The Baltimore Orioles came to Chicago not playing well. The good news is they were sending Grayson Rodriguez to the mound against the team with the worst record in baseball. The bad news was that means there was pressure on Rodriguez and the Birds. Rodriguez’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 7 K.
Rodriguez wasn’t great. But he wasn’t awful either. He walked Benintendi with the bases loaded in the first inning, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. The O’s would tie the score in the third on a bizarre play where Adley Rutschman’s RBI-single with the bases loaded only scored one run. Jorge Mateo held up at second base to make sure the ball wasn’t caught.
And that’s what hurts teams. You should score more than one run with the bases loaded. And all you’re doing in having a situation like that is tempting fate. And fate reminded the Birds that Chicago may be a bad team on paper, but they’re still pro’s. Benintendi’s RBI-single in the last of the third gave Chicago a 2-1 lead.
But that was the end of the night – if you happen to be a ChiSox fan, that is. As swiftly as Oriole bats went to sleep in the Gateway to the West, they snapped back into form on the South Side of Chicago. They tied it in the fourth on a solo homer by Anthony Santander. A few hitters later with two on, Jorge Mateo hit the longest home run of his career. The three-run shot gave the Birds a 5-2 lead.
Adley Rutschman would tack on a two-RBI single, and Austin Hays an RBI-single in the sixth. And it’s a darned good thing they did. The Birds brought in Jonathan Heasley, fresh up from Norfolk, out of the bullpen in the ninth. He gave up an RBI-single, hit another batter with the bases loaded, and then a two-RBI single to Baltimore-area native Gavin Sheets (son of former Oriole Larry Sheets).
Luckily the bleeding was stopped. Yennier Cano and Craig Kimbrel restored order to the inning. Kimbrel was credited with the save. The Orioles shouldn’t have been in a save situation, but they got the win. That’s all that matters, and they needed it.
Before the game the Orioles sent pitcher John Means back to Baltimore, putting him on the IL. Means of course left yesterday’s game with elbow discomfort. A treatment plan of some sort is forthcoming.
The series continues tomorrow night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Corbin Burbes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Chris Flexen. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 