Much of the 11th-hour drama expected with the final appearances of the spring for onetime Orioles rotation candidates and current bullpen bubble dwellers Nestor Cortes Jr. and Miguel Castro on Sunday was stripped away by the simple math of the Orioles roster.
Twelve pitchers remain in camp who are ready to start the season, and barring any outside additions, all of them will head north with the Orioles. Cortes and Castro are two of them.
But each was still glad to cap an uneven spring with a strong final act in the Orioles' 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.