At the outset of last night’s MLB All-Star game, Baltimore Orioles fans felt right at home. Corbin Burnes was on the mound for the home standing American League (as the game was being played in Texas), and Adley Rutschman was behind the plate. Consider that…an all-Orioles battery.
That was only a brief moment – the first inning. There are lots of players to work into the game, so nobody’s in for too long. Burnes gave up a walk and a hit, and stranded two in the first inning. And then his night was over.
Neither Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, nor Jordan Westburg (who got into the game later) were able to reach base. Which is fine. However Anthony Santander did get a hit in the fifth inning. He would immediately score in a homer by Jarren Duran. That put the AL ahead, 5-3, which was the final. So in a sense, Anthony Santander scored the winning run.
Obviously the All-Star game is once again an exhibition; there’s no home field advantage in the fall classic or anything else riding on the outcome. And I would submit that it should always be like that. On a side note, I’d also like to see MLB go back to letting players wear their regular team uniforms for the game. I always thought that was one of the coolest parts of it.
The second half begins Friday, when the Birds will reconvene at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX for three against the Texas Rangers. That gives Corbin Burnes, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Anthony Santander an advantage unlike anyone else in baseball. They’re already in the city where they’re to play this weekend, meaning they don’t have to travel there. That means some extra built-in rest!
Birdland Crush 