Matt Harvey took the ball for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon going for a series win in Kansas City. Harvey’s return to NY of course didn’t go well. While he only pitched in Kansas City for one season, this return was starkly different. It was perhaps the best outing by an Orioles’ starter in some time. Harbey’s line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
This was exactly the sort of outing that Harvey needed. And similar to last night, the O’s also got the bats going. Albeit perhaps not as they did last night. But they certainly did enough.
Ramon Urias’ two-RBI single in the third got the O’s on the board. That put them off in the right direction with a 2-0 lead. It also signaled to Harvey that his efforts were going to be backed up on this day.
Trey Mancini’s RBI-single in the fifth ran the score to 3-0. One inning later Austin Wynns’ RBI-double scored Ryan McKenna all the way from first base. And that was impressive; McKenna’s speed brought the run in as much as did Wynns’ placement of the ball. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the caliber of speed on the Orioles that they have now. And that can be the difference between winning and losing.
Kelvin Gutierrez would give the Orioles an insurance run in the eighth when he reached on an error, scoring a runner from third. So the O’s win today, and with a shutout at that. They also take the series with Kansas City, two games to one.
The O’s now head to Tampa to open up a three-game set at Tropicana Field. Spenser Watkins gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Ralph Yarbrough. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 