Ironically Kyle Gibson and the Baltimore Orioles had to come from behind to defeat Minnesota today. Julian’s RBI-double in the last of the first gave Minnesota an early 1-0 lead. But Gibson kept out of the big inning, and got back into the dugout. And the rest spoke for itself. Gibson’s line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 11 K.
Austin Hays immediately tied the game in the second with a two-run homer. But in the fifth the O’s opened things up after taking the lead. And they got the lead on a two-run home run by Ramon Urias. Ryan Mountcastle, who returned to the lineup today, followed with an RBI-single. Austin Hays did the same, and Aaron Hicks came to the plate with two runners on. And he would open the game wide open with a three-run homer, giving the O’s an 8-0 lead.
But it didn’t end there. Adley Rutschman’s two-run homer and Anthony Santander’s solo shot in the sixth extended the lead to 11-1. As fans filed for the exits early, the Birds capped off a dominant performance with a 15-2 final. And it also included a solo shot in seventh by Anthony Santander.
This closed the most successful first half in team history. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played, and those games will include a few clunkers. But you have to endure that over the course of a long season. And for sure it’s a long season.
The Orioles also drafted OF Enrique Bradfield in the first round of this evening’s player draft. Bradfield is out of Vanderbilt, and hit .311 over three seasons. He has a keen eye, and knows the strike zone well. This will all come in handy through the minors, and into the big leagues.
Birdland Crush 