No participant within the main leagues is extra acquainted with Camden Yards’ unnatural left discipline wall than Austin Hays.
Playing at a stadium with a unique — but additionally unusual — one Tuesday, Hays took benefit of Minute Maid Park’s shorter left discipline, blasting two dwelling runs and main the Orioles to a 9-5 victory.
Baltimore’s bats mixed for 10 hits and 4 homers for the membership’s fourth straight win — a streak that follows its four-game skid final week — to drop the Orioles’ magic quantity to win the American League East to eight.
“I feel like we’re clicking right now,” the left fielder stated.
Hays’ first homer — a three-run shot within the third to present Baltimore a lead it wouldn’t relinquish — simply cleared the quick porch in left discipline. It wouldn’t have been gone at 14 MLB stadiums, together with Camden Yards, which altered its dimensions final season by shifting the left discipline wall again nearly 30 ft and rising its peak by 5 ft.
“I crushed that ball the other day at home, and I felt like that was all I had, couldn’t have hit it any better,” stated Hays, referencing a 372-foot flyout Saturday that didn’t even attain the warning observe at Camden Yards however would’ve been out on the majority of huge league parks. “And then today I got jammed a little bit on that ball and hit it 95 [mph] and it goes five rows deep. It’s a great feeling to see a ball go over the wall in left field.”
His second, although, needn’t fear about the place it was hit. The 422-foot solo shot to left-center discipline within the seventh was a no-doubter, whether or not it was hit in Houston, Baltimore or every other MLB metropolis.
Hays’ homers, in addition to a two-run blast from No. 3 hitter Ryan O’Hearn within the first and a solo shot from rookie Heston Kjerstad within the seventh, helped construct the Orioles a 9-5 lead. O’Hearn opened the sport with two hits for seven in a row after his 5-for-5 recreation Monday, whereas Kjerstad’s homer was the second in simply his thirteenth MLB at-bat. Kjerstad, a lefty, was jammed on an inside fastball and nonetheless hit it 337 ft into the primary row of the left discipline stands on the solely park within the majors the place it could’ve left the yard.
Kyle Gibson was one out away from recording his fifteenth win, however the veteran was pulled with two outs within the fifth after permitting three runs. The bullpen, which stumbled Monday after Sunday’s draining win, bounced again Tuesday with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
The spotlight of the reduction corps’ day was its latest member. Jack Flaherty, the beginning pitcher the Orioles acquired on the deadline, was quickly — and maybe completely — moved to the bullpen Tuesday with the unit taxed on the twelfth day of a 17-game stretch with out a break day. The right-hander has pitched poorly as a starter with the Orioles, however he tossed two scoreless innings to spare the bullpen.
“Jack Flaherty won us the game in a lot of ways,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated. “Being able to cover two innings like that, almost tried to get the third one out of him. We’re struggling a little bit in the pen, and for him to kind of come in and put two zeros up against a really good offense, that was huge for us.”
Yennier Cano recorded the primary two outs of the ninth after Flaherty allowed a leadoff single, however with two runners on and the left-handed hitting Yordan Alvarez due up, supervisor Brandon Hyde known as on southpaw Cionel Pérez. He dealt with the state of affairs with aplomb, placing out Alvarez on three fastballs for his second save of the season.
Baltimore (95-56) stays 2 1/2 video games forward of the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, for the very best file within the AL. The win assured the Orioles may have a greater file than at the least each AL staff aside from the Rays, which means Baltimore would be the high seed within the AL playoffs if it wins the division and the No. 4 seed if it doesn’t.
Gibson’s mediocre outing was uncommon for the 35-year-old veteran, as he’s both recorded a top quality begin or allowed 5 or extra runs in all however one among his earlier 11 video games. But Hyde stated the right-hander “battled” as he scattered 5 hits and two walks in opposition to a frightening Astros lineup. Kyle Tucker tied the sport within the first with a two-run homer, and Alex Bregman reduce into the Orioles’ lead with a solo shot within the third.
In the sixth, James McCann laid down an ideal security squeeze bunt — one among many elegant bunts from the 33-year-old catcher this 12 months — to attain Cedric Mullins, who stole two bases for the primary time since opening day. Gunnar Henderson then drove in Adam Frazier, who walked twice, for the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner’s eightieth RBI of the season.
Yainer Díaz homered off Jorge López, a September waiver declare who allowed two homers Sunday, within the sixth to place Houston (84-68) inside two earlier than Hays’ and Kjerstad’s homers doubled Baltimore’s benefit. But Flaherty stabilized the bullpen and stored the Astros’ hitters in verify.
The right-hander entered with a 7.11 ERA in his seven begins since Baltimore traded three prospects Baseball America ranked because the Orioles’ Nos. 13, 15 and 16 prospects to the Cardinals for him. But he accepted his reassignment Tuesday and helped his new staff win a pivotal recreation.
“Just give me the ball, see what happens,” Flaherty stated of his response when Hyde advised him he might pitch out of the bullpen in Houston. “It’s a good thing. If he wants to give you the ball in bigger spots like there, getting seven, eight and to start the ninth inning there, that shows some trust. It feels good.”
Hyde didn’t rule out Flaherty beginning once more this season, however given the Orioles’ rotation already had six members and solely 11 video games stay till the postseason, it’s doable the previous National League Cy Young contender will pitch within the bullpen for the rest of the 12 months. The fifth-year supervisor was desperate to see what the 27-year-old’s stuff would appear like out of the bullpen. With a plus curveball and a fastball that may contact 97 mph, Flaherty would current Hyde an arm to go a number of innings in addition to one to get right-handed batters out.
“I think I can help them in any way, whatever role that is,” Flaherty stated. “Whenever I get a chance to get the ball, I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice to go out there and fill some innings in there and put up some zeros. Today was kind of a total team effort. Everybody played a part.”
Flaherty allowed a leadoff single within the ninth, main Hyde to usher in Cano, pitching the nearer for the third consecutive day. He did the identical with Pérez later that inning. No Baltimore pitcher had thrown in three straight video games earlier than Tuesday.
“I feel like I had no choice right there,” Hyde stated.
“There’s fatigue all around the league right now,” he added. “It’s the games we’re playing right now. It’s the end of the year, and we’re all sucking it up.”
Around the horn
- Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who exited Monday’s win with a hamstring cramp, stated he isn’t involved and would have been obtainable off the bench Tuesday had he been known as upon to play.
- Ryan Mountcastle is “a little better,” Hyde stated earlier than the sport, as the primary baseman continues to make his means again from left shoulder discomfort. He didn’t play Tuesday for the sixth straight recreation.
- Kyle Bradish is beginning Wednesday and Grayson Rodriguez is being moved up in the future to begin in Flaherty’s spot Thursday in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians.
- Catching prospect Samuel Basallo was named the Carolina League Player of the Year on Tuesday. In his age-18 season, Basallo hit .299 with an .887 OPS in 83 video games for Low-A Delmarva earlier than his promotions to High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. Basallo is Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect, in line with Baseball America.
Orioles at Astros
Wednesday, 2:10 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com