The Baltimore Orioles took it to Texas right from the beginning this evening. Kyle Gibson’s start got moved up a game due to Kyle Bradish going down last night. The O’s are expected to call up Grayson Rodriguez tomorrow to make his big league debut in the series finale. But for tonight, Gibson was dominant. Gibson’s line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K.
Ryan McKenna started the party with an RBI-single in the second. Cedric Mullins would add an RBI-double, leaving two runners on. That brought Ryan Mountcastle to the plate, and he smacked a three-run homer.
The O’s led, 5-0 at that point. But the game was still young. The danger in having a lead like that so early in the ballgame is that you sit on it and allow the opposing team back in. But Gibson made sure that didn’t happen. He mowed down Texas hitters for the most part. He did allow a solo homer to Garcia in the last of the second, but that was the exception to the rule.
He would also allow a solo shot to Lowe in the sixth. However a few innings before that (in the third), Jorge Mateo had smacked a two-run home run. So the Birds took a 7-2 lead into the later innings, and the bullpen preserved the win.
Of course after dropping the first series in Boston, the Orioles have now guaranteed themselves a series win in Texas. That’s how you have a successful season in the long run – win series’. And that takes a lot of pressure off of the team tomorrow, as they’ll have a guy in Grayson Rodriguez, who’ll be making his major league debut. Big day all around.
The series concludes tomorrow at Globe Life Field. The aforementioned Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Jacob deGrom. Game time is set for just after 2 PM.
Birdland Crush 