With New York coming to town, the Baltimore Orioles needed a good start out of Grayson Rodriguez tonight at Camden Yards. And they got it. Maybe not quite as long as they would have wanted, but Rodriguez was largely effective against a lineup that put up two consecutive games’ worth of 15-run baseball in Milwaukee over the weekend. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K.
The O’s took the lead early when Gunnar Henderson smacked a solo homer in the first inning. The Oriole bullpen was also key in this game, with Cionnel Perez pitching in his second game since the first week of the season, and holding New York at bay. Cionnel Perez amongst others, that is.
We also saw how important base running was towards the end of this game. With one out the Birds had runners at first and second. Ryan O’Hearn sent a fly ball to deep center field, resulting in out number two. BUT…Gunnar Henderson tagged up and went to third base.
A moment later he would score when Anthony Santander reached on a fielding error by NY shortstop Volpe. That doubled the Oriole lead, at 2-0. And it gave them an insurance run when they needed one. Danny Coloumbe retired New York in the top of the ninth, but that insurance run certainly helped. And ultimately it helped the Birds to a big win in a big series against a division rival.
Little intangible things in games like that make a huge difference. Henderson saw an opportunity to tag up and go to third, and he took it. And nobody would have blamed him for holding. But while the box score might not necessarily show it, that helped the Orioles win the game. Make no mistake.
This was a big win. And when all’s said and done, it might be a huge one. The story of Orioles vs. NYY in 2024 is still one to be written. This was one game. But after a questionable weekend where seemingly little went correct, it was important for the Birds to win tonight. And they won it with pitching. So make no mistake that it was a big win. And maybe one to which to look back.
The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Nestor Cortes. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 