Kyle Bradish didn’t have it this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. Following an outing where he pitched seven no-hit innings, he didn’t make it out of the third inning. However in fairness to Bradish, this was a pretty wild game. Bradish’s line: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 6 K.
Mountcastle started things off with a two-run homer in the last of the first. However the Birds went back-to-back that inning, as Anthony Santander followed right away with a solo shot – this on his bobblehead day. And the O’s led 3-0 after one.
However Tampa popped back up in the second. Caballero’s RBI-single and Diaz’s RBI-triple tied the game at three. And the Birds would be put on notice that they were in for a dog fight.
But this Oriole team is too good to let that hold them down. Or even the news that John Means and Tyler Wells will miss the rest of the season, for that matter. Jordan Westburg’s solo homer in the second gave the O’s the lead back at 4-3.
However Tampa would eventually take the lead. Officially, Aranda struck out to start the third. However the ball hit off of home plate, and bounced into the stands. It’s scored as a wild pitch, Aranda was awarded first base, and he would later score on Siri’s RBI-single. Diaz would walk with the bases loaded later in the inning, giving Tampa a 4-3 lead.
This all in the first two-and-a-half innings. However Jordan Westburg would come through again for the Orioles in the last of the third however, with an RBI-single which tied the game. The Orioles would then take the lead, this time for good…
…this on Kyle Stowers’ RBI-double. Jorge Mateo would follow with a sac fly-RBI to pad the lead at 7-5. However if this game and the past is any indication, that two-run lead wasn’t going to be enough. And the fact is you just never know.
Ryan Mountcastle came up in the last of the fourth with a runner on once again. And the result was the same as what we saw in the first. Mountcastle smacked his second two-run homer of the game, and the O’s led 9-5. As I said, you just never know. So keep scoring.
Mercifully however, that’s all the Orioles needed. The bullpens on both sides quieted things down after that. However it does show that while they’re having a tough go of things this season, Tampa isn’t as far off as their record indicates.
The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Littell, game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 