Jose Mesa, Jr., who is on the list of Orioles pitchers competing for the team’s final rotation spot, was slated to pitch two innings in his Grapefruit League debut Sunday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park.
But the Rule 5 pick lasted just 2/3 inning in his first spring game, allowing six of the seven batters he faced reach base and yielding back-to-back homers to Blake Swihart and Jeremy Barfield.
Mesa struggled with his command throughout the outing, issuing three walks and throwing a wild pitch in the inning, but it was the poor placement of the two home-run pitches that ultimately hurt Mesa the most.