Al Suarez had to question why he was the designated starter when the Baltimore Orioles opted to give Gunnar Henderson a night off. Manager Brandon Hyde said after last night that Henderson was tired. Luckily for Suarez and the Birds, Jorge Mateo returned. Suarez’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K.
Mateo of course went on the seven-day concussion IL last week after getting dinged in the head by a bat. And he picked up his team in the absence of his teamate Gunnar Henderson. This against the Atlanta Braves at Camden Yards, a team the Orioles wonder if they might not see again down the road.
Mateo smacked a three-run homer in the last of the second, giving the O’s a 3-0 lead. One of the runs he drove in came in the form of Austin Hays, who also returned to the lineup after a short hiatus. And he did so by collecting three hits. All good vibes for the Oriole offense.
On the flip side, Suarez pitched into the sixth, holding Atlanta off the board. As did the Oriole bullpen, shutting down anything they put forth in terms of a scoring chance. And that’s how you win games.
You also win games by having a lead, as well as holding it. Part of that is insurance runs, and the Orioles put one of those up as well. One of Austin Hays’ aforementioned three hits came in the form of an RBI-single in the last of the sixth.
The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s (his first at Camden Yards), and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 