Gonzalez saves the best for last
In his final spring start, veteran allows one run
“I know it's toward the end and I wanted to get a good outing just to feel better,” Gonzalez said. “Mentally and overall I did good. … It's one of those days that I felt good with everything. I was throwing every single pitch at any count and that's what helped me out.”
Orioles manager
“We're all here to support each other and I know Mike and Tyler Wilson have been doing a really good job and I'm happy with them,” Gonzalez said. “They're trying to get on the team and I'm going to do the best I can to help the team win.”
Gonzalez allowed eight base runners — seven hits and one hit batter — but benefited from two double-play balls, relying on his off-speed pitches and split-finger fastball to keep the ball on the ground.
Gonzalez also didn't walk a batter for just the second time in seven outings this spring and struck out four batters, his high this spring. He ended the spring with a 9.78 ERA.
“Today was that day that I had a little luck on my side, and that definitely feels good,” Gonzalez said of his defense. “Hey, that's what they're there for. Our defense is one of the best out there.”
That day came Tuesday, when Wieters caught seven innings and went 1-for-3 with his first home run of the spring against the Braves.
“I'm confident with it,” Wieters said before the game. “I think we're to the point now that this choice was I would rather get two games of big league spring training in than one.”
Showalter said over the weekend that Wieters was planning on being back for Opening Day, and Wieters affirmed that Tuesday afternoon.
“That's the plan,” he said. “And even one [game], we probably still would be on track. I just would prefer to have two as opposed to one.”
It's been a methodical but on-schedule return to action for Wieters, who felt tightness on a throw to second base March 12 against the Minnesota Twins and left the game.
“Everything feels great,” said Gausman, who had a cortisone shot March?20 to relieve right shoulder tendinitis that had bothered him throughout the spring. “I played catch twice now, so take a day today and then tomorrow I'll throw to 120 [feet] and probably take another day off and then a bullpen, so the plan is to throw a bullpen” on Friday.
Showalter has been targeting the first time the team needs a fifth starter — April 10 — as the date Gausman could come off the DL.
“It [stinks] to go back to square one and have to get work to stretch back out, but [I] don't want to try to rush it and end up hurting myself again,” he said.
Alvarez, 27, was added to the 40-man roster last season after batting .275 with a .729 OPS and 16 home runs last year for the Tides. This spring, Alvarez hit .182/.234/.250 with two extra-base hits in 24 games.
He joins a crowded Norfolk outfield that will include
Delgado, a 20-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, made his full-season debut last season in Single-A Burlington, batting .241/.276/.355 with six home runs while primarily playing right field.
Salcedo, a 22-year-old Venezuelan, primarily plays the infield but appeared at all three outfield positions in addition to second base, shortstop and third base last season. After batting .239 with 21 steals in his full-season debut in 2014, Salcedo shuffled through four stops between Single-A and Triple-A last season, compiling a .232/.281/.254 batting line with a dozen stolen bases.
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