Grayson Rodriguez had one job as the starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles tonight: be the stopper. The Birds came into tonight’s series finale with Cleveland having lost five straight for the first time in just over two years. Folks were getting restless. Luckily Rodriguez delivered for the most part. Rodriguez’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
I say he delivered for the most part. I probably could have left that last part off. He delivered in more ways than one. He pitched a quality start, and made it through seven innings. That really helped out the bullpen tonight. So make no mistake, Grayson Rodriguez was a superstar for the Orioles tonight.
He did give up a solo homer to Noel in the first inning, which gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead. Not only was it Noel’s first big league game, but it was his first big league at-bat. And thus his first hit and first homer. However following a Jorge Mateo double in the last of the first, Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single tied the game at one.
It seemed we were set for another slog of a game between these two. But overall, the pitching settled in. Rodriguez gave up another solo homer in the fifth to Arias, but other than that he was solid.
And the good news is that the Orioles weren’t behind for long. Come the last of the fifth Gunnar Henderson smacked a long solo shot of his own, tying the game at two. Two innings later, Cedric Mullins sent a deep shot down the right field line. A shot that was high and deep…
../it hung in the air forever. And it barely stayed fair, landing on the flag court. Another solo homer for the Orioles, who at that point led 3-2. It wasn’t a big lead. But it was a lead. And when you’ve lost five straight, it feels big.
But…the Orioles needed some insurance. And they got it in the eighth. Ryan O’Hearn’s solo homer, the third of the game off of Oriole bats, extended the lead to 4-2. Craig Kimbrell walked a batter with two outs in the ninth, but it wasn’t an issue. And honestly in his pitch sequences on the first two outs, he was definitely crisp.
End of the day it doesn’t matter how you end a losing streak. What matters is that you snapped it. This is a team that has championship aspirations. Losing streaks happen to everyone, but you have to nip them in the rear. The Orioles did that tonight, and now they can move on.
Tomorrow the O’s open a four-game set with Texas at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Jon Gray. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 