Opening Day FAQ: Angels vs. Orioles

BALTIMORE -- A raucous crowd will surely be packed into Camden Yards on Thursday afternoon, as the defending American League East champion Orioles are set to begin their title defense with an Opening Day matchup vs. the Angels, who will come in looking to play spoiler at the start of what they hope will be a breakthrough season.

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Last year, Baltimore went an AL-best 101-61 before getting swept in three games by eventual World Series champion Texas in the Division Series. The O’s are optimistic they’re strong enough to get back to the postseason -- especially following the offseason addition of ace Corbin Burnes, their Opening Day starter -- and then make a deeper run through October.

“I think we’re just as talented,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “But I think we need to have a lot of things go right, also, like everybody does, and stay healthy.”

The Halos are entering a new era -- one under manager Ron Washington and without two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers in the offseason. But they still have Mike Trout, as well as plenty of talented youngsters who are early in their big league careers.

When is the game, and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET/12:05 p.m. PT on Thursday, and the game will be available to stream on MLB.TV. It will be televised on Bally Sports West and MASN.

What are the starting lineups?
Angels: The Angels are still determining how they will utilize the leadoff spot this year, with Mickey Moniak, Aaron Hicks and Jo Adell sharing time in right field and Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo moving around the infield.

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B
2. Aaron Hicks, RF
3. Mike Trout, CF
4. Taylor Ward, LF
5. Brandon Drury, 2B
6. Nolan Schanuel, 1B
7. Miguel Sanó, DH
8. Logan O'Hoppe, C
9. Zach Neto, SS

Orioles: The lineup is mostly stacked with right-handed hitters against the left-handed Sandoval, so first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn begins the season on the bench. The 30-year-old will be in the lineup a lot against righty pitchers, though.

1. Gunnar Henderson, SS
2. Adley Rutschman, C
3. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
4. Anthony Santander, RF
5. Austin Hays, LF
6. Jordan Westburg, DH
7. Cedric Mullins, CF
8. Ramón Urías, 3B
9. Jorge Mateo, 2B

Who are the starting pitchers?
Angels: Sandoval is set to make his first career Opening Day start, and is looking to bounce back in 2024 after a down year by his standards in ’23. Sandoval, 27, experienced a breakout 2022 campaign that saw him post a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts and then starred for Team Mexico in last year’s World Baseball Classic. But it didn’t quite carry over into the regular season, as he had a 4.11 ERA in 28 starts.

Sandoval, though, has been working with new pitching coaches Barry Enright and Steve Karsay to simplify things and get ahead of hitters. He’s pitched well against the Orioles with a 3.86 ERA in three career starts, including allowing one run over 6 1/3 innings in his lone start at Camden Yards in ’22.

Orioles: Burnes will make his O’s debut when he takes the mound for his third career Opening Day start. The 29-year-old started the Brewers’ opener each of the past two seasons, both at Wrigley Field. He allowed three runs in five innings vs. the Cubs in the 2022 opener, then allowed four runs in five innings against them in the first game of ’23.

It’ll be only the second time Burnes has pitched at Camden Yards. On April 13, 2022, he tossed seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Orioles.

Over the past three seasons, Burnes has been among the best pitchers in MLB, recording a 2.94 ERA, 677 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP in 93 starts during that span.

How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Angels: Carlos Estévez returns as the closer and is coming off an All-Star season that saw him post a 3.90 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings. He also registered a career-high 31 saves in 35 chances. But he was much better in the first half with a 1.80 ERA compared to a 6.59 ERA after the All-Star break.

With setup reliever Robert Stephenson out with shoulder discomfort, lefty Matt Moore figures to be the club’s top setup option. He’s joined by Luis García, Adam Cimber, José Cisnero and long reliever José Suarez. José Soriano was expected to be the club’s top setup reliever but he’s being stretched out to start in the Minor Leagues.

Orioles: Craig Kimbrel is Baltimore’s new closer after signing with the team as a free agent this winter. The 35-year-old right-hander will get save opportunities in place of All-Star righty Félix Bautista, who will miss the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Kimbrel ranks eighth in AL/NL history with 417 career saves over his 14-year MLB career.

All-Star right-hander Yennier Cano will be the primary setup man, while lefties Danny Coulombe and Cionel Pérez will also work high-leverage spots. Righty Dillon Tate could also be a factor in the late innings.

Any injuries of note?
Angels: Stephenson is the biggest injury for the Angels, but infielder Michael Stefanic also opened the year on the injured list with a strained left quad. However, neither injury is considered to be particularly serious. Schanuel (back) and Rengifo (left hamstring) both dealt with injuries late in camp but are considered healthy. Lefty reliever José Quijada is on the mend from Tommy John surgery and is expected to return around mid-season.

Orioles: In addition to Bautista, right-hander Kyle Bradish (right UCL sprain) and left-hander John Means (left elbow recovery) will open the season on the injured list. With Bradish and Means both on the IL, Baltimore’s rotation will consist of: Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez, Tyler Wells, Dean Kremer and Cole Irvin.

Who’s hot and who’s not?
Angels: Neto had a huge spring offensively and is looking to erase any doubts about his unorthodox high leg kick while at the plate. Hicks, who was signed to a one-year deal, also was an on-base machine and had a strong spring along with fellow outfielder Moniak. Hicks and Moniak will share time in right field with Adell. On the pitching side, lefties Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers had strong springs as well as right-hander Griffin Canning.

Trout hit a grand slam early in spring but otherwise didn’t have huge numbers. O'Hoppe and Ward scuffled a bit offensively. Sandoval had a 7.15 ERA in Cactus League play but his last start was a strong one against the D-backs and he followed it up with a solid outing in a Minor League game.

Orioles: Henderson, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, had a big spring, going 15-for-36 (.417) with five doubles, two homers, five RBIs and a 1.154 OPS. Westburg’s bat picked up late in the Grapefruit schedule, as he went 9-for-29 (.310) with two doubles, one homer and six RBIs over his final nine games of the spring. Kimbrel also closed camp in impressive fashion, striking out six in four scoreless innings over his final four appearances.

Hays (4-for-29) and Mullins (3-for-27) had quiet springs at the plate. However, Mullins missed some time due to right hamstring discomfort, while Hays was out of action for a bit due to an illness.

Anything else fans might want to know?
? The Angels previously opened in Oakland in five of their past seven seasons. It’s the first time the Orioles have hosted the Angels on Opening Day since 1961, which was the first season in franchise history for the Angels. The Angels won that game, 7-2.

? Trout is set to make his 12th straight Opening Day start in center field for the Halos, which sets the franchise record for consecutive Opening Day starts. It topped Tim Salmon's previous record of 11 consecutive Opening Day starts in right field from 1993-2003. Garret Anderson holds the club record with 14 career starts on Opening Day, while Salmon had 13 Opening Day starts with the Angels.

? The Orioles have not hosted Opening Day at Camden Yards since 2018, when they beat the Twins, 3-2. The O’s started on the road in each of Hyde’s first five seasons at the helm.