan Gorman - DH
8. Jordan Walker - RF
9. Tommy Edman - SS

Jordan Montgomery is set to pitch this spring finale for St. Louis. That looks like a pretty regular-heavy Opening Day lineup to me. Walker is a 20-year-old prospect who has gotten some headlines over the last few days for having made the team at such a young age. Henderson will not be the youngest rookie out there this year.