The Baltimore Orioles sent Tyler Wells to the mound in the series finale at Tropicana Field. Interesting start to say the least; Wells was wild, but gave up only one hit (which was a two-run homer). At one point he seemed to argue with manager Brandon Hyde in the dugout, potentially about whether he was staying in the game or not. Wells’ line: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 5 K.
Adley Rutschman got the Orioles on the board right away with an RBI-double in the first inning. One inning later Gunnar Henderson extended that lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer. Overall, Henderson had a great day and a great series overall. He was on base numerous times, and made several dazzling plays in the field.
Tampa battled back, with Lowe grounding into a force out which scored a run in the fourth. One inning later Diaz’s two-run homer tied the game at three. That of course was the aforementioned sole hit surrendered by Tyler Wells. Luckily for the Birds, Mike Bauman was outstanding in middle relief today.
But with the low roar of Orioles fans starting to reverberate throughout the Trop, the Birds wanted to make sure that memories of this series would be cloaked in orange and black. They wanted to ensure that there would be no doubt coming out of this series who the best team in the best division in baseball was. Brandon Hyde kept Ryan O’Hearn in the lineup for his sixth inning at-bat, a rare appearance against a southpaw…
…and it paid off. O’Hearn ambushed a pitch and sent it deep towards left. It smacked off the foul pole for a solo homer, putting the Orioles back in the lead. That also put Mike Bauman in line for the win, which was well-deserved this afternoon.
The O’s would also get an RBI-single from Anthony Santander in the seventh, extending their lead to 5-3. The likes of Bauman and later Yennier Cano closed things out, and the Birds got the win. They took three-of-four in Tampa this weekend, and are alone in first place in the AL East.
Nothing’s over yet. For all we know things could go south and the Orioles could miss the playoffs. So this settles nothing. But the Orioles announced to the world this weekend that they were the current class of the best division in baseball. And make mistake, it’s no fluke. You don’t get to this point by simply being lucky. With the stands clad in orange & black, the Orioles announced to the world that they’re here to stay.
It’s also worth noting that the O’s have one more series against Tampa, in September at Camden Yards. In order to win the season series against the Birds, Tampa would have to sweep that series. Tampa’s a great team as well so you don’t put it past them totally, but…you get the point. Which would mean that the Orioles would hold all tie-breakers against Tampa.
The Orioles now head to Philadelphia for the first of three at Citizen’s Bank Park. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 