John Means took the ball for the second time this season for the Baltimore Orioles last night. Another shortish outing to be sure, although he was in line for the win when he left. Means’ line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K.
Means’ line run surrendered came on an RBI-double by Tucker in the first inning. But the O’s would tie it in the third. Adley Rutschman’s sac fly-RBI would tie the game. Two innings later Ryan O’Hearn would smack a two-RBI single, which gave the O’s the lead at 3-1.
Means came out to pitch the last of the fifth, and then hit the showers. Even given the Orioles’ push to the postseason (which as we know is now a trip that’s guaranteed), it’s obvious that Brandon Hyde is trying to be careful with Means. Coming off of Tommy John’s surgery is no joke.
However Houston would take the lead back in the sixth. McCormick’s RBI-single would bring them to within 3-2. However Shintaro Fujinami’s two wild pitches would send McCormick to third, and he would later score on Peña’s run-scoring single. Altuve’s two-RBI double would give Houston the lead at 5-3.
But remember, these Birds do their best work late. Adley Rutschman’s RBI-double in the seventh cut the Houston lead to 5-4. Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double would then tie the game at five, with Ryan O’Hearn being thrown out at home plate. But damage done, although Houston would take the lead back with solo homers in the seventh and eighth, going to the ninth inning with a 7-5 lead.
But while Houston’s the defending champion, it’s the Baltimore Orioles who have the best record in the American League in 2023. Both are first place teams and both are quality teams. But the standings say that the O’s are the better team right now and this year. And that became evident very fast.
The Birds opened the ninth with two base hits. That brought Cedric Mullins to the plate, and on a 2-1 pitch he sent a deep shot into right field. And wouldn’t you know it, the ball landed in the right field grandstand, deep in the heart of Texas.
And with that, the best team in the American League defeated the defending champions in game one of a series against a team that they may well see again in the not-so-distant future. Make no mistake, if the Orioles are going to go deep into the postseason, they’ll end up facing Houston at some point. So they should get used to seeing them in the opposing dugout.
The series continues this evening at Minute Maid Park. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Hunter Brown. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.
Birdland Crush 