Orioles Opening Day game thread: at Yankees, 1:05

The Orioles are probably going to lose at least 100 games this year. As much as Opening Day is a time for optimism and cheer, we will have to confront the reality of what this team is sooner or later. When a reporter asks GM Mike Elias about whether the team will win this year and he replies, “We have to look at the big picture,” that’s the score. The O’s do need to look at the big picture. But the small picture is they will lose a lot in 2019.

That losing probably starts today. You can watch on either ESPN or MASN2, and of course you can listen on the Orioles Radio Network, as long as your boss will let you.

You can still be happy following a bad baseball team. Maybe it’s even easier to be happy following a bad team if you know they’re bad. It’s not like anyone under the age of 35 is an Orioles fan because they win the World Series or even make the playoffs a lot. They haven’t won in my lifetime and they’ve only made the playoffs five times. The Orioles are my team whether they win or lose.

If we’re lucky, some interesting things will happen this season, maybe starting as soon as today! Though the team itself will not be good, the O’s could start to find some of the players who will be a part of the next good Baltimore team.

Although the most exciting young players like Austin Hays and Yusniel Diaz will begin the season in the minors, we can still hope that Elias and his new analytics crew along with manager Brandon Hyde and his coaching staff can get the best out of some players who were let down before.

The old regime was painfully behind in acting on advanced information. We all knew this in the back of our minds, though some people tried to pull the wool over our eyes about it. We never knew just how bad it was until Duquette and Showalter were gone for good. It’s a new era now, where hopefully all players have a better opportunity to become the best versions of themselves with the Orioles.

Eventually, the team will be full of players whose best selves would fit in on any playoff-contending MLB team. That day is probably not today, as they start off the 2019 season against the Yankees... but it’s Opening Day, so it’s okay to dream just a little.

Starting lineup:

1. Cedric Mullins - CF
2. Dwight Smith Jr. - LF
3. Jonathan Villar - 2B
4. Trey Mancini - DH
5. Rio Ruiz - 3B
6. Joey Rickard - RF
7. Chris Davis - 1B
8. Jesus Sucre - C
9. Richie Martin - SS

These are the guys who will be starting off against Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Well, good luck! Starting pitcher Andrew Cashner gets to square off against these Yankees:

1. Brett Gardner - CF
2. Aaron Judge - RF
3. Giancarlo Stanton - LF
4. Luke Voit - DH
5. Miguel Andujar - 3B
6. Gary Sanchez - C
7. Greg Bird - 1B
8. Gleyber Torres - 2B
9. Troy Tulowitzki - SS

You guys, I think the Yankees might be a little better than the Orioles this year. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.