SARASOTA, Fla. -- With performances like the one he turned in during Wednesday’s Grapefruit League 7-6 walk-off win over the Rays, the question facing Bruce Zimmermann might be centered more around if he pitches the home opener on April 11, not if he makes the Opening Day rotation itself.

But the Ellicott City, Md., native isn’t letting that potential honor distract him from the task at hand.

“Honestly, my first goal is to come out here and get prepared for the season, just make the team again,” said Zimmermann, tagged for just one unearned run and one hit across three innings. “… If it just so happens to line up, it lines up. I'd be more than happy whether I'm pitching in Tampa or Baltimore. Doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm pitching.”

As it stands, with only two set starters in John Means and Jordan Lyles, Zimmermann appears to have the inside track for one of the three remaining spots. He’s one of only three pitchers to get multiple starts so far this Spring Training slate, partly due to the scarcity of innings, but also because the club wants to see if he can build off the success of last season.

Of all the mid-to-late 20-year-old arms the Orioles have to decide upon for roster spots, Zimmermann was among the most capable in 2021, pitching around a couple abbreviated outings to a 5.04 ERA -- more than a run better than everyone else in last year’s rotation (save for Means).

Truthfully, the argument could be made for Wednesday serving as Zimmermann’s Grapefruit League debut. He pitched last Thursday against the Red Sox but was hampered by the stomach bug that went around O’s camp, and was tagged for a pair of home runs across two innings.

“I don't want to call it a throwaway, I still got out there and hit my pitch limit and everything,” Zimmermann said. “Obviously, how I was doing that, how I was feeling -- very different scenario. But all in all, coming off this one, I felt really, really strong through three, body-wise. … As far as the build-up moving into the season, I think we're still exactly where we need to be.”

“Zimmermann was better today,” manager Brandon Hyde said, moments after Kelvin Gutierrez’s walk-off bases-clearing double. “I thought he was more aggressive with his fastball, velo stayed up throughout his outing, played through some good changeups. But just more aggressive and looked like the Zimmermann we saw last Spring Training.

Though he may not be publicly pining for it, there’s a cavalry of Zimmermanns in the Baltimore area who would likely love to see their Bruce lead the O’s down the orange carpet on Opening Day and kick-start the home slate, the 30th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Zimmermann already capped off the journey from the Loyola Blakefield High School fields to Towson and now to Camden Yards when he debuted in 2020 and then made his first start in front of Baltimore fans on April 10, 2021.

Pitching there on April 11, 2022, might just be that much more meaningful.

Mullins rediscovers timing
If you were taken aback by Cedric Mullins' Spring Training slash line heading into Wednesday’s clash with Tampa Bay -- .067/.176/.067 thanks to just one hit and two walks against four strikeouts -- you weren’t alone.

“The last couple of games I'd say were my worst approaches,” Mullins said.

So his home run on Wednesday is not merely a breath of fresh air but a welcome sign that some of his tinkering is starting to see the light. (Also throw in a highlight-reel catch in the first.) Mullins delved into video and realized he wasn’t driving the ball as centrally as he wanted. So, his first at-bat on Wednesday, he grounded up the middle to short. His second was a powerful blast past the right-field wall.

And those two strokes were connected.

“That led to me hitting the home run later,” Mullins said, “because the swing just felt comfortable. I knew what direction I was trying to hit it.”

“That ball was Warehouse-bound,” Hyde said. “I don't know where that ball would have landed. … Just nice to see him barrel a couple balls up and see him get going.”

It would be hard to blame Mullins for feeling compelled to perform this spring. After all, he’s coming off the first 30-30 season in Orioles history and a Top 10 finish in MVP voting. With a performance like that, expectations swirl.

But yes, he knows his Spring Training stats.

“Of course I do,” Mullins said. “But I think the process of Spring Training is what you have to focus on.”

And it paid off on Wednesday.