WASHINGTON -- With Monday¡¯s exhibition game canceled due to inclement weather at Nationals Park, Baltimore left-hander Cade Povich now sets his sights on preparing for the Orioles¡¯ home opener on March 31 against the Red Sox.
¡°It definitely was a great opportunity to get somewhat of a Spring Training start in -- but in a big league park -- and kind of center myself around what it¡¯s going to be like,¡± Povich said Monday. ¡°Obviously, I wish I would've pitched today, but it's unfortunate. Sometimes you just got to make adjustments. It's going to happen in season, so nothing I can control about it.¡±
Last year, the 24-year-old began the season at Triple-A Norfolk and made his MLB debut at Toronto on June 6. This season, he has made the Opening Day roster.
¡°Being able to get to Opening Day and be in the rotation with this team is an honor in itself,¡± Povich said. ¡°Being able to start our home opener as well is truly another honor. I am super excited.¡±
¡°First Opening Day roster, being able to start, make a home opener start, that's a big deal,¡± said manager Brandon Hyde. ¡°I think Cade's got a great way about him. He's very, very mild-mannered. He's very composed.¡±
Povich delivered in Spring Training, posting a 3.07 ERA with 15 strikeouts and four walks over 14 2/3 innings. Hyde sees the southpaw pitching with more confidence, especially with his new kick-changeup.
¡°Command is better,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Changeup is a lot better. Just more consistent with it. That was an emphasis this offseason of working with different grips. We were trying to find a changeup that was comfortable. He's had a real good camp. The changeup has shown much improvement and the fastball command.¡±
¡°I think last year it was a decent pitch when I threw it where I wanted to,¡± Povich said of his changeup. ¡°But when I didn't is when damage was happening. Finding a changeup that I could get consistent movement and just be able to throw it over the plate and let it finish down was big. I think we found that and it's been pretty successful so far.¡±
Povich went 3-9 with a 5.20 ERA in 16 starts for Baltimore in 2024, and he won his final start against the Twins on Sept. 27, tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Hyde said Povich¡¯s ability to handle high-leverage situations in his debut season was a big part of why they like the youngster¡¯s makeup.
¡°I was really impressed with his maturity last year and how much he grew up, honestly,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I felt in moments last year, he pitched in some big games in front of some big crowds late down the stretch. I thought he handled it really well.¡±
Gibson working to be ready by late April
Newly acquired veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson is now tasked with building up his pitch count so he can reunite with the Orioles early in the regular season.
Gibson returned to the club Friday night, agreeing to a one-year, $5.25 million deal, after spending last season with the Cardinals. The offseason slowed as his family battled the flu, but now his focus is on getting ramped up for the season.
Hyde is not concerned about how long it will take the 12-year vet to get ready to pitch.
¡°He's been around awhile, somebody that's gotten ready for a lot of seasons and knows what it's like,¡± Hyde said. ¡°You treat him a little differently than a player that is maybe a little bit younger. If he ramps up quicker, that's great, but I know there's a whole plan in place for him for the month of April. Hopefully he joins us soon.¡±
So around May 1?
¡°I think it¡¯s somewhere around there if everything goes well,¡± the skipper confirmed.