The Orioles and Guardians traded zeros for six innings before Cleveland took a commanding lead in the seventh. Daniel Schneemann launched a no-doubt grand slam with two outs in the seventh, and Baltimore appeared destined for its fourth straight loss. Fortunately, this team had other plans. The O’s exploded for six runs in the top of the eighth. Weston Wilson delivered a two-run double, and Jeremiah Jackson hit a go-ahead, three-run home run to lead Baltimore to a 6-4 win at Progressive Field.
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teams threatened early and often without breaking through. Baltimore starter Chris Bassitt ran up his pitch count while laboring through five scoreless frames, and the Orioles failed to bring in a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings.
The Guardians finally struck first with what felt like a knockout punch in the seventh inning. Steven Kwan started the rally with a seemingly harmless grounder that Jackson failed to field at second base. Chase DeLauter followed with a hard-hit double off reliever Grant Wolfram, and Cleveland found itself in business with two in scoring position and nobody out.
Craig Albernaz made the easy decision to walk José Ramirez with the open base, and the Orioles nearly escaped without any damage. Wolfram struck out Kyle Manzardo for the first out, and new pitcher Anthony Nunez struck out Rhys Hoskins for a big out number two. Unfortunately, the escape act stopped there. Nunez caught too much of the plate with a fastball, and Schneemann blasted Cleveland to a four-run lead.
The Orioles had not scored in the first six innings and suddenly trailed by four. The lead felt insurmountable—until it wasn’t.
Baltimore loaded the bases in the top of the eighth without swinging the bat. Taylor Ward worked a leadoff walk, Pete Alonso got hit by a pitch, and Dylan Beavers worked a free pass to load the bases. Cleveland summoned left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski, and Baltimore counted with pinch-hitter Johnathan Rodríguez. Rodríguez squared up a first pitch fastball but lined it directly to the right fielder. Ward tagged and raced home for Baltimore’s first run of the game.
Leody Taveras continued Baltimore’s patient approach by working the count to 3-2. Home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson punched out Taveras on a pitch below the zone, but the ABS challenge system allowed Taveras to reach and reload the bases.
Albernaz continued to empty the bench against the lefty and sent Wilson to the plate. Wilson got a middle-middle fastball and made the most of his opportunity. The former Phillie smacked the hardest hit ball of his career with a 110 MPH double off the tall wall in left field. Alonso and Beavers raced home to cut the lead to one, and Wilson barely beat a strong throw to second base.
Coby Mayo chased what should have been ball four for the second out, and Jackson stepped in with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Jackson, fresh off a costly error in the previous inning, wasted no time making up for his mistake. The 26-year-old went to a knee with a big swing, and the ball traveled 390 feet to left center. The Orioles led 6-to-4.
Rico Garcia kept his brilliant season going with a clean eighth. Cleveland nearly brought the tying run to the plate when first base umpire Mark Wegner ruled that Pete Alonso pulled his foot off the bag, but replay corrected his mistake and sent the game to the ninth inning.
Ryan Hesley walked Ramirez before striking out Manzardo and retiring George Valera to earn the save.
Bassitt made some incremental improvement today by completing five frames for the first time in four starts. Bassitt kept the Guardians off the scoreboard, but Cleveland made him work. The 37-year-old threw only 56 of 100 pitches for strikes over five innings.
Five shutout innings is a reasonable result from a backend starter, but it doesn’t exactly match the “innings eater” label. Bassitt struggled to miss bats, and Cleveland hitters rarely looked overmatched. He struck out two, walked four, and allowed four hits.
Bassitt retired the first batter he faced before loading the bases on a pair of walks and a base hit by Manzardo. The veteran used a well-located curveball to generate an infield fly for the second out, and he retired Schneemann with a ground ball to escape the inning unscathed.
Samuel Basallo erased a leadoff single in the second by making a strong throw on a stolen base attempt. Bassitt overcame a leadoff single by Stephen Kwan in the third and a leadoff single by Hoskins in the fourth. The next test came in the fifth inning. Kwan and Ramirez walked and moved into scoring position after a wild pitch, but Bassitt struck out Manzardo to end the threat.
Colton Cowser made a nice running catch in foul territory but banged his knee off the wall in the fifth inning. Cowser stayed in the game but was eventually lifted for a pinch hitter. Albernaz emptied the bench tonight, and the skipper said after the game that Cowser was okay despite suffering a knee contusion.
The thrilling come back also brought Baltimore back to .500 at 10-10. The Orioles have played some chaotic games over the last week, and it’s always fun to be on the right side. Baltimore will look to carry the momentum into tomorrow with Dean Kremer on the mound at 6:10 p.m.
