The Baltimore Orioles' grace period is over. Following early exits in the playoffs in consecutive years, this ballclub is under pressure to attain October success in 2025. Those ambitions cannot come to fruition before the team takes care of business during the regular season, however. They did just that in a 12-2 thumping of the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day.

Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins, two of the team's foundational pieces, particularly enjoyed massive afternoons for the O's. The catcher and center fielder each collected two home runs and three hits while combining for eight RBIs and five runs scored.

Rutschman started off the slug party in the first inning, smashing a 436-foot solo bomb in the Rogers Centre. The two-time All-Star scuffled during the second half of the 2024 season, looking completely out of sorts after battling a hand injury (foul ball hit him in June). He did not blame the struggles on any physical ailment, though, instead taking his lumps from the fans and pundits. Rutschman looks eager to put those low-lights behind him.

Although the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft is a masterful Opening Day performer, it is still incredibly encouraging to see him absolutely obliterate the baseball to begin the season. Mullins is obviously not expected to produce at the level of Rutschman, but he is reminding fans that he still packs plenty of pop in his bat. Perhaps he can return closer to his All-Star 2021 form this year.

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Orioles will trust their lineup to lift up franchise when necessary

Canadian and free-agent signing Tyler O'Neill grabbed a share of the spotlight himself, continuing an amazing trend that saw him hit an Opening Day home run for a sixth straight season. He must avoid the injured list as much as possible, considering he is tasked with replacing a bulk of the power that Anthony Santander took with him to the Blue Jays.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde will ask his lineup to consistently tear the cover off the ball in 2025. Considering the murkiness currently surrounding the starting pitching rotation, Baltimore will need to win plenty of games with the lumber.

The bats went cold last postseason. A mammoth showing in the first game of a 162-game campaign will not do anything to dispel the narrative that the O's offensively underachieved in the playoffs, but it is still worth relishing. Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins and the rest of the team will try to stay on the attack on Friday night.