With a one-run lead within the ninth inning, the lights didn’t go down at Camden Yards and Omar’s whistle from “The Wire” didn’t announce that Félix is coming.
Instead, it was Yennier Cano who jogged out of Baltimore’s bullpen for the save alternative instead of injured teammate and buddy Félix Bautista.
It wasn’t the primary journey Cano had Saturday that felt off. The Orioles’ setup man normally drives with Bautista to the stadium, and the latter is in control of the music. But Bautista, who was positioned on the 15-day injured record Saturday with an elbow harm he suffered Friday, had checks to bear and couldn’t experience with Cano, who drove to Oriole Park alone in silence.
The extent to Bautista’s harm is unknown, however Saturday was the primary day — for the Orioles and Cano — of life with out their All-Star nearer. The vibe on the ballpark may need been totally different within the ninth, however the end result was the identical. Cano, like Bautista virtually positively would have, retired the aspect so as to save the Orioles’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies in entrance of a sellout crowd — the primary 15,000 of whom obtained a Bautista bobblehead.
“I just wanted to do my best impression of him,” Cano mentioned via staff interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Go out there and complete the job and do whatever he would do.”
Cano, additionally an All-Star this season, mentioned earlier than the sport that he anticipated to really feel “a little weird” jogging to the mound within the ninth inning fairly than watching Bautista accomplish that along with his entrance flare. It was much more odd when the umpires made Cano change his glove after he patted it with the rosin bag — one thing he mentioned he does each sport — inflicting a quick delay and questions of whether or not he can be allowed to pitch the ninth.
After Cano acquired Charlie Blackmon to line out to finish the sport, the right-hander celebrated the win with Bautista, who watched from the dugout.
“It was awesome,” Cano mentioned. “Aside from just being my teammate, he’s one of my best friends here. It’s great being able to give him that handshake, knowing that we got the job done. Just getting that hug from him was great.”
Manager Brandon Hyde mentioned earlier than the sport he expects his relievers to step up in Bautista’s absence. The bullpen bent, with Jacob Webb permitting two runs within the eighth, however didn’t break, as DL Hall, the left-handed pitching prospect the Orioles recalled to switch Bautista on the roster, stored the Orioles forward by pitching a scoreless inning and inducing a important double play earlier than Cano earned his fifth save.
“He wants the ball,” Hyde mentioned of Cano. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He’s not afraid to face middle-of-the-order bats. I love how aggressive he is. I love how he pitches with no fear.”
“They were excellent,” Cano mentioned of his teammates who pitched behind him. “I think we’ve all been working really hard, and now with Félix out, we’re going to have to do an even better job going forwards.”
Kyle Bradish pitched six innings of two-run ball to stay one of many American League’s finest starters. Ramón Urías, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays and Anthony Santander all collected RBIs, with Santander’s RBI double within the seventh offering important insurance coverage.
The Orioles trailed 2-0 within the third inning, making the comeback victory their fortieth of the season, tied for many within the majors, after additionally successful in come-from-behind vogue Friday due to Gunnar Henderson’s two-run homer within the eighth.
“It was a tough day for everybody,” Hyde mentioned. “This was a grind-out game.”
The win is Baltimore’s 81st of the season — guaranteeing not less than a .500 season — and fourth in a row. At 81-48, the Orioles are three video games forward of the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL standings. They are 33 video games above .500 for the primary time since 1997.
The Orioles’ introduced attendance of 42,535 is their fifth sport of greater than 40,000 this season. They had simply 4 such video games from 2018 to 2022, together with the coronavirus pandemic-impacted seasons. The final season Oriole Park had this many video games with 40,000-plus followers was 2017 with seven.
Before the bullpen was wanted, Baltimore’s finest starter pitched prefer it. Bradish, who has emerged as one of many AL’s finest starters this summer time, pitched 5 stellar innings round one dangerous one at hand his bullpen a two-run lead. He scattered six hits and one stroll whereas hanging out eight.
The solely runs he allowed got here within the third inning, wherein the National League-worst Rockies (48-81) scored two after the primary three batters reached base. Leadoff hitter Blackmon hit an RBI single and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar drove in a run on a fielder’s selection groundout.
Bradish’s 3.03 ERA ranks second within the AL amongst certified starters, behind solely the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole at 2.95. In 13 begins since mid-June, Bradish has a 2.23 ERA and 0.942 WHIP with 79 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.
After Colorado took a 2-0 lead, the Orioles minimize it in half within the fifth when Urías’ floor ball off Rockies starter Chris Flexen scored Hays, who walked to steer off the inning, stole second and superior to 3rd on a throwing error by Rockies catcher Elías Díaz. Hays was initially known as out, however Hyde received his problem as a result of Díaz was illegally blocking house plate.
The Orioles then plated three within the sixth to take a 4-2 lead behind Mountcastle’s two-run double and Hays’ RBI groundout. Santander’s double within the seventh, which scored a speedy Jordan Westburg from first, was his thirtieth of the season.
After Bradish (9-6) allowed a leadoff double within the seventh, left-hander Danny Coulombe and Webb mixed to strand that runner. Webb struggled to start the eighth, permitting an RBI double to Díaz, earlier than Hall changed him and gave up a run on a double play. That was sufficient to bridge the sport to Cano.
“Love the way he was attacking the zone,” Hyde mentioned of Hall, who was pitching in his second sport for the Orioles this season. “He was up to 99 [mph] and throwing a ton of strikes. That’s what we were looking [for] out of DL Hall, just fill up the strike zone.”
Around the horn
- Jack Flaherty is beginning Sunday, govt vp and basic supervisor Mike Elias mentioned earlier than Saturday’s sport. Flaherty was scratched Wednesday as he handled “general soreness” from his most up-to-date begin, supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned on the time. Flaherty, a right-hander the Orioles acquired on the commerce deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals, mentioned he wasn’t in a position to “bounce back” the best way he usually does after his begin in San Diego on Aug. 15. Flaherty has pitched extra innings this yr than the earlier two mixed, including him to the lengthy record of Orioles starters with workload issues. “That’s a big part of why — we’re doing this six-man rotation to help mitigate the fact that these guys are getting pushed beyond what they’ve done already and he’s part of that,” Elias mentioned.
- When requested if Heston Kjerstad might be promoted to Baltimore when rosters broaden to twenty-eight gamers, Elias mentioned the outfield prospect has “entered that conversation” due to his manufacturing at Triple-A. Kjerstad, the Orioles’ fifth-best prospect, entered Saturday hitting .306 with a .889 OPS. “Heston is having a wonderful season, especially given the context of everything that’s brought him to this point. He looks great,” Elias mentioned. “He is certainly a candidate for any part of the stretch run here coming up should we decide he’s the guy.”
- High-A Aberdeen catching prospect Samuel Basallo, the membership’s fourth-best minor leaguer, is being positioned on the injured record with a concussion, the Orioles mentioned. Triple-A backstop Anthony Bemboom can be being positioned on the concussion IL. The staff additionally mentioned outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr., the membership’s 2023 first-round decide and eighth-best prospect, left Low-A Delmarva’s sport Saturday as a precaution after struggling a left calf bruise on a success by pitch.
Rockies at Orioles
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com