SARASOTA, FLA. – All winter long, Chance Sisco and the Orioles at large anticipated a day like Saturday, when they could strap up and begin the process of leaving 2018 behind. Sisco got on with the getting-on quickly.

Sisco, the one-time top prospect who had a disappointing 2018 not unlike the team as a whole, homered on his first swing of the Grapefruit League campaign to stake the Orioles to the early lead they rode to a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday.

It might be early in the catcher competition for the swing to mean much, but Sisco said everything about the day felt good.

“I don’t really know how important it is,” Sisco said. “I think it’s just good to be able to get into the box, see some pitches, try to put the barrel on the ball is really all I was trying to do right there. The result was pretty cool, but at the same time, we’re not out there trying to hit home runs. I don’t think it’s really a home-run-hitting contest right now.”

His was the biggest blow struck in a game that looked like each team’s first, with the Orioles’ offense helped along by a two-run home run by current top prospect Yusniel Diaz in the third inning. Sacrifice flies by infielders Renato Núñez and Rio Ruiz rounded out the scoring for the Orioles.

Reliever Mike Wright Jr. ended up pitching the only clean inning of the seven pitchers used, a 1-2-3 fourth that came after he allowed three hits but no runs in the third. He pitched after Yefry Ramirez, who labored through two innings and allowed a run on two hits with a pair of walks.

“I thought it was a pretty good first game,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought we were aggressive on the bases, and that’s what I’m looking for, guys that kind of set the tone. Cedric [Mullins] did that right away in the first inning. We went first to third twice. I thought we did a lot of good things, especially for the first game.”

Mixed review for Ramirez: Ramirez struggled along with the rest of the club last year, but he’s hoping that he puts himself in good position this spring to win a place on the major league roster.

The first real step in that effort came Saturday afternoon, when he became the first Oriole to throw a pitch in earnest in his team’s Grapefruit League opener.

Ramirez pitched two innings and allowed a run on two hits. He also walked two in a 44-pitch debut that could have been crisper, but got through it without significant problems.

“I feel very comfortable,’’ he said through interpreter Ramón Alarcón. “I think there are more opportunities for me to make the team this year than last year, so I’m trying to go out there and hopefully win a spot in the rotation.”

After posting a 1-8 record and 5.92 ERA in 17 games (12 starts) at the big league level last season, he went into the winter hoping to improve his slider but ended up taking a more macro approach to his precamp preparations.

Sucre to report: Hyde said the visa situation that has kept catcher Jesús Sucre in Venezuela as spring training rolls on without him is “going in the right direction,” but all he could say about a pending arrival was that it would be “hopefully in the next couple of weeks.”

“Unfortunately, it’s just out of our control,” Hyde said. “I’d love to have him here but it’s just out of our control, trying to get him over here, with the paperwork and everything that goes into that. All we can do is sit and wait and hope that he gets here.”

The Orioles have covered their need for another catcher in camp with minor league signing Cael Brockmeyer, and former top prospect Sisco got the start in the Grapefruit League opener.

Wilkerson at first: Do-it-all utility man Stevie Wilkerson spent most of this week working with a first baseman’s mitt during infield drills, evidently to prepare himself for the unique assignment as the starting first baseman of Saturday’s game.

Hyde, however, said there’s not much worth reading into that.

“I would not even look anything into that,” Hyde said. “Steve is going to be playing second, he’s going to be playing third, he’s going to be playing the outfield. There’s a lot of guys that are going to be playing different positions.”

Wilkerson is one of several players who will be moved around during spring training, with the Orioles’ utility infield spot up for grabs.

Around the horn: Even with his excitement to get into the game portion of spring training, Hyde said the result mattered “zero.” “This is a straight evaluation deal,” Hyde said. ... Hyde said the veteran starters on the roster — Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy — wouldn’t see game action for a little bit, as the team is holding them out of games to get a good look at other players and allow them to prepare at their own pace. ... Hyde said right-hander Dean Kremer (oblique) “had a great evaluation yesterday, so he’s progressing perfectly.”

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