After a shaky first inning, Orioles pitchers blitzed by Friday’s subsequent seven frames. Then got here the ninth.
Byron Buxton’s walk-off, two-run residence run off Baltimore nearer Jorge López gave the Minnesota Twins a 3-2 victory to open their collection with the Orioles. Baltimore had been 29-0 when main after eight innings.
Luis Arraez opened the ninth with a single after a nine-pitch at-bat and Buxton adopted with the walk-off blast.
McKenna’s massive recreation
An damage to the hand of one of many Orioles’ core offensive items created a chance for McKenna. He confirmed off his arm, glove and legs.
With Trey Mancini persevering with to nurse a proper hand damage first suffered greater than two weeks in the past, McKenna drew the beginning in left area and ended a protracted backside of the primary by throwing a runner out on the plate. The Orioles’ pitchers adopted that throw by retiring the subsequent 21, with McKenna contributing a diving catch to that effort. He started the eighth with a double, finally scoring the go-ahead run.
It’s been a second straight 12 months of sporadic main league begins for McKenna, a 25-year-old who as soon as ranked amongst Baltimore’s high prospects. His velocity and defensive capability make him a perfect fourth outfielder, however he entered Friday with a .597 OPS whereas placing out in almost 40% of his plate appearances, together with every of his 4 in his most up-to-date begin Saturday. Still, with Mancini’s absence, Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde gave Anthony Santander an evening at designated hitter and put McKenna within the area.
Hyde was unable to observe McKenna’s dive or game-winning run from the dugout; Baltimore’s supervisor was ejected within the third inning, after the Orioles (35-43) scored their first run on Cedric Mullins’ RBI double.
But he was there for McKenna’s first-inning throw, which helped Spenser Watkins escape a prolonged body with just one run allowed. It was McKenna’s fourth outfield help, making him the third Oriole with that many; no different American League group entered Friday with a number of outfielders with at the least 4 assists.
After working 5 scoreless innings in his return to the Orioles’ rotation final week, Watkins bookended the one-run first with one other 5 shutout frames, retiring the ultimate 15 Twins he confronted. McKenna’s diving catch to start the sixth was the thirteenth of these outs. Cionel Pérez prolonged the streak to 18, then McKenna opened the eighth with a double.
Mancini mentioned earlier than the sport he could be accessible to pinch-hit in an enormous spot, and he certainly was, working a protracted at-bat that resulted in a grounder to second that superior McKenna to 3rd. With Minnesota enjoying the infield in, McKenna dashed residence on Jorge Mateo’s grounder to second base, however Jorge Polanco’s wild throw allowed him to attain simply and provides Baltimore a 2-1 lead.
Pérez and Félix Bautista mixed for a clear eighth earlier than López misplaced the sport within the ninth.
Mancini sits with nagging hand damage
Mancini was out of Tuesday’s lineup after he just lately obtained a cortisone injection in his proper hand for a bone progress generally known as a carpal boss.
Mancini missed three video games final month after taking a pitch to the hand on a swing try in Toronto. Before Friday’s pinch-hit look, he had hits in 9 of 10 video games since returning, together with every of the previous eight, with six of his 10 hits going for additional bases. Now hitting .222 in that span, Mancini mentioned earlier than the sport he deliberate to be in Saturday’s lineup.
“It’s nothing that I think about when I’m up at the plate,” Mancini mentioned. “But it’s kind of got to the point where it wasn’t getting too much better. It’s been more of an annoyance than anything. Maybe I’m cutting off my swing maybe a tiny bit because of it, I think, but again, I’d say I’m sacrificing today just to hopefully from here on out not have it be an issue any longer.”
Mancini mentioned he was uncertain whether or not the pitch brought on the expansion or just aggravated one thing that already existed. He additionally took a pitch to his left hand Saturday in Chicago, although that hand has no points, he mentioned.
“I give him a lot of credit for trying to grind through,” Hyde mentioned pregame. “He got hit in both hands and in a short amount of time. You need your hands, and when your hands aren’t feeling good, it’s hard to hit so give him credit for trying to post.”
Around the horn
>> Infielder Ramón Urías, on the injured listing with a left indirect pressure, is predicted to start a rehab project with Double-A Bowie as quickly as Saturday.
>> Right-hander Kyle Bradish, out with proper shoulder irritation, threw a flat-ground session Friday and is predicted to throw a bullpen within the coming days.
>> The first part of fan voting for starters on this month’s MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles ended Thursday. Mancini completed eighth amongst American League designated hitters, whereas Urías was tenth amongst AL third basemen. No different Orioles infielders completed among the many high 10 at their place, whereas no Baltimore outfielders had been amongst that group’s high 20 vote recipients. The high six outfielders and two in any respect different positions superior as finalists.
>> Infielder Coby Mayo, the Orioles’ No. 5 prospect in keeping with Baseball America, exited Double-A Bowie’s recreation with again spasms, in keeping with a supply with data of the damage, which MASNSports.com first reported.
Baltimore Sun reporter Andy Kostka contributed to this report.
ORIOLES@TWINS
Saturday, 2:10 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com