The Baltimore Orioles set a record last night – one of the positive sort. They became the first team in major league history the hit multiple homers in ten straight games. That’s right…the team that everyone pens in as the worst team in baseball simply by default. Aaron Brooks got the start, and while he had his struggles he also put the Birds in a spot to win. Brooks’ line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 6 K.
The O’s took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on Pedro Severino‘s two-RBI single. However Anaheim decided to be feisty in this game, and at least gave the Orioles a fight. Trout’s two-run homer in the last of the first level tied the game at two.
One inning later, Anaheim took a 4-2 lead on Fletcher’s two-RBI single. Earlier in the season that might have ended the game in a sense. But the Orioles didn’t back down. Anthony Santander‘s RBI-double in the third brought the O’s back to within one at 4-3. Pedro Severino would later smack a two-run homer, giving the Orioles a 5-4 lead.
The only issue is that there was still some game left to play. Ohtani tied the score at five in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run. The teams traded solo homers (resulting in a six-all tie) in the sixth, with Jonathan Villar connecting for the O’s and Pujols for Anaheim. And it was that Villar homer which set the record. With that home run, the Birds has officially tallied another multi-home run game – their tenth in a row. A new major league record.
However the Orioles wanted a win more than a record. While the record personifies how much better this team has played of late, they wanted to win this game to guarantee a series win. They wanted to go into Sunday with a shot to sweep.
And ultimately, they will. Hanser Alberto‘s two-RBI single in the eighth day inning gave the O’s an 8-6 lead. Fletcher would get Anaheim to within one at 8-7 with an RBI-single in the last of the ninth, however it wouldn’t be enough. The Orioles took the trifecta last night; they won the game, set the record, and won the series.
This team isn’t going to magically find itself in playoff contention come the end of September. However the O’s have taken a positive turn in the month of July. They’ve looked crisper and they’ve won some very intense games in which they would have stood no chance in April or May.
And something struck me in the wake of that 16 inning marathon the other night. In the past we would have used a very specific term to describe what we’re seeing of late. And that term is ORIOLES MAGIC. That’s probably not a term we thought we’d hear in 2019. Maybe it’s not really time for it to re-emerge…yet. But we may very well look back to this time as when the seeds were sewn for the next generation of Orioles Magic.
So let’s put it this way; is something magic happening? No, not yet. Maybe still not for awhile. But something’s happening. And somewhere down the line, that something could turn into something magic happening.
The O’s will go for the sweep this afternoon at Angel Stadium. Dylan Bundy gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Anaheim’s Felix Pena. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 