Orioles spring training game thread: vs. Red Sox

Real baseball is still just over a month away and there’s nearly that full month of fake, often-untelevised baseball to have to wade through. The Orioles are not on television today either, although you will at least be able to hear their game on Baltimore radio. I mean, if your boss lets you listen to the radio at work.

Since the game is being played in Sarasota, it will feature something closer to a real Orioles lineup than you might see in a road game in spring training:

Chris Dickerson, the subject of today’s round of glowing articles about a guy who has virtually no chance of making the team, is not in the lineup. But five MLB regulars are in the lineup and so is Joey Rickard, who has an outside chance of being a reserve, if the Orioles choose last year’s Rule 5 guy over one of this year’s Rule 5 guys.

Expected to pitch behind Dylan Bundy today are Brad Brach, Richard Bleier, Jesus Liranzo, Gabriel Ynoa, and Richard Rodriguez. Not that performance on March 1 means a whole lot, but it’s nice that most of the game will involve pitchers who might actually factor into the MLB picture this year.

If you haven’t already seen Joe Wedra’s article about why you should pay attention to Liranzo, here is your chance to do so.

The game may not count, but the Orioles are playing the Red Sox, so the day will be better if they win anyway. Maybe Robert Andino still has some anti-Boston magic left in him. Although if he still does, he probably shouldn’t spend any of it in spring training.