The Orioles’ 2027 spring training opener is set for Feb. 19 against the Braves at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, and the Grapefruit League slate wraps up March 20 in Bradenton against the Pirates. The club’s final game in Sarasota comes a day earlier against the Yankees.
Baltimore will also meet the Nationals again in a home-and-home set when play resumes, with the Orioles hosting March 21 at Camden Yards before heading to D.C. on March 22.
The schedule includes off-days on March 3 and March 11, plus a full run of road trips across Florida: Fort Myers for games against the Twins on Feb. 20 and Feb. 28 and the Red Sox on Feb. 25; Port Charlotte on Feb. 21 for a split-squad game, then again on March 4 and March 8; Dunedin on Feb.
23; Bradenton on Feb. 26, March 9 and March 20; Tampa on March 5; Lakeland on March 7 for a split-squad game; North Port on March 13; and Clearwater on March 17.
The expanded fan access at Ed Smith Stadium that debuted last spring will continue for both home and away dates. Entry is free, starting about four hours before first pitch, though a game ticket is still required to get into the complex. Times and report dates for pitchers and catchers will be announced later, with the Dec. 1 expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement potentially affecting camp.
On the field tonight, the Orioles are trying to steady themselves after blowing leads in consecutive losses. They couldn’t protect 3-0 and 5-3 advantages Wednesday in Colorado, then led 3-1 in the fourth inning and 3-2 in the seventh last night before dropping both games. That stretch has left them three games under .500 and 1 ½ games back of the final Wild Card spot, with three teams ahead of them.
Shane Baz gets the ball for Baltimore after picking up his first win since June 12 on Saturday. His 14 losses are second-most in the majors, trailing only Tanner Bibee’s 15.
Baz has worked against the Red Sox twice this season at Fenway Park, allowing three earned runs and six total runs over 13 innings, and he owns a 2.47 ERA in seven career starts against Boston. He’s given up just one homer in his last nine home starts.
Boston counters with left-hander Ranger Suárez, whom the Orioles pursued in free agency in the offseason. Suárez carries a 4.32 ERA in four career starts against Baltimore, covering 25 innings.
His last outing was rough: six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 16-1 loss at Yankee Stadium. He’s averaging 5.1 innings per start this season, down from 6.0 last year.
The matchup history gives a little texture to both sides. Jarren Duran is 4-for-19 with a double and triple against Baz, while Wilyer Abreu is 3-for-13 with a double and six strikeouts.
Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story are each 3-for-12. Against Suárez, Pete Alonso is 3-for-21 with two doubles, nine walks and seven strikeouts, while Coby Mayo is 2-for-3 with a home run.
Mayo has been one of the more dangerous bats against lefties since the break, posting a 1.192 OPS in that split; Christian Encarnacion-Strand is right behind him at 1.157, with both ranking first and second among hitters with at least 50 plate appearances. The Orioles have also been better against southpaws in the second half, going 9-6 compared with 12-17 before the break. Their scoring has jumped from 4.24 runs per game to 5.20, with batting average rising from .229 to .249 and OPS from .693 to .734.
Shane Baz RHP
For the Red Sox
Roman Anthony DH
Mickey Gasper 1B
Adley Rutschman C
Wilyer Abreu RF
Nick Sogard 2B
Caleb Durbin 3B
Jarren Duran LF
Trevor Story SS
Eli White C
Ranger Suárez LHP
Blaze Alexander is in right field tonight and remains in the leadoff spot. Coby Mayo is the designated hitter, Luis Robert Jr. is in center and Leody Taveras is in left.
Samuel Basallo is on the bench against a left-hander. Baz’s run support average of 3.27 is second lowest in the majors, behind only Bibee’s 3.03, and the Orioles have given him 10 runs of support over his last seven starts since July 26.
In Other News...
Taylor Ward Has Already Become A Mariners Frustration
Taylor Wards move from Baltimore to Seattle was supposed to give the Mariners a bat that could steady the lineup after the deadline deal that sent three prospects back to the Orioles. Instead, his start in Seattle has only sharpened the hindsight around the trade, because the production the Mariners were counting on has not followed him west. For Baltimore, the deal already looks like one that brought in a useful package of young talent while moving on from an outfielder whose value had been climbing.
What has made the early returns sting for Seattle is how sharply Wards offense has dropped off compared with what he showed in Baltimore. His lower OPS and bWAR with the Mariners have turned the trade into an easy target for criticism, especially as the deadline moves are being graded in real time around the league. For the Orioles, it is the kind of transaction that can age well if even one of those prospects develops into a meaningful big-league piece, while Seattle is left waiting for Ward to justify the cost. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Young Core Is Suddenly Facing A Debate Fans Feared
The Orioles built their rise around a wave of young talent that seemed ready to grow together, with Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo all coming through the system in a tight span from 2019 to 2022. For a while, that group gave Baltimore a clean roadmap: develop the core, let it mature and keep the window open. But the 2024 season has also reminded everyone how fragile that kind of plan can be when injuries pile up and performance swings from player to player.
Rutschmans move to the Red Sox in August only sharpened the conversation around what the Orioles actually have now versus what they were supposed to have. Some of the young bats have flashed the upside that made the organization so optimistic, while others have had a harder time turning promise into consistency. For a fan base that spent years waiting for this exact moment, the debate is no longer about whether the talent exists - it is about which pieces can still be counted on to carry the group forward. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Just Got Another Reason To Believe In That Trade
The trade deadline deal already looked promising on paper, and these past few weeks have only added to the buzz around the Orioles side of it. Eyanson, now Baltimores No. 2 prospect, keeps piling up impressive outings in Double-A, most recently striking out eight over six innings even in a 5-4 loss. For a pitcher in his first professional season, the early returns have been hard to ignore.
Since the move, Eyanson has turned in 40 strikeouts against just eight walks over 27 innings, and he has fanned at least seven hitters in every outing. The 2025 third-round pick has shown the kind of consistency that tends to make a front office feel better about a deadline swing, even if the full payoff is still ahead. For Orioles fans, it is another reminder that this trade may have given the organization a real arm to dream on. [Read more 🡒]