The Baltimore Orioles played a wild one this afternoon, this in the series finale with Oakland. And the home stand finale. Cole Irvin, the former Oakland A, found out early that today wasn’t going to be a day for pitchers. Irvin’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
Irvin gave up an early run on a sac fly-RBI by Rooker – who had a great series for Oakland. However the Orioles came right back, Ryan O’Hearn, who was called up just prior to the game, smacked a two-RBI single in the last of the first. Jorge Mateo added on a sac fly-RBI, and the O’s appeared to be in business with a 3-1 lead.
But that was short-lived. Rooker came up again in the second and answered with a three-run homer. And back-and-forth we went from there. Ryan Mountcastle’s solo shot tied the game at four in the third. The Birds then took the lead back on Adam Frazier’s RBI-single, and O’Hearn and Mateo’s sac fly-RBI. After three, the Orioles led 7-4.
As I said, it wasn’t a day for pitchers. Unfortunately for the Orioles, Ruiz’s two-RBI single in the fourth and Rooker’s solo homer in the fifth tied the game back up at seven. As I said, Rooker had a dynamite series for Oakland. Needless to say, he was much of their offense today alone.
The two bullpens held through much of the rest of the game. Neither side could put anything across. Notice I said “much” of the rest of the game. Not the entirety of the rest of the game.
We went to the last of the ninth with the game tied at seven. Adley Rutschman led off the inning, and sent a high fly ball deep to center on the second pitch he saw. This was a no-doubter, folks – it wound up towards the upper rows of the grandstand. It was a walk off home run, the first not only of his professional career, but of his life.
The O’s took three-of-four from Oakland, which is about what one would have expected. Obviously you’d love to have swept the series. But you have to be okay with just winning the series. And the Orioles did just that.
The Birds now head to the south side of Chicago, the meanest part of town…to open up a series against the ChiSox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Type Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Mike Clevinger. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 