Burnes allows 4 runs in 2nd but is sharp overall in Orioles’ 5-4 win; Mayo goes 4-for-4; Kimbrel strikes out 2

SARASOTA, Florida-What’s happening?-Tyler Wells will make his third start of the spring on Sunday when an Orioles split-squad hosts an Atlanta Braves split-squad at Ed Smith Stadium at 1:05 p.m.

Wells has given up one run on three hits in six innings, walking one and striking out one. He’ll be opposed by Reynaldo López.

The game will be broadcast on WBAL/98 Rock with Melanie Newman and Ben Wagner.

Right-hander Julio Teheran, 33, will start for the other Orioles’ split-squad against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida at 1:05 p.m. Teheran, who was signed as a minor league free agent on February 29^th, allowed four runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees on Monday.

Before that, Teheran had pitched three hitless innings in two appearances. Kenta Maeda will start for Detroit.

Bench coach Fredi González will manage the Orioles against the Tigers.

Catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect, was reassigned to minor league camp. Left-handed pitcher Matt Krook and right-hander Kaleb Ort were optioned to minor league camp, leaving 47 players on the spring training roster.

Outfielder Peyton Burdick, who was with the team briefly last month, was claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox and optioned to minor league camp. Burdick was claimed off waivers from Miami on February 14th and lost to the White Sox on February 23^rd. The Orioles’ 40-man roster is full.

After Sunday’s games, the Orioles will have a day off on Monday.

Manager Brandon Hyde hasn’t decided if relievers will pitch in consecutive games in the last week of spring training. Some may pitch in a game and follow that with work on the back fields. Many of the position players who played Saturday will play on Sunday.

“Our main guys will ramp up their playing time, maybe play a couple of more innings than they normally do this last week,” Hyde said.

What’s happened? Opening Day starter Corbin Burnes struggled through a second inning when he allowed consecutive home runs and committed two throwing errors in the Orioles’ 5-4 win over a Boston Red Sox split-squad before a sellout crowd of 8,146 at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday.

Bobby Dalbec and Wilyer Abreu homered to start the second. Burnes later tried to pick off Tyler Heineman at first and second, throwing errantly both times.

Boston scored four runs in the second..

Burnes pitched five innings, retiring the side in the first, third, fourth and fifth. He struck out two and allowed three hits, throwing 58 pitches.

“We found something in the third today,” Burnes said. “The big win for the day is some things mechanically clicked, sequencing me and Adley [Rutschman] were on the same page and rolled from there.”

Though Burnes has a 9.28 earned-run average this spring, he’s encouraged. Burnes has one more start remaining before Opening Day on March 28th.

“Getting the pitch count up. We were almost too efficient today,” Burnes said. “It was good to get up to the fifth inning. Next time, we’ll try to touch six. Now, it’s about getting that pitch count right around that 80, 85 mark, We’re good to go Opening Day. Today was a really positive day as far as mechanically, things clicked. Command-wise it was there and the relationship was really good today.”

In his fifth appearance, closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a hitless sixth, walking Pablo Reyes, then inducing a soft ground ball by Triston Casas and striking out Dalbec and Abreu.

“As long as I’m going out there and throwing my pitches, I think today I was a little disappointed in the four-pitch walk to start the inning. To be able to get out of it with two strikeouts obviously lets me know, I was backspinning the ball pretty good. I threw some good breaking pitches today.”

The Orioles scored two runs in the first on RBI singles by Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo. Urías’ bases-loaded walk drove in the third run.

The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on RBI singles by minor league outfielders Jud Fabian and Dylan Beavers.

Designated hitter Coby Mayo was 4-for-4.

“Just a huge improvement in one year,” Hyde said. “Swing’s a little bit shorter. Defense is a lot better. He’s just getting more comfortable with the major leagues. He’s had a really good camp up until this point. I know he didn’t hit the ball hard  He is strong enough to make the ball travel, hit the ball in the outfield.”

What’s up with?— Cedric Mullins was 1-for-3. It was his second game since returning to the lineup after he left the March 4^th game with right hamstring discomfort.

“I’m feeling good. It’s a matter of getting the games in,” Mullins said. “It’s a matter of running around. If I don’t’ get the amount of running I like during the game, I’m gong to take time after the game to get some more in just to make sure I’m conditioning right.

“It’s a matter of continuing to play smart just to get ready for the season.”

What’s what?- It’s hard for a closer to replicate the adrenaline rush of pitching in the ninth inning. Kimbrel tries to imagine those situations when he’s pitching the sixth inning of a Grapefruit League game.

“As spring goes on, I do. It is hard to go out there when the game is on the line. I’m out there working on what I need to do to get to the next step to get closer to Opening Day,” Kimbrel said. “I had some that weren’t so great early on. I didn’t worry about that too much because I knew what I was working on out there.”

What’s the word?–“We got to the point where we were very comfortable with each other. It got to the point that before Adley was calling a pitch I already had it in my head.”-Burnes on his growing relationship with catcher Adley Rutschman. 

What’s the number? .378, 1.099. Mayo’s batting average and OPS this spring. In last year’s spring training, he hit. 278 with a .772 OPS. “ 

What’s the record?  17-5-1. The Orioles will play split-squad games, hosting an Atlanta Braves split-squad at 1:05 p.m., and facing Detroit at Lakeland, also at 1:05 p.m.