SARASOTA, Fla. — Orioles veteran pitchers Corbin Burnes and Craig Kimbrel may not be doing well in the Grapefruit League, but they're not worried. In fact, with opening day just around the corner, they're exactly where they want to be.
Both pitchers appeared in the Orioles' 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on March 16. Barnes allowed four runs (including two solo home runs) and struck out two in five innings. Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning, with two fans and one walk.
Barnes allowed 14 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) in 10.2 innings while playing in the Grapefruit League, but his final three innings against the Red Sox may have been his best work of the spring. He ended his outing by hitting the zone a lot and retiring 10 consecutive batters. Of the 58 pitches, 47 were thrown for strikes.
Burns said he mechanically locked up in the third inning and was on the same page with catcher Adley Rutschman in terms of pitch order. That chemistry, combined with Burns' strike-throwing ability, made for a fun final few innings for both men.
“Being able to come forward and work before the hitter and do certain things in certain counts made it easier for us to be on the same page,” Burns said after the outing. . “In previous games, we started every batter 2-0 in the starting lineup, but it was difficult to get into the same rhythm. We took a big step forward today and really started working on our sequences and pitch calls. We were able to work on things and get on the same page. I think it hit home for everyone today, which was good.”
The 6-foot-3, 246-pound right-hander was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on February 1 in exchange for left-handed DL Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz and a draft pick. Barnes has been one of baseball's top starting pitchers since the 2020 season, during which he posted a 2.86 ERA, 765 strikeouts and 175 walks in 622.1 innings with a cutter-heavy approach.
Barnes, who is in his final season before entering free agency, is with another organization for the first time since being drafted by the Brewers in 2016. Since reporting to camp, he has developed and shared a relationship with Rutschman and backup catcher James McCann. His philosophy for attacking batters.
Burns, 29, is scheduled to start one more game in the Grapefruit League before the season opener on March 28. He hopes to go into the sixth inning and throw about 80 or 85 pitches. For now, he's happy with the chemistry he's built with his battery mates in camp.
“It can be done in a controlled simulation game. We did it a few weeks ago and it was good there,” Burns said. “but [on March 16] I was able to actually get ahead of the batter and see how my pitches were going to interact with each other and where I wanted them to go in a certain count and everyone was like, “Okay, this is it, this is where we are. I think I understood that. And it showed. The last three innings were exactly where we wanted them to be. ”
Meanwhile, Kimbrel allowed eight hits and five runs in five innings during the Grapefruit League game, four of which came on March 4 with one out. Since then, Kimbrel has been scoreless in three straight games, with three strikeouts and two walks in that span. stretch.
Most recently, Kimbrel had two strikeouts in a game against the Red Sox on March 16th. Next, he plans to pitch every day as part of his reinforcement efforts in preparation for opening day.
“With every outing, I try to take a step forward, try to have more control, get the ball to spin the way I want it to, get more velocity,” Kimbrel said. “I took it one step at a time and I was able to do it. Sometimes in the early stages it didn't go very well, but I knew what I was working on, so I didn't worry too much about it. I took that into the next practice and tried to do better. I feel really good about where I'm at.”
The 6-foot, 215-pound right-hander was signed by the Orioles on Dec. 6 to help supplement star closer Felix Bautista, who was missing in the bullpen. Kimbrel is entering his 15th season in the major leagues and ranks eighth all-time in saves with 417. With his trademark combination of four-seam fastball and knuckle curve, he had 1,192 strikeouts in 757.1 innings.
The Orioles will be Kimbrel's eighth team. Now 35 years old and a longtime closer, he knows how to click on all cylinders when the lights come on.
“I'm taking full advantage of the physical therapy and trainers that we have here, and I'm running a lot of games knowing that I have time to progress, and that if I push myself a little too hard in the offseason, I might have a setback.” I don’t want to go into it,” Kimbrel said. “I'm going to come prepared. Like I said, my progress has been great. Where I am now depends on how I get out of the losing streak, but I want to be where I need to be on opening day. I feel like that.”
The Orioles' returning pitcher had a head start over Burns and Kimbrel when it came to building relationships with Rutschman and McCann, but every hurler is starting from scratch these days when it comes to getting to know new pitching coach Drew French. was.
Well, almost everyone. Kimbrel was committed to Alabama when he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of Wallace State Community College in 2008. French was on the Crimson Tide staff at the time, but Kimbrel chose to sign with the Braves.
“We passed each other at that time,” Crozer said. “It's kind of funny how life works. You might think you'd be missing out on an opportunity with someone, but we're here to work together.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles
