Coming into this series, the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins had similar records and were in second place in their divisions. Neither team’s success or failure is contingent on that of the other, but now come the end of the weekend, it’s evident which team is a contender and which is a pretender. Kyle Bradish was the beneficiary of today’s offensive output, and in fact he himself was outstanding. Bradish’s line: 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K.
The Orioles started getting guys on base early and often. We once again saw what speed can do for a team, especially one in contention. Gunnar Henderson split the outfielders on a line drive to lead off the game, and he legged out a double. He would almost immediately score on Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double.
Again, speed is an x-factor. It’s intangible, and it won’t show up in the box score. But it’s meaningful, and it brought the Orioles an early run. Now all things being the same, Henderson would have scored anyways. Anthony Santander smacked a two-run homer following that sequence, and the O’s led 3-0.
Kyle Bradish has really buckled down the past few starts. Today he held Miami to three hits. You aren’t going to get much better than that. If the opposing team can’t get many guys on base, they can’t score, and they can’t win.
The O’s would load the bases in the fourth, as Miami pitcher Soriano enraged Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde by hitting two consecutive Orioles. In an instance like that, I’m the first one to say that a warning should be issued. However it seems rare these days for a pitcher on one side to be warned without warning the other side by default. And had the Orioles been issued a warning for in essence having their guys hit, odds of Hyde getting tossed would have been pretty good.
One of those runners in the fourth would score when the Miami infield booted a grounder by catcher James McCann. A second one scored on a sac fly by Gunnar Henderson. The O’s led 5-0.
But they only won it 5-4. Miami put four across in the ninth, and had the tying run in scoring position. It was tougher than it should have been. But the O’s got the job done in the end. And in doing so, swept the weekend series. Miami may have a good young team. But are they a contender on the level of the Orioles? I think you know the answer to that.
For the record, this is the second straight series sweep for the O’s. This is what good teams do. And the Orioles are a good team. To the rest of the league, you’ve been served!
The Orioles open up a three-game set tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards. Grayson Rodrigues gets the start for the O’s (meaning the Orioles will make a roster move), and he’ll be opposed by LA’s Emmett Sheehan. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 