On the a hundred and sixtieth day, they rested.
Well, not precisely. The Orioles nonetheless needed to play the Boston Red Sox on Friday, lower than 24 hours after they popped corks and fired up cigars to have a good time clinching their first American League East championship since 2014. But after combating tooth and nail for 159 video games to seize baseball’s best division, they lastly got here to Camden Yards going through minimal urgent enterprise.
With their 2-0 victory Thursday evening, in addition they clinched home-field benefit all the best way to at the least the World Series. They knew they’d not must play one other high-stakes recreation till Oct. 7.
The Orioles (100-60) didn’t win Friday regardless of one other sharp outing from starter John Means, falling 3-0 to a Red Sox crew that additionally had little at stake. None of the patrons at Camden Yards appeared to care a lot, treating the night as an off-the-cuff alternative to have a good time a crew that has already completed a lot.
It was a model of meaningless September baseball the Orioles had been glad to play.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to go out there and play as loose as you can possibly play,” mentioned infielder Gunnar Henderson, who joined catcher Adley Rutschman (he and third baseman Ramón Urías had been “under the weather,” the crew mentioned) in receiving an evening off. “There’s really no weight on these games. That’ll be cool, because you know what’s ahead in the playoff picture. We can just go out there and enjoy it.”
After the earlier evening’s festivities, Henderson woke at 10 a.m., safe within the information that his first full season had coincided with the Orioles’ most profitable 12 months in virtually a decade. “That’s a pretty cool thing,” he mentioned. “The Rays got off to the start they did, and it felt like we were just climbing the whole way. Once we finally got ahead of them, seems like we never looked back.”
U2′s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” performed within the background, a delicate reminder maybe that Thursday evening’s celebration was just the start of what the Orioles purpose to perform.
Manager Brandon Hyde laughed when requested if it was unusual to come back to Camden Yards with out an pressing have to win.
“We have some guys who could really use some time off,” he mentioned earlier than the sport, looking forward to the uncommon 5 days with no recreation the Orioles can have after they end the common season Sunday.
“Last night was special, so today, you reflect a little bit in the morning, but then you still have a job to do tonight. I still want to play well. I want to play to win.”
Friday’s recreation, nevertheless, can be extra about particulars.
How was first baseman Ryan Mountcastle’s injured shoulder coming together with only some video games left to organize for the postseason? “Good enough to go out there and play,” Mountcastle, who got here off the injured checklist Wednesday, mentioned earlier than the sport, by which he singled twice.
Hyde was intrigued to see what highly effective rookie outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who had performed sparingly over the earlier week, would do with 4 or 5 plate appearances.
He needed to know if Means, beginning simply his fourth recreation for the Orioles this season, might construct off his one-hit masterpiece in Cleveland six days earlier.
The reply to that one was largely sure as Means blended 4 pitches and labored forward within the depend to chop by the primary 13 Red Sox hitters of the night. Left fielder Rob Refsnyder acquired to him with a double down the third final analysis, and shortstop Trevor Story adopted with a two-run blast into the left subject seats to place Boston up 2-0 within the high of the fifth.
“Good swing on a bad changeup,” Means mentioned.
He in the end labored by 6 1/3 innings on 82 pitches, 58 of them strikes, permitting three hits and strolling none whereas placing out 4.
“They were really aggressive early in the count and he got a lot of early-count outs there, especially the first third of the game,” Hyde mentioned. “But he threw a really good changeup again and I thought he located his fastball well.”
The Orioles weren’t positive what to anticipate when Means returned from Tommy John elbow reconstruction earlier this month, however he has made a powerful case to be a part of their postseason beginning rotation.
“I feel like 99% of my pitches are right where I want them,” he mentioned. “I feel like I’ve gotten better as I went.”
The Orioles, in flip, couldn’t do a lot with Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta, who shut them out over seven innings, permitting simply two hits and placing out 10.
“We seem to struggle [with him],” Hyde mentioned. “He’s got really good stuff. We just didn’t take very many good at-bats and didn’t hit many balls hard on him, but I thought he was keeping us really off balance.”
Red Sox at Orioles
Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
TV: Chs. 45, 5
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com