The Orioles closed out Camden Yards in fashion on Wednesday night, beating the Blue Jays 4-2 for the second time, completing a sweep of both the double-header and the series, while staving off playoff elimination for a least a few more hours.
Trey Gibson was called on to make the spot start, his first time back on a big league mound since June 30, when he was lit up by the White Sox. Whatever it was that he worked on down in Triple-A these last three months, it seemed to have done some good. The 24-year-old
was dealing in this game, tossing 6.2 shutout innings and lighting up the radar gun early.
Gibson’s average fastball velocity in this game was 95.2 mph, which is actually slightly below his season average (95.4 mph). But he did hit 98.2 mph on the radar gun in the second inning, and it seemed like he was picking his spots on when to reach back and get a little extra when he felt that he needed it.
Ultimately, this was a performance that saw Gibson succeed because he limited hard contact rather than blew pitches past the opposition. His whiff rate in the game was only 14%, but he pounded the strike zone, allowed only two walks, and gave up just four hard hit balls all game.
Toronto never seemed all that close to scoring off of Gibson until he got into some trouble in an odd seventh inning. For a moment, it looked like the rookie had gotten through the frame without issue. Then, a challenge from the visitors dugout came in, alleging that Jeremiah Jackson had violated the shift rules by starting a pitch with his feet in the grass. That overturned the out he had recorded and sent Gibson back to the mound with a runner on first base and two outs.
Then, Gibson walked Davis Schneider to put two runners on. From there, Craig Albernaz went to his bullpen for the first time in the nightcap. Yennier Cano came on and walked the first batter he faced to load the bags before finally punching out Myles Straw to close the book on Gibson.
It was a triumphant return for the rookie. He looked really good. The velocity was impressive. He mowed through the Toronto lineup. And it has to give him such a mental boost going into the offseason, where he will likely have the goal of earning a spot in the Orioles’ Opening Day rotation.
Easing the rookie’s workload was the Orioles’ offense, which handed him an early lead to work with.
Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the first inning to become the first baserunner of the day. He moved to third on a Coby Mayo double into left field. And then Christian Encarncaion-Strand brought them both home with a line drive base knock. Colton Cowser kept the good vibes going with a weakly hit—but perfectly placed—double into shallow left field to push CES home as well to make it a 3-0 advantage for the good guys.
It took until the fourth inning for the Orioles to register another hit. It was a home run off the bat of Encarnacion-Strand to lead off the frame, his 11th of the season.
And that was it for the offense. They had no other hits after that point, and had just four hits in the entire game. It wasn’t the most brilliant of showings, but it was efficient. The Orioles went 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left just one runner on base.
The other key takeaway from this game was another appearance for Félix Bautista, his second since coming off of the IL. This one was a bit concerning. Bautista’s velocity was way down. After working 96-97 mph with his fastball in his previous appearance, he was down at 92-94 here. He also gave up a two-run homer to Schneider that just snuck beyond the outfield fence in the left field corner.
There are a lot of variables at work for Bautista right now. The guy is already one of the few pitchers to ever come back from major elbow and shoulder surgeries and return to the majors. The fact that he has gotten this far is impressive. It was never going to be perfect right out of the gate. You would imagine that the Orioles will be keeping close tabs on him this offseason. His velocity is likely to ebb and flow, but hopefully it will be closer to that 96-97 range as the 2027 season near. Otherwise he may need to rethink his repertoire and approach.
In general, it was a good day for the Orioles. They won two games, moved into fourth place in the division, and wrapped up the home portion of the schedule with a chance at the playoffs still mathematically possible. This team certainly has flaws, but they also have some fight in them.
Yes, as of this writing, the Orioles are still alive for the playoffs, though just by a hair. They now have an off day on Thursday before beginning their final series of the regular season with the Yankees in New York on Friday night. Those games may or may not matter for the Orioles once they roll around. It all depends on how the White Sox and Rangers fare over the next 24 hours.
Most Birdland Player
Here are a few players for your consideration for MBP in tonight’s win:
- Trey Gibson (win, 6.2 IP, no runs, three hits, two walks, seven stikeouts)
- Yennier Cano (got out of Gibson’s jam)
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand (2-for-3, homer, three RBI, two runs)
