FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Orioles won their spring training game Wednesday, but concern elsewhere quelled any promise an exhibition outing can bring. It began with an uncharacteristic start from right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and continued with a pair of injury updates from manager Brandon Hyde after the game.

First, the Orioles diagnosed shortstop Gunnar Henderson with an intercostal muscle sprain that casts uncertainty over his opening day availability. Second, right-hander Andrew Kittredge received an MRI on his left knee.

But before that eyebrows raised around Hammond Stadium when Rodriguez unleashed an 89.5 mph four-seam fastball that Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vázquez promptly thumped for a double.

It was part of an unusual day for Rodriguez, the 25-year-old expected to anchor the top of Baltimore’s rotation alongside veteran right-hander Zach Eflin. Rodriguez threw 33 pitches in 1 1/3 innings before he was pulled and, after his second start of spring training, he said he felt sluggish and had trouble commanding the ball.

He isn’t overly concerned by the performance, however, because Rodriguez said his intent was not to throw the ball near 95-100% yet. Still, Rodriguez was at somewhat of a loss as to why there was a decline in velocity across the board against Minnesota.

“I don’t know if it’s really mechanical or not. I just know some days are harder than others,” Rodriguez said. “Today was a little difficult trying to get in the strike zone. Mentally, was a little sped up. Other than that, I don’t really know what it was.”

Rodriguez said he “felt like I was fighting myself today, felt pretty sluggish,” although he noted that, in a regular-season game, he would’ve pushed to go deeper into the outing to save the bullpen.

“I just don’t think I could really get behind the ball today and spin it how I wanted to,” Rodriguez said. “Everything kind of felt flat. Like, during the bullpen today. I don’t know. I just wasn’t able to spin the ball well today. My command obviously wasn’t there.”

Once Rodriguez hit Austin Martin with his final pitch, his day was done early.

Last season, Rodriguez’s fastball averaged 96.1 mph. And, although he didn’t try to throw all out Wednesday, there was still a noticeable dip. Rodriguez’s fastball averaged 93.2 mph. His curveball, averaging 78.2 mph last season, was 3 mph slower.

Even the best pitchers have off days. One of the lessons right-hander Corbin Burnes often preached to younger Orioles pitchers last year was to battle through a start and to minimize damage when their stuff didn’t feel as crisp as usual.

“You wish they don’t happen, but I think when you realize they’re going to happen and try to limit the damage — I think that’s the difference between good pitchers and average pitchers,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t want to have days like today, but if they’re going to happen, spring training is kind of where they need to happen. Just trying to iron out the kinks.”

The Orioles are relying on Rodriguez to take a step forward. The 2018 first-round pick is coming off a strong season in which he posted a 3.86 ERA in 116 2/3 innings, but without Burnes there’s more responsibility on him.

Gunnar Henderson’s strain

There are questions about Henderson’s availability for opening day after Hyde said the star shortstop had been diagnosed with a mild intercostal muscle strain.

The intercostal muscles are those between the ribs. Henderson tweaked his side when making a leaping play last week. A timeline is unclear, although Hyde said Henderson feels improvement each day.

“I’m very, very hopeful,” Hyde said of Henderson’s availability for opening day. “We’re not going to push a strain there, and we want to make sure he gets it taken care of before — it’s one of those sensitive areas where you don’t want anything to reoccur.”

Hyde said the nature of the injury was fluky. Henderson took away a hit by leaping to catch a line drive, and he remained in the game for his first at-bat before walking to the clubhouse. Henderson has been out of games since Feb. 27.

“He is improving,” Hyde said. “He’s feeling better. It’s just how much better on a daily basis. But we’re not going to push him out there until we know this is cleared up.”

Andrew Kittredge dealing with knee soreness

Kittredge said he has a little inflammation in his left knee, and he had imaging done, Hyde said. Hyde added that the club will receive multiple opinions on those images prior to knowing more.

Kittredge was scheduled to throw in Saturday’s game but, as he warmed up in the bullpen, knee soreness prompted him to miss that appearance.

At this point, there’s no timetable for his return.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” said Kittredge, who signed for $10 million this winter to be a high-leverage reliever. “It wasn’t excruciating but, given the time and everything, I just wanted to be careful. I was really pushing to pitch in that game, but I just decided it probably wasn’t the best decision.”

If Kittredge isn’t an option for the opening day roster, right-hander Bryan Baker has impressed this spring. Baker threw his third straight 1-2-3 inning of camp Wednesday, and he’s doing so with a fastball sitting at 98 mph and an improved changeup.