Orioles drop spring training opener to Pirates, 10-5

The first game that doesn’t count is out of the way. It’s a good thing for the Orioles that the Grapefruit League results and stats don’t count for anything, because they dropped the opener to the Pirates, 10-5.

Even more than most spring training games, this was a game that was marked by non-regulars getting the bulk of the playing time. Though the Orioles starting lineup had six players who are probable Opening Day players, they each only got two at-bats in and the substitutions started as early as using pinch runners in the third inning.

This is important to keep in mind because it is not particularly likely that the fortunes of the 2025 Orioles are in any way riding on the performance of…