Grayson Rodriguez spun a quality start for the Baltimore Orioles in Seattle last night. Late last night, that is. West coast games are tough, from the late night for fans, to the travel for the teams. Rodriguez’s line: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K.
Anthony Santander worked a long at-bat in the fourth inning with two runners on. It ended with Santander giving the O’s the lead with an RBI-single. Cedric Mullins followed suit in the seventh with an RBI-single of his own, and the Birds held a 2-0 lead.
And that’s where pitching takes over. Both the Orioles and Seattle are contending teams, and pitching can make a difference. Rodriguez and the Oriole bullpen came up big last night.
And it’s also noteworthy in the context of the stretch out of which the Orioles just came. They played 43 games in 45 days; or 30 games in 31 days – however you want to look at it. They had exactly one off day in June, before getting one on July 1st…which was spent recovering from a red eye flight to Seattle.
Point being, it helps the cause to have such a solid showing from the pitching staff last night. It’s never a bad time for it, but the Orioles overall took the bulk by the horns and won a big game last night. Against another contending team, at their place.
The series continues tonight at T Mobile Park. Dean Kremer (who’s coming off the IL) gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Logan Gilbert. Game time is set for just after 10 PM.
Birdland Crush 