Matt Harvey pitched into the fifth for the Baltimore Orioles last night. It was a solid outing for the most part. But Harvey just didn’t figure into how the game ended. Not many people would have had it ending the way that it did, in fact. Harvey’s line: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R (3 earned), 1 BB, 2 K.
Over the course of…oh, the first seven innings or so, the Birds spotted Kansas City a five-run lead. That included a solo homer by Perez in the top of the seventh. Common sense said that the Birds had to know they were staring a loss in the face, while Kansas City was cursing to victory. But part of the beauty of baseball is that sometimes you see things you’ve never seen before.
Austin Hays and Anthony Santander smacked RBI-doubles and singles respectively in the last of the eighth. That narrowed the lead to 5-2. Admittedly, you’re thinking, “okay two token runs, cool” at first. But what would you do if I told you that was only the beginning?!
Ramon Urias added an RBI-single, and Kelvin Gutierrez a two-RBI single. And we were tied. And the O’s really started piling it on after that. Cedric Mullins reached on an error which allowed two runs to score. Ryan Mountcastle smacked a two-run homer. And when the smoke cleared, the O’s led 9-5.
Now Kansas City tried to come back. They put up three in the ninth, but couldn’t come all the way back. And the O’s went home with a 9-8 victory.
This team never quits. And they okay every game until the final out. Nobody would have blamed them for pumping the brakes when they were down 5-0 at the start of the eighth inning. But they didn’t. They found a way. And that mentality will do them well as time goes on. All I know is to never count the Orioles out.
The series concludes tonight at Camden Yards. John Means gets the call for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Carlos Hernandez. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 