Orioles and Pirates lineups in Sarasota..

SARASOTA, Fla. – Dylan Beavers gets the start in left field this afternoon, as the Orioles host the Pirates again. Beavers hit the go-ahead two-run homer yesterday against the Twins and is 3-for-6.

Cedric Mullins is leading off. Ramón Laureano is in right field.

Adley Rutschman is behind the plate. Ramón Urías remains the third baseman. Nick Gordon plays second base after Jackson Holliday homered yesterday in Fort Myers.

Cade Povich makes his second start. He tossed two scoreless and hitless innings in his spring debut against the Phillies in Clearwater.

Gunnar Henderson (right side) and Jordan Westburg (lower back) remain out of the lineup. Tyler O’Neill also isn’t in it after homering Thursday.

For the Orioles

Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Ryan O’Hearn DH
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Ramón Urías 3B
Ramón Laureano RF
Nick Gordon 2B
Luis Vázquez SS
Dylan Beavers LF

Cade Povich LHP.

Available relievers include Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge.

For the Pirates

Nick Yorke 1B
Jared Triolo 3B
Oneil Cruz CF
Joey Bart C
Jack Suwinski LF
Nick Solak 2B
DJ Stewart DH
Joshua Palacios RF
Liover Peguero SS

Paul Skenes RHP.

Povich and Skenes were the starters in last year’s Spring Breakout game in Bradenton.

Skenes is making his first spring start today, the delay caused by a rainout.

Matt Gorski has three home runs this spring, all of them against the Orioles. Two homers and six RBIs came in the same game.

Today’s matchup airs on MASN and WBAL-Radio.

Kittredge brings elite chase rate to O’s bullpen..

Location, location, location.

Important in real estate, shooting a “The Lord of the Rings” movie and throwing a slider.

I’m pretty sure that’s what people say.

Glancing at Andrew Kittredge’s 2024 Statcast page, you’ll find that the reliever only had one advanced metric that ranked in the 75th percentile or better: chase rate.

In fact, Kittredge’s chase rate ranked in the 100th percentile in baseball last season, with batters swinging at 38.9 percent of pitches that the right-hander threw out of the zone. That ranked as the best in baseball among pitchers with at least 200 plate appearances against.

That major league-leading 38.9 percent rate wasn’t even the best of Kittredge’s career. In fact, it was just the fifth-best chase rate that the 34-year-old has had in his eight-year tenure in the majors.

Adjusting the plate appearances threshold to just 25 to account for some of Kittredge’s injuries, the right-hander ranked second in baseball in inducing swings out of the zone in 2023 and 2022 and first in 2021 and 2019.

Looking at his arsenal, it may be difficult to determine why.

None of Kittredge’s pitches jump off the page in terms of their physical characteristics. His slider, which he throws about half the time, has solid but not otherworldly movement. That offering ranked 93rd in baseball in horizontal break last season. The sinker and four-seam fastball both have average to below average horizontal and vertical movement.

It’s not the velocity either. Kittredge’s sinker is the 98th fastest sinker in baseball, falling under the “good not great” category.

What separates Kittredge is his location.

Location+, a FanGraphs metric, is “a count- and pitch-type-adjusted judge of a pitcher’s ability to put pitches in the right place. No velocity, movement, or any other physical characteristics are included in the statistic.”

Kittredge had the fourth best Location+ in baseball last year, and consistently ranks near the top of the league in this measurement.

Pinpoint accuracy helps the right-hander’s offerings play up, despite their “good not great” physical characteristics. Against right-handed hitters, Kittredge’s slider is incredibly effective low and away. His sinker can catch a righty off guard on the inner-third. And just when you thought you’ve figured him out, Kittredge can elevate with a four-seam fastball at the top of the zone that blows you away.

I wouldn’t challenge him to a game of darts.

It’s no wonder that the reliever has allowed just a .664 OPS to right-handed hitters over the course of his career. There are rarely mistakes to take advantage of.

“My approach is very simple,” Kittredge said. “I want to attack hitters at all times. I just want to be really aggressive in the zone.”

That mentality meshes well with how the O’s coaching staff wants their guys to pitch.

“That message is kind of already what the team identity here is,” Kittredge added. “Or at least, what they want it to be.”

And the veteran can play a large part in helping Baltimore create that identity.

While Kittredge may not close many games in an Orioles uniform, with just 16 career saves under his belt, the right-hander is built for the big moments. In his career, Kittredge boasts a .692 OPS allowed in high-leverage situations and a .785 in low-leverage spots. Expect to see him in big spots late in games, especially against right-handed hitters.

Kittredge’s game, attacking hitters with well-placed pitches in and around the zone, meshes well with Baltimore’s athletic defense.

“I want to be aggressive, to a fault really, and that means using your defense,” Kittredge said. “I’m going to throw the ball over the plate, and that usually comes with early outs sometimes, early contact. So you have to trust your defense if you’re going to pitch that way and I don’t see why that’s not the best way to do it still.”

Presumably joining the likes of Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto, Brandon Hyde will have plenty of options to turn to in high leverage spots. And with the return of Félix Bautista, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about the O’s bullpen. Kittredge’s addition, and his incredible ability to get hitters to chase, only adds to the promise of the upcoming campaign.

“A lot to be excited about” Kittredge said. “A good young core of guys and I think everyone’s hungry to win. There’s just a real excitement here.”