Spring training is officially over. The next time we see the Orioles play baseball

Nolan Ryan Jersey , the games will count. Strap in!"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Commentary & AnalysisOrioles ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastBird DroppingsTuesday Bird Droppings: Where that’s a wrap on SarasotaNew,720commentsSpring training is officially over. The next time we see the Orioles play baseball, the games will count. Strap in!EDTShareTweetShareShareTuesday Bird Droppings: Where that’s a wrap on SarasotaButch Dill-USA TODAY SportsGood morning, Camden Chatters.We’ve made it. We’ve officially put a bow on spring training. Six weeks after Orioles pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, the club broke camp yesterday, wrapping up their Grapefruit League schedule with a 9-7 loss to the Mets in Sarasota.The doors at Ed Smith Stadium are closed. The bags are packed. The Orioles are on their way to New York, where they’ll begin the regular season on Thursday against the Yankees. And they’ve all but finalized their opening 25-man roster. It’s, um...it’s really something. All those who predicted John Means, Hanser Alberto, Pedro Severino, and three Rule 5 picks to make the Opening Day club, please come collect your winnings.If you were hoping the O’s would finish their exhibition schedule strong, they most certainly did not. After winning eight of their first 15 games, the Birds went 4-12-1 in their last 17, and were winless in their last seven. In fact, the more the Orioles cut down their roster and began using their regulars, the more they started to lose. That’s probably not a great sign for the season ahead.A bunch of the young players who contributed to those early spring wins will be starting the season in the minors, including Austin Hays (who’s now injured), Yusniel Diaz, Anthony Santander, and Chance Sisco. There’s a very real possibility that the Triple-A Norfolk Tides will be a much more watchable club, and certainly more competitive, than the early-season Orioles.Still, that’s not important now. The regular season is here http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-tebow-jersey , ready or not. And maybe I’m a sucker, but I’m excited to see what the first season of the Mike Elias/Brandon Hyde era has in store for the Orioles. They’ll be bad, sure, but there figures to be a lot of change throughout the season as the O’s call up prospects and continue to try to add talent to the organization. The rebuild has just begun. Where is it going to take us?There’s only one way to find out. In two days, it all begins.LinksOrioles enter 2019 with an eye on the future - Orioles.comJoe Trezza provides a preview of the 2019 Orioles. In summary: they’re gonna be terrible, but that’s kind of by design.Elias says Sisco needs more time in minors while Cobb won’t make opener - BaltimoreBaseball.comFor the second time in his career, Alex Cobb was announced as the Opening Day starter and then had to miss the game with an injury. I feel bad for the guy. Also, how about the retro hat Mike Elias is sporting in this photo?As Alex Cobb, Mark Trumbo head to injured list, Orioles GM Mike Elias clears up Opening Day picture - Baltimore SunCobb’s injury will force the Orioles to scramble with their starting rotation, including the possible use of openers. Sure, why not? If they’re not going to win, they might as well at least be creative.Orioles’ roster decisions are about the future and the fit, not about true competition – The AthleticDan Connolly notes that, ultimately, spring training performance didn’t make a lick of difference in terms of who made the Opening Day roster. Yeah, pretty much. It stinks for the players who clearly outperformed others, but Elias and crew aren’t going to let small sample sizes affect their team-building decisions.Smith has another big day for Orioles (final roster moves) - School of RochQuietly, Dwight Smith Jr. had a sensational spring, tying for the Orioles team lead in homers with five, capped by two more yesterday. Is there any reason he shouldn’t get everyday at-bats for a while instead of, say, Joey Rickard?And don’t forget to enter Camden Chat’s 2019 pre-season contest! You have less than 48 hours to get your entry in. Are you like me, waiting until the last minute to cast your ballot so you have as much information as humanly possible to make an informed decision? Only to pick the wrong answer anyway?Orioles birthdays and historyIs today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four O’s birthday buddies Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey , none of whom played more than 22 games with the club: 1998 outfielder Jesus Tavarez (who turns 48), 1995 outfielder Jarvis Brown (52), 1989-90 righty Mickey Weston (58), and 1983 lefty Dan Morogiello (64).On this day in 1960, the Orioles canceled a scheduled exhibition game against the Reds in Cuba for fears of political unrest. No MLB team played in Cuba again until 1999, when it was — ironically — the Orioles who did so. Merrill Kelly sliced his ERA to less than one-third of what it was. That’s the good news..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodDiamondbacks Game ReportsDiamondbacks Game DaysDiamondbacks 3, Royals 5: Merrill’s perils, Green feels blueNew,28commentsMerrill Kelly sliced his ERA to less than one-third of what it was. That’s the good news...ESTShareTweetShareShareDiamondbacks 3, Royals 5: Merrill’s perils, Green feels blueMatt Kartozian-USA TODAY SportsRecord: 5-4-2. Change on 2018: +2. 5-inning record: 5-3-3.I guess Merrill Kelly’s second start as a Diamondbacks went a little better than his first. Though he has still yet to get through a complete inning without allowing at least three runs... at least he DID get through a complete inning. Considering his first appearance lasted one out, this is progress. He was staked to a 1-0 lead tonight at Surprise, 1B Jake Lamb driving in CF Ketel Marte [yeah, I’m still getting used to some phrases...] with a double. Kelly got the first out, but the Royals then went triple, walk, RBI single to tie the game, and another walk loaded the bases. An error by Wilmer Flores helped bring across two runs, though a subsequent errant Kelly pickoff proved inconsequential. The D-backs took advantage of some sloppiness to their own benefit, as 3B Wyatt Mathisen reached on an error, and scored courtesy of DH Ildemaro Vargas’s two-run double, tying the score at three in the top of the second. There was a zero posted by Arizona pitchers in the bottom half, but Kelly wasn’t around to see the end of it, being lifted with two outs. His final line: three runs http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-tebow-jersey , two earned, over 1.2 innings on two hits and three walks, with one strikeout. Not a great performance, though there’s some suggestion that he was getting squeezed on the corners of the strike-zone by home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott. Still, an ERA of 22.50 and a K:BB of 1:4 through two starts is concerning. He was replaced by Nick Green, our Rule 5 pick who had impressed initially, with five scoreless innings. Tonight? Not so much, as he also seemed to have control issues (or Wolcott was operating with a gnat’s sphincter strike-zone, which is possible. It’s spring training for everyone). He walked four of the ten batters he faced, allowing two runs in 1.1 innings, on two hits, with a pair of strikeouts. With Silvino Bracho apparently crossed off the Opening Day roster, another good outing could have put Green in excellent shape for that spot. Instead, it’s still up in the air. The rest of the bullpen did pitch well. Robby Scott, Archie Bradley, Yoshihisa Hirano and Matt Koch combined for five shutout frames (Koch pitched two) of two-hit ball, with one walk and five strikeouts. However, our offense managed only one hit after the fifth inning: Vargas and Marte each had a pair of hits, with the former now batting .455 for the spring. With Kelby Tomlinson still seeking his first hit (0-for-12), Vargas may be making a case for the last spot on the bench. Tomorrow, it’s another road game, but back to during the day. Robbie Ray starts against the Brewers in the new and improved Maryvale Stadium.