BALTIMORE -- A day after his Major League debut, Orioles pitching prospect Tanner Scott was all smiles: glad he got out there and glad the first one was behind him.
"I was feeling a lot of adrenaline," said Scott, whose first warmup pitch flew to the backstop as he got ready to navigate the eighth inning in the Orioles' 9-0 loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday. "A little nerve-wracking, but that first one is out of the way and that's a good thing. Felt good, and [I'll] try to get back out there."
Scott allowed a pair of runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout in the inning, getting Deven Marrero on a slider.
"The slider has come a long way, so it was really good to get my first strikeout on the slider," said Scott, who sets up his offspeed with a devastating fastball that touches triple digits. "My slider has come a long way and now I can throw it whenever I want. It's going to help me a lot."
Ranked as the club's No. 6 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, the 23-year-old Scott went 0-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 24 starts at Double-A Bowie this season. He struck out 87 and walked 46 in 69 innings.
Asked if he could tell a difference right away between Double-A and the big leagues, Scott said: "Yeah, the strike zone is smaller and the hitters are better."
With plans to go to the Arizona Fall League after the regular season ends, there's no telling how much of a look the O's will get at Scott. But the lefty is going to use every opportunity to make an impression. And hopefully corral some of those early warmups.
"Actually, this morning I told [catcher Welington Castillo], I said, 'Hey Welly, did that go through the doors behind the [screen]?' He's like, 'Yeah, I don't know how.' He was laughing, so it's OK."