Valencia hurt; Álvarez hits 2 HRs in place
Rickard sent to Norfolk; Sardiñas headed for DL with back pain
A thin Orioles infield was forced into another uncomfortable situation Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, with third baseman Danny Valencia scratched just before the game began with a hamstring problem that cropped up while he was running in the outfield. His replacement, Pedro Álvarez, hit two home runs in the team’s 5-3 win.
“Hewas running before the game, about12:50 [p.m.],” manager Buck Showalter said after the game. “12:52, [head athletic trainer Brian Ebel] walked in. I was just finishing getting dressed to go out, and said [Valencia] didn’t think he’d be able to go.
“It was tight, his hamstring was real tight, and he said he had this similar before and tried to play with it and ended up really hurting it for an extended period of time. So, that was quite a scramble.”
Valencia, who Showalter said doesn’t seem to be a candidate for the disabled list, was playing at third because Opening Day starter Tim Beckham had surgery to repair a pair of tears in his groin area. All-Star second baseman Jonathan Schoop is also on the disabled list with an oblique strain.
Jace Peterson, acquired off waivers from the New York Yankees to fill a utility infield role last week, remained at second base, but the Orioles didn’t have the other utility infielder on the roster — Luis Sardiñas — Sunday because of a back injury. “Obviously, our options are limited,” Showalter said. So, the manager was left to put his one available non-catcher bench player — Álvarez — back at third base for the first time since 2016. While third base is his natural position, Álvarez was never a standout there and moved to first base with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 after making 25 errors at third in 2014.
“Pete’s got the most experience at third base, but you also see all the work he does before games and everything,” Showalter said. “He wants to be available for situations like that. It’s hard to do, but if you had to pick one guy to do it, you’d pick Pete because he’s, ‘Fine, let’s go, what’s the team need? I’m ready.’ Not any cautionary excuse. I think he looked at it as an opportunity to do something for the club that we were obviously in need of.” Álvarez Rickard sent down: Outfielder Joey Rickard was sent back to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday after two games with the major league club, which was plenty long enough to show the improvements he made when he began the season there.
It turns out Rickard simply used his March assignment to the minors for its most basic purpose, getting back to the player who was a valuable part of the past two Orioles teams.
“It was more of a mindset — just be ready, kind of a confidence thing down there to not get sped up and learn to trust yourself a little more,” Rickard said. “I let the ball get deeper and go from there. Nothing too mechanical or anything like that — just taking a step back.
“It’s a pitcher’s job to get you out front and get your bat, but when I’m seeing the ball, I’m taking pitches and having longer at-bats and I’m confident having longer at-bats,” Rickard said. “That’s kind of what happened last night and hopefully it continues going on.”
Rickard walked twice in his return to the major league lineup Saturday, and had a single and a walk in four trips Sunday. Sardiñas headed for DL: Infielder Luis Sardiñas, who entered Saturday’s 9-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers as a defensive replacement, reported having lower back pain after the game, manager Buck Showalter said.
Sardiñas will go to the disabled list at some point before the Orioles resume action Tuesday in Anaheim, he said after the game.
“Luis Sardiñas came in after the game last night and had a lower back … issue, soreness,” Showalter said. “He’s not a whole lot better today, so we’ll see where his availability is like by game time. They’re working on it now. He had it some last year. Had it in ‘17 and ‘14, same thing, looking back at the history.”
Showalter said they’d like to make a like-for-like switch of infielders to replace Sardiñas, but the Orioles also have to activate slugger Mark Trumbo ( quad) off the disabled list Tuesday. Around the horn: Trumbo had two hits and an RBI on Saturday against Charlotte in a rehab game for Norfolk Saturday, and went 0-for-4 on Sunday as the designated hitter. He’s scheduled to join the team in Anaheim. ... Center fielder Adam Jones started Sunday at designated hitter to give him a day off his feet before Monday’s scheduled day off, leaving the Orioles with an outfield of Rickard, Craig Gentry, and Anthony Santander.