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The Grapefruit League schedule gets underway for the Orioles on Friday with the first game against a team that isn't also the Orioles. Road spring training games are not exactly known for being chock full of expected regular players, and sure enough, the lineup features the likes of Steve Clevenger and Xavier Paul. But it is baseball, and it will be on WBAL radio, if you're able to listen, so that's a certain milestone of its own. Real baseball is coming back in a little over a month.
Chris Tillman is the starting pitcher, so at least there's that. On the other hand, the bench includes Julio Borbon, Cord Phelps, and Ivan DeJesus. There's also Michael Ohlman and Jonathan Schoop hanging out on the bench, along with the perennially-ignored Caleb Joseph. I wouldn't mind "seeing" Ohlman or Schoop today, I must admit.
The Rays will be getting most of their regulars in the starting lineup, and an old surly Canadian friend will be taking the mound for them in the top of the first inning. Will it be the Erik Bedard we know and hates you?