Cade Povich had one rough inning for the Baltimore Orioles tonight against Houston. He was adequate, needless to say. He just didn’t figure into the end. Povich’s line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
The O’s actually had an early lead in this one, as Ramon Urias reached on a fielder’s choice due to an errant throw on what should have been a double-play ball. That allowed a run to score, and the O’s led 1-0. But it was short-lived.
Cade Povich had one bad inning, that being the third. Houston’s Altuve smacked a two-run homer, giving Houston a 2-1 lead. Pena and Meyers would smack an RBI-double and a single respectively, and the Orioles trailed 4-1.
But the Birds tried to make a game of it. Colton Cowser led off the last of the third with a solo homer, cutting the lead to 4-2. However that’s all the Birds could muster up. The offense is really struggling right now, and there’s no explanation as to why. It didn’t help that Pena added a solo homer in the sixth.
Povich left the game with a run in and two on in the sixth. However Burch Smith came on and retired Houston without any further damage in the inning. Not only that, but he retired them 1-2-3, including having a runner being thrown out at home plate. That was big, although we didn’t know it at the time. We also didn’t know at the time that Craig Kimbrel not surrendering a run in the top of the eighth was big. But then the last of the eighth happened.
Following singles by Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson reached on a fielder’s choice. Houston reliever Abreu fielded a comebacker, and threw to third. Cowser dove back in after taking his lead, and was ruled safe. The play was upheld on instant replay, and the O’s had the bases loaded with nobody out. This while being down by three. You see where this is going…
…for starters, Anthony Santander was coming to the plate. Keep in mind, bases loaded and nobody out isn’t guaranteed to yield any runs. Abreu could have struck out the side from that moment forward. But part of the Orioles’ struggles of late has come from not taking advantage of the opportunities they’ve had.
And Santander put an end to that. Oh did he ever. With one swing on a 2-1 count, he sent the ball deep into the Baltimore night. It could have landed in Waverly. Or Canton. Federal Hill…you name the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter. It cleared the fence for a grand slam, and the Orioles led 6-5.
The Birds would tack on yet another run later in the inning on an RBI-triple by Ramon Urias. Seranthony Dominguez was ice cold in the ninth, and somehow, someway, the O’d defeated Houston, 7-5. The series evened now at one.
You won’t find a more improbable win than that. The headline of course is Santander, but don’t diminish the role Burch Smith and Craig Kimbrel played. Kimbrel of course who got the win. And make no mistake, it was a big win. One that depending on how things end up this year, we might look at as a turning point.
The one downside was Cedric Mullins leaving the game with a strained left quad. After striking out on a pitch that appeared out of the zone, he was seen talking to head athletic trainer Brian Ebel – he was later pulled. You have to hope he doesn’t have to miss any significant time. After the game Brandon Hyde said he was day-to-day,
The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Albert Suarez gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Frambler Valdez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 