The Mariners honored King Félix on Saturday. The Orioles confirmed a brand new reign has begun.
After Seattle inducted Félix Hernández into their corridor of fame, Baltimore beat the Mariners, 1-0, in 10 innings, with Ryan Mountcastle singling in computerized runner Cedric Mullins within the prime half of the additional body earlier than nearer Félix Bautista stranded Seattle’s free runner within the backside half with three strikeouts in his second inning.
It marked the fourth time supervisor Brandon Hyde has tasked his All-Star reliever with pitching each the ninth and tenth innings. In these appearances, Bautista has pitched eight scoreless innings, permitting 4 base runners with 15 strikeouts. He has retired all 12 batters he has confronted in these tenth innings with 9 strikeouts.
“What he’s done this entire season is unbelievable,” Hyde stated. “There’s no other closers that are doing that.”
Mariners followers booed when Bautista entered for the underside of the ninth; though his 6-foot-8 stature has earned him the nickname “The Mountain,” Bautista’s efficiency has drawn a repeat of the royal moniker bestowed upon Hernández, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner. Hernández spent 2021 spring coaching with the Orioles, however a proper elbow damage ended his profession, which meant all of his regular-season outings got here with Seattle.
Orioles starter Cole Irvin, who pitched 5 scoreless innings in his first begin in additional than a month, grew up in southern California and sometimes watched Hernández face the Los Angeles Angels in AL West matchups, saying he wished to honor Hernández on Saturday by throwing changeup. He may take pleasure in watching Bautista pitch extra.
“Our Felix has been incredible,” Irvin stated. “Night in, night out, you can rely on him to close out a game.”
Dominant all through the season, Bautista wavered within the Orioles’ sequence loss to Houston, blowing a three-run lead by giving up a grand slam within the sequence opener and hanging on for a sweep-avoiding victory within the finale. In ending the Mariners’ eight-game successful streak Saturday, he acquired again to his typical self, leaving him with a 1.60 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.
Bautista’s outing completed off a formidable pitching night time from each groups. Mountcastle’s go-ahead knock was his second hit of the night time, giving him half of Baltimore’s whole. The Orioles (72-45) did not get in a runner in scoring place in second-year Seattle starter George Kirby’s first eight innings. They lastly managed one within the ninth when Jordan Westburg singled and stole second, however Kirby retired the following two batters, spiking the ball after catching Mullins’ foul popup to finish the inning and shut an outing Hyde referred to as “the best-pitched game against us all season.”
Mullins started the highest of the tenth at second base after a scoreless backside of the ninth from Bautista, a 13-pitch body that ended on a caught stealing overturned on video evaluation. Mullins stole third off Seattle’s Andrés Muñoz and scored on Mountcastle’s single up the center. Mountcastle’s second-inning single gave him 19 straight video games on base, a season excessive for the Orioles.
The entrant into Baltimore’s rotation when it expanded to 6, Irvin has endured a season of fluctuation. Acquired from the Oakland Athletics this offseason for infield prospect Darell Hernaiz, he opened the 12 months as Baltimore’s third starter however was optioned to Triple-A after three begins. He has since had three separate stints within the Orioles’ bullpen interspersed with one other return to the minors and, now, six main league begins wherein he posted a 2.20 ERA.
“He’s been such a team guy,” Hyde stated Friday. “He’s really genuine. He just wants to do anything he can to help the club, and that’s a common phrase, but that’s true when he says it, honestly. He wants to be up here, whether it’s middle relief, whether I use him in the seventh to the eighth inning like I did a few nights ago, or start. He wants to do anything he can to contribute.”
Added Irvin: “It’s been a lot of ups and downs. But smooth seas didn’t make a skillful sailor.”
With Oakland, Irvin was a mean however reliable starter the previous two years, making no less than 30 begins and pitching about 180 innings each seasons. Saturday’s begin left him with 53 frames with Baltimore this 12 months, however with lots of the Orioles’ younger starters approaching or surpassing their profession highs for innings, Irvin’s return to an expanded rotation affords them extra relaxation.
Working on a restricted pitch rely in his first begin since holding the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins to at least one run in 6 1/3 innings July 7, Irvin pounded the zone, a trait he was recognized for with Oakland. He threw a first-pitch strike to the primary 10 Mariners, retiring 9 of them.
A strenuous fourth inning upped his pitch rely, however a fast fifth left Irvin at 67, greater than he threw in his earlier three appearances in August mixed, with Hyde describing the outing as “best-case scenario.” He completed 16-for-18 on first-pitch strikes.
The outing was by far the simplest of his profession towards the Mariners, as he entered 0-6 with an 8.42 ERA in six profession appearances going through Seattle. Like Bautista, he was not common with the sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Park, having stated after a 2021 begin towards Seattle, “A team like that should not be putting up 10 hits against me or anyone.”
The Mariners managed solely two hits off Irvin on Saturday, and though they put runners on within the sixth, seventh and eighth, they entered the ninth 0-for-7 for runners in scoring place. With a runner positioned there robotically within the tenth, Bautista pushed them to 0-for-10.
With the victory, the Orioles’ lead within the AL East remained at two video games. They additionally assured themselves a 77th straight multi-game sequence with out being swept, extending the longest streak within the majors since 1944.
“It is crazy,” stated Mountcastle, a superstitious participant who grimaced when requested concerning the streak. “We’re a good team, and that’s just what happens with being good.”
Around the horn
- In his second begin since being optioned to Double-A Bowie, right-hander Tyler Wells allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings, matching his line from his first outing. Wells, who threw 60 pitches Saturday, is throwing shorter outings with extra relaxation between after struggling in three second-half begins for Baltimore. His 120 1/3 innings between the majors and minors are a profession excessive.
- After going 1-for-4 as Triple-A Norfolk’s designated hitter Friday, Aaron Hicks (left hamstring pressure) went 0-for-4 and performed proper discipline for the Tides within the second recreation of his rehabilitation task. In the fifth outing of his newest rehab task, right-handed reliever Mychal Givens (proper shoulder irritation) gave up three runs whereas recording one out, his second straight look surrendering three runs.
Orioles at Mariners
Sunday, 4:10 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com