The Baltimore Orioles sent Cole Irvin to the bump last night in Oakland in search of another win. Irvin of course was acquired via trade this past off season – from Oakland. And he didn’t disappoint in his old stomping grounds. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R 1 BB, 3 K.
The one run Irvin surrendered was a solo homer by Diaz in the second. Following Irvin’s departure Diaz would smack a second solo homer, which would actually tie the game. Sandwiched between those two Diaz homers were two solo homers by the O’s, which came in the fourth inning. One by Austin Hays, and the other by James McCann.
And the game remained knotted at two for the duration of the regulation nine innings. But mind you, the Orioles are a team that does their best work late in games. And last night was no exception.
Ryan Mountcastle’s run-scoring single gave the Orioles the lead, 3-2. On a side note that isn’t an RBI. The runner that scored was the extra inning ghost runner, so it counts as an unearned run. But either way, the O’s had the lead.
And perhaps the best news of all for the Birds is that they didn’t really leave anything to chance. They blew the game wide open instead of taking their go-ahead run and taking a one-run lead into the bottom of the frame. Jordan Westburg added a sac fly-RBI, and Ryan Mountcastle scored on a throwing error at home plate when Austin Hays reached on a fielder’s choice. James McCann would add a two-RBI single, and the Oriole bullpen closed out a 7-2 lead.
As I said yesterday, this isn’t necessarily an easy series for the Orioles. They’re games the O’s should win, but of course they know that on any given day anyone can beat anyone. However in the first two games, they’ve found a way to take care of business, and at the very least guaranteed themselves a series win. They’ve also guaranteed themselves a winning west coast trip, which is incredibly meaningful.
The series concludes this afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Kyle Bradish gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Oakland’s JP Sears. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 