In tonight’s game between the Orioles and Braves, the Orioles starting pitcher was outstanding, but the offense wasn’t able to score many runs. With a one-run lead in the eighth inning, manager Craig Albernaz turned to relief pitcher Rico Garcia. Garcia, who has struggled lately, gave up a home run to tie the ballgame.
Are you feeling déjà vu? I certainly was watching it, because that is exactly what happened in yesterday’s game. Luckily for the Orioles, tonight’s game took a different turn after
that home run. Last night, the Orioles squandered their chance in the bottom of the ninth and lost in extra innings. Tonight, Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers ensured there wasn’t a repeat.
After Tyler O’Neill opened the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout, Holliday smacked a ball to left field that looked like it would sink in for a hit. Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón almost made a great play on it but couldn’t hold on to the ball. Holliday landed on second base with a double. Colton Cowser hit a ball to deep center field, but could only move Holliday over to third.
Enter Beavers. With two outs, he was the only thing standing between the Braves and extra innings. Didier Fuentes threw him a first-pitch fastball and Beavers hit it to the right side. Ozzie Albies made a diving attempt at second base but it got past him. Holliday raced in from third! Orioles win! And thank goodness. I could not take another extra-innings loss.
Why did Albernaz go with Garcia again, when Yennier Cano was also getting warmed up? I don’t know. (Cano ended up pitching a very good ninth) I didn’t like it before the home run yesterday, and I didn’t like it tonight. But for tonight, at least, we can enjoy a win and not stew on it too much. We can remember the Beavers walk off and another outstanding start from Brandon Young.
Because Young had a heck of a night as part of a starting rotation that has turned out to be pretty good. It just proves how little I actually know about the Orioles. Because if you had told me to guess which part of the team would be the weakest link in a bad season, I probably would have guessed the rotation.
Young pitched into the seventh inning tonight and allowed just six baserunners. It shook out to four singles, a double, and two walks. He didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning, and before then he felt in control even when he allowed runners on. It’s such a good feeling to have a pitcher like this on the mound.
Through six innings, Young allowed more than one baserunner in an inning just twice. In the second, he gave up a single and a walk, but came back to strike out the next two batters to end the inning.
He wasn’t as good in the sixth. He walked Matt Olson with one out, then Michael Harris II sneaked a ball inside the right field line for a double. That put runners on second and third with the Orioles up 2-0. One run came in on a groundout, but it could have been a lot worse. Young got the third out as well on a groundout, and the Orioles retained the lead for the moment.
At 89 pitches, Young came back out for the seventh inning and faced Austin Riley. He had already struck Riley out twice. He did it a third time for the first out of the inning, and his day was done at 94 pitches. It’s so hard to judge in a one-run game, but I probably would have left him in the game until a runner got on or he finished the inning.
Regardless, it was another success for Brandon Young. He keeps shrinking his ERA, lowering it from 3.25 to 3.13 tonight. That’s better than any of his rotation mates. His final line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K.
Young was replaced by Grant Wolfram, who immediately gave up a hit to pinch hitter Eli White. It looked like a double, and ended up being a double. But White tripped and fell between first and second base. Dylan Beavers played the ball in right field and threw it to Henderson on a bounce. It was not a great throw, but it was playable. About the time the ball got to Henderson, White was lying on the ground out of reach of second base. But Henderson didn’t make the catch and it bounced away. White got up and made it to second.
That runner didn’t end up scoring, as Wolfram retired the next two batters. But it was still embarrassing as hell. I want to request that the Orioles stop doing things like that.
On offense, the Orioles got to Bryce Elder for four hits and four walks through five innings, but only managed two runs. They had multiple baserunners in each of the first two innings but couldn’t score. Finally, they got through in the third thanks to some help from Jim Jarvis. Pete Alonso hit a pop-up to the Braves shortstop, and Jarvis simply dropped the ball. Back-to-back singles by Taylor Ward and Christian Encarnacion-Strand brought Pete home and gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
That was the first of two Alonso pop-ups that Jarvis dropped. He didn’t score the second time, but I appreciate Jarvis’s attempts to help.
Gunnar Henderson hit his 18th home run of the year in the fifth inning, the final hit allowed by Elder. He closed out the inning and his night with a Ward strikeout.
That was it for the offense until Beavers stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth and sent nearly 38,000 Hawaiian shirt-wearing fans home happy.
O’s win, 3-2! The rubber game between these teams is tomorrow at 1:35. Shane Baz will take the mound for the Orioles.
Who is your pick for Most Birdland Player tonight? Is it Young, for his 6.1 strong innings? Beavers for the game-winning hit? Maybe Cano for his nine-pitch ninth inning? Tell us in the comments below.
