Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg are the Orioles’ two youngest place gamers. Aaron Hicks and James McCann are their two oldest.
That quartet mixed for 5 residence runs, two by McCann, in a 13-12 victory over the Boston Red Sox, an offensive output that helped cowl for one more poor begin from commerce acquisition Jack Flaherty and a shaky evening for the Orioles’ bullpen and protection. Baltimore allowed a season-high 23 hits, the primary profitable crew to give up that many in a nine-inning recreation since 1930.
“It was like a heavyweight boxing match,” mentioned McCann, behind the plate for every of these almost two dozen hits. “Every time we put up some runs, they found a way. We had the advantage of the homers and they found a way to shoot balls the other way, to find broken-bat base hits, find holes, infield singles, you name it. They did a good job of battling. Every time we threw a punch, they threw a punch, and thankfully we were able to come out on top.”
Ahead six coming into the seventh-inning stretch, Baltimore’s relievers stranded a number of runners on base in every of the ultimate three innings as a four-run lead coming into the underside of the ninth almost vanished.
“Well, it wasn’t real comfortable,” supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned. “That was a straight grind-it-out, gut-check win.”
Winning their seventh straight recreation and collection, the Orioles (90-51) reached the 90-win mark for the primary time since 2014, the final time they gained the AL East. Saturday’s victory at Fenway Park held their division lead on the Tampa Bay Rays at 4 video games and dropped their magic quantity to clinch a playoff spot to 6.
During every recreation of their profitable streak, the Orioles have recorded double-digit hits, and 9 of Saturday’s 14 got here from Henderson, Westburg, Hicks and McCann. The rookies are prized merchandise of the Orioles’ rebuild, chosen with their second decide within the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively. Baltimore bought the 2 veterans off the relative scrap heap; the New York Yankees launched Hicks amid his gradual begin to the season, and the New York Mets traded McCann to the Orioles this offseason for a low-level minor leaguer whereas consuming many of the cash left on his contract.
The foursome fueled the membership’s forty fifth comeback victory. After a 1-hour, 32-minute pregame rain delay, Flaherty put Baltimore in an early 2-0 gap by permitting a first-inning residence run on an inside curveball to Justin Turner, a pitch he has struggled with since arriving final month in a commerce with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Orioles bought a run again within the second because of a double from Hicks, a single from Westburg and a throwing error from Boston shortstop Trevor Story. They went forward with 4 runs within the fourth as Hicks adopted an RBI double from Anthony Santander with a three-run residence run, flipping his bat virtually instantly after contact. Baltimore’s lead grew to 7-2 when the fourth started on a double by Westburg earlier than McCann walloped a center-cut changeup from Chris Sale for a two-run homer.
“Obviously, winning makes it fun,” McCann mentioned. “But just quality people and seeing the success that the young guys are having, the success the veteran guys are having, the success that one through nine is having with someone different every night, one through nine makes it a lot of fun.”
But Flaherty couldn’t capitalize on the assist. He opened the underside of the fourth with a stroll, then allowed two hits earlier than a sacrifice fly that required a diving catch from left fielder Austin Hays chased him from the sport after 3 1/3 innings. An error at third by Henderson resulted in two unearned runs, one credited to Flaherty and the opposite to reliever Cionel Pérez, that minimize Baltimore’s result in 7-6.
A pending free agent, Flaherty allowed a run over six innings in his first begin for the Orioles after they traded three prospects Baseball America ranked amongst Baltimore’s high 20 — although all exterior the highest 10 — to St. Louis. He hasn’t made it via six frames in any of his 5 begins since, permitting 21 earned runs over 21 2/3 innings whereas permitting a batting line of .326/.393/.589.
“I can’t pitch any worse than I have,” an introspective Flaherty mentioned. “It’s gonna get higher. I’m gonna determine it out. Whatever adjustment must be made — it’s not concerning the work at this level. It’s not concerning the time in between. It’s not about any of that. It simply comes right down to execution, doing the little issues proper.
“Whatever anyone says, people have some things to say tonight, I’ll take it and remember those things and continue to work.”
Shintaro Fujinami inherited two runners from Pérez within the fifth and stranded each, protecting first to forestall Boston (72-70) from tying the sport as Westburg ranged far to his left at second to area a grounder. Retiring all 5 batters he confronted to get the sport via the sixth, Fujinami hasn’t allowed a run in eight of his previous 9 appearances with no walks in his previous 11 outings; he walked 9 batters and hit two extra over his first 11 video games with Baltimore after being traded from the Oakland Athletics because the Orioles’ lone bullpen addition forward of the commerce deadline.
“Fuji was absolutely fantastic,” Hyde mentioned. “He’s on a little bit of a roll now. We love to see that because he’s got such great ability.”
After connecting with Fujinami, Westburg homered with one out within the fifth. In the following at-bat, McCann went deep once more, the 10-year veteran’s second profession multi-home run recreation approaching the three-year anniversary of his first.
Henderson appeared to interrupt the sport open with a three-run residence run within the seventh, Santander strolling in from third base and pumping a fist within the air because the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner broke into his trot. But the Red Sox answered with three runs within the backside half off Jacob Webb, although Danny Coulombe left the bases loaded within the body. Jorge López stranded two extra runners within the eighth, and Yennier Cano did the identical regardless of surrendering three runs within the ultimate body.
Both Westburg and Hicks completed a triple shy of the cycle. After Westburg flied out to finish the seventh, Adam Frazier changed him at second base, with Ramón Urías delivering a pinch-hit RBI single in Frazier’s place within the high of the ninth. Asked why Westburg left the sport, Hyde prompt Westburg was coping with a minor damage, saying, “Everybody’s got little things going on right now,” and including he hoped Westburg can be out there for Sunday’s collection finale.
Around the horn
- Left-hander John Means seemingly cleared his ultimate hurdle earlier than a return from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedure, throwing a bullpen session Saturday at Fenway Park that Hyde mentioned “went well.” Asked whether or not it’s potential Means begins one of many Orioles’ three video games throughout their upcoming residence collection towards the St. Louis Cardinals, Hyde mentioned, “We’ll see.”
- All-Star nearer Félix Bautista, who was positioned on the 15-day injured record two weeks in the past with an damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his proper elbow, “felt good” after enjoying catch earlier than Friday’s recreation, Hyde mentioned.
Orioles at Red Sox
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com