ARLINGTON, Texas — Ryan Mountcastle’s first at-bat Tuesday was similar to many from his 2022 season.
The first baseman put an excellent swing on the ball, roping the pitch 102.3 mph to the warning track in center field, only for it to be caught by Texas Rangers center fielder Adolis García. The unlucky out — Statcast had the batted ball with an expected batting average of .670 — was an all-too-common occurrence for Mountcastle during his average 2022 campaign.
That type of at-bat didn’t define Mountcastle’s night, though, as the Orioles’ No. 3 batter hit a three-run blast in the second inning to propel Baltimore to a 7-2 win over the Rangers.
The homer came on a fastball at the top of the zone from Rangers left-handed starter Andrew Heaney, as Mountcastle roped the pitch off the right-field foul pole.
Mountcastle recorded an exit velocity of 91.8 mph or faster in each of his five at-bats. He also doubled, grounded out and lined out, ending his night 2 for 5 at the plate.
The two-out long ball in the second put the Orioles (3-2) up 5-0 to give starting pitcher Kyle Gibson cushion. The veteran pitched seven efficient innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
The only blemishes for Gibson were the two solo home runs he allowed — one to García in the second and the other to Nathaniel Lowe in the sixth. Otherwise, the 35-year-old looked like someone in his 11th season as a big league starter. Gibson (2-0) struck out batters on his four-seam fastball, change-up and sweeper, including striking out the side in the seventh. He also displayed improved velocity over his 91.2-mph average in his first start of the season and his 92.0-mph average last season, sitting 93-94 mph and touching 95.1 mph on his four-seamer.
Gibson, the club’s No. 1 starter, was originally scheduled to take the ball Wednesday after starting opening day against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. But Kyle Bradish’s foot injury Monday night altered manager Brandon Hyde’s plans. Tyler Wells, who was slated to start Tuesday, came in relief Monday and pitched five no-hit innings to lead the Orioles to a 2-0 win. Gibson was then pushed up to start Tuesday on regular rest, and his seven innings on just 88 pitches was exactly what the Orioles needed after the club’s starters amassed just 13 2/3 innings in its first four contests.
Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles’ top pitching prospect, is reportedly being promoted to start Wednesday and make his major league debut in his home state of Texas.
Before Mountcastle’s home run, the Orioles’ first two runs in the second came via an RBI single from Ryan McKenna and a left-on-left RBI double from Cedric Mullins. Jorge Mateo then followed Mountcastle’s lead in the third with a two-run blast of his own. Mateo, who also clobbered a 433-foot homer Monday, deposited a low breaking ball from Heaney 392 feet over the left-field fence.
Logan Gillaspie and Cionel Pérez followed Gibson and combined to pitch two innings of shutout relief.
