FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Chance Sisco really wants another crack at it.
Like last February, when Sisco was sent north with the Orioles on the heels of a white-hot showing in Grapefruit League play, the catcher is making another early-spring run at Baltimore’s roster. By homering in each of his first two at-bats in Wednesday’s 7-6 win over a split-squad Red Sox team, Sisco pulled himself into a share of the circuit’s lead in long balls, with Boston’s Michal Chavis. By adding an RBI single later, Sisco turned his numbers simply video-gamey.
All told, Sisco is 4-for-6 with three home runs and eight RBIs in seven plate appearances, slashing .667/.714/2.167 across that admittedly tiny sample.
“I feel really good up there, and I’m trying to stay there as long as possible,” Sisco said. “Right now, everybody is a little relaxed and having fun out there. The biggest thing [new Orioles manager Brandon] Hyde has been talking about is being yourself, playing with your hair on fire. That’s what it’s about.”
Which version of Sisco is this, though? It was only Wednesday morning that Hyde was opining on the long history of spring stars to shine early, just to fade by Opening Day. Sisco qualified as recently as last year, when he followed his .429/.474/.800 spring with a season full of what he called “a lot of ups and downs.”
“I just want him to give him as much confidence as I can,” Hyde said. “We believe in him.”
Thrust into the starting catcher’s job then, Sisco’s production plummeted and his confidence sank. The .181/.288/.269 line he posted in 63 games sparked enough doubt for the O's to stock their camp with veteran catching depth in the event he slumped again this spring. It’s a pack Sisco has needed less than a week to separate himself from.
“I’m not really focusing on [last year] anymore,” Sisco said. “[I’ve kind of] moved past it. [I] learned from it and moved past it.”
Cobb debut set
The Orioles have selected Friday as the day for Alex Cobb’s Grapefruit League debut, slating the righty to face the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium. Cobb will be the second of the club’s three veteran starters to see game action this spring.
It’ll be a little longer until the last of the group, Andrew Cashner, takes the mound. Cashner threw his second simulated game Wednesday, and he will throw another this weekend before appearing in a game. Unlike the many younger players in camp, Cobb and Cashner had a hand in crafting their own schedules.
“We talked to them both about how much rest they want, how many days in between early on,” Hyde said. “Cobb has been around a long time, [and] so has Cash. They kind of know what they needed, so we worked with them on getting them the proper rest.”
Getting closer
Sidelined in Venezuela with an illness since Spring Training opened, right-hander Gregory Infante has arrived in Florida and is expected to report to camp in the coming days. Infante’s sojourn isn’t over yet, though. He must first be examined by team doctors in Miami before zipping across the state to join the club. A non-roster invite, Infante, 31, went 1-1 with an 8.00 ERA in 10 appearances last year for the White Sox.
Worth noting
• Wednesday marked a return to the mound for right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, who missed all but two games last season with injuries to his right shoulder and right tibia. A non-roster invitee, Ynoa allowed a run over the game’s first two innings.
• Hyde said there is nothing ailing lefty reliever Josh Osich, who hasn’t appeared in Grapefruit League play yet this spring. Osich is simply on a slower schedule after coming over from the Giants on a waiver claim last week. The club would like to see Osich throw to hitters before thrusting him into game action.
• Back in Baltimore, a construction crane was on site at Oriole Park setting up a tribute to club legend Frank Robinson, who died Feb. 7 at the age of 83. The tribute? Robinson’s No. 20 hung from the Eutaw Street warehouse, where it will reside for the entire 2019 season.
Up next
Dylan Bundy will make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday when the Orioles travel to Clearwater, Fla., to face a split Phillies squad. Rotation candidates David Hess and Jimmy Yacabonis -- as well as Cody Carroll, Miguel Castro and Pedro Araujo -- are slated to follow Bundy on the mound. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m., and fans can catch the action on MLB.TV or listen to a free audio webcast.