Orioles, Twins hope new managers lead to contending seasons

There'll be a double dose of managerial debuts when the Minnesota Twins visit the Baltimore Orioles for Thursday's opener.

Derek Shelton will be in his first game in charge of the Twins. New Orioles skipper Craig Albernaz is in his first managerial role.

Shelton was fired by Pittsburgh last May and hired in October to replace Rocco Baldelli, who was dismissed by the Twins.

Albernaz and Shelton both have roots in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Albernaz, 43, most recently spent time on the staff of the Cleveland Guardians.

The Twins and Orioles were expected to contend when the 2025 season began, but both finished more than 10 wins shy of the playoffs.

The Orioles were largely underachievers from early in the season, which cost manager Brandon Hyde his job on May 17. Interim manager Tony Mansolino was not retained.

The fresh start is something the Orioles are counting on.

"You can't worry about the past," Albernaz said. "Learn the lesson, leave the event, and you can't worry about the future. You have to be in the present moment."

The Orioles are going with lefty Trevor Rogers (9-3, 1.81 ERA) to throw Thursday's first pitch. Rogers, who has spent most of his career with the Miami Marlins, has never faced the Twins.

Baltimore's bullpen needs to be ready for regular duty, though Albernaz has been cautious in identifying too many specific roles for that group.

"Our guys are going to get exposed to a lot," he said. "That's something where I've seen high-functioning bullpens, early in the year, there's a workload progression for your bullpen guys. You don't want to overuse them too early. You need to get built up and get in the flow of the season."

Right-hander Joe Ryan (13-10, 3.42 ERA) will draw the start for the Twins. His last four starts in 2025 all resulted in losses for Minnesota, with three of the defeats charged to him.

Shelton refers to Ryan as "a top-end starter." There might be more questions after that -- and not just because co-ace Pablo Lopez tore the UCL in his elbow in spring training and needed Tommy John surgery.

"We're still trying to figure out our bullpen," Shelton said.

One new addition to the Minnesota lineup is first baseman Josh Bell, who Shelton considers a key offseason acquisition.

"It adds another veteran presence in our clubhouse," Shelton said.

Ryan hasn't faced the Orioles since July 9, 2023, when he took the loss while giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings. His only other matchups with Baltimore came with a pair of no-decisions in 2022.

The Orioles hope it's a strong bounce-back season for Gunnar Henderson, who began 2025 on a rehab assignment in the minor leagues and didn't reach his usual heights with his numbers (.274 average, 17 homers, .787 OPS). The shortstop, who hit well for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, likely will bat leadoff.

"Having him up top, his ability to run, that's what you always want at the top of the order," Albernaz said.

The Orioles begin the season with six home games. After the three-game series across four days in Baltimore, the Twins head for Monday's home opener vs. Kansas City.

--Field Level Media