The Baltimore Orioles entered last night’s game trying to snap a two-game losing streak. Unfortunately they were playing an upstart Toronto team that was telling the Orioles and the rest of baseball that they belong. They had taken it to the Orioles in two consecutive games, and won five straight overall. Dylan Bundywas taxed with trying to stop them last night. Bundy’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K.
Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI-double by Guerrero. They extended their lead to 2-0 on a third inning solo homer by Galvis. However unlike the first two games of this series, the Orioles overcame that.
The O’s were actually held hitless until the fifth, and that first hit was a solo home run by Jonathan Villar. After a couple of runners got on base following that home run, Trey Mancini strode to the plate. And Mancini smacked a three-run homer which put the Orioles in the lead at 4-2. It was Mancini’s 26th homer of the season. Wherever his home run total stands at the end of the year, it’ll be a new single-season career high.
However Toronto would tie the game in the seventh on a two-run homer by McGuire. Following the homer Bichette would get on base with a single. That brought Galvis to the plate. He smacked a double into the left field corner. However Toronto decided to gamble and send the runner home from first. Anthony Santander dug the ball out of the corner, and threw it to Richie Martin. And Martin related it home to Pedro Severino, who apparently tagged the runner Bichette after he had crossed the plate.
Toronto has gambled on these young Orioles fielder’s not being able to get the ball back in to nail the runner, and it worked. They had a 5-4 lead. However that lead was incredibly short-lived. The Orioles saw something on the replay, and challenged the call. The umpires agreed with the Orioles – Severino had actually tagged the runner out before he crossed home plate. So the game remained tied.
However in the bottom of that seventh inning Hanser Alberto‘s RBI-single put the Birds back in the lead. Mancini would add an RBI-groundout, and the O’s went home with a 7-4 victory. This snapped the aforementioned two game losing streak.
Make no mistake that the challenged play at the plate played a huge role. Toronto took what I would have deemed a stupid risk. At first it appeared that they got away with it. But that ultimately wasn’t the case. And that moment changed the momentum of the game, propelling the Orioles to victory.
The series concludes this afternoon at Camden Yards. Jimmy Yacabonis gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Sean Reid-Foley. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.
Birdland Crush 