BALTIMORE -- In a game focused on numbers, Orioles manager Buck Showalter enters Monday's Opening Day against the Twins at 3:05 p.m. ET hoping his club has more quality than quantity when it comes to this year's pitching staff.
"It's one thing to have inventory, it's another thing to have depth. People get that confused," Showalter said in a sit-down with MLB.com to preview the season. "You want to have more than just bodies that are inventory. You want to have quality depth. We have that potential."
The Orioles' rotation will be tested right away, first with Chris Tillman and then new Oriole Yovani Gallardo, whom Showalter calls a "consistent professional pitcher." Still, with the loss of lefty starter Wei-Yin Chen, Baltimore -- which retained free agents Matt Wieters, Chris Davis and Darren O'Day -- chose to boost its lineup with power bats like Pedro Alvarez and Mark Trumbo.
"We scored more runs [in 2015] than we did the year before, but our starting pitching was inconsistent. There are going to be some nights in the American League where you're going to have to outscore some people," Showalter said. "I think we've worked hard this spring to try to be a little more well-rounded. We can't go through the season walking nine or 10 times a year. Our guys know it."