What we say out of Albert Suarez last night at Coors Field in Denver may have been the Baltimore Orioles’ best pitched game this year. That’s a matter of opinion of course. But Suarez went deeper into a game than he ever had at any other time of his career. He also retired 13 of his final 14 hitters faced. He picked the O’s up when they needed him. Suarez’s line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
Offensively at least, the early star was Emmanuel Rivera – perhaps continuing a tradition in Baltimore baseball of random utility guys playing heroic roles. Rivera’s RBI-single in the second inning gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
However Colorado, despite their struggles this year, wanted to give the Orioles a game. RBI-singles by Tovar and Doyle in the third inning gave them a 2-1 lead. That third inning was the only on in which Suarez struggled. Not heavy struggles, just a difficulty here or there. Colorado didn’t make too much hard contact that inning. But they found daylight, and there isn’t much you can do about that at times,
However that also lit something under the O’s – which at first wasn’t a good thing. Eloy Jimenez and Ramon Urias provided back-to-back singles in the fourth. Jimenez should have been able to go first to third, but he hesitated going around second base, and he was promptly thrown out at third. It’s unclear what happened there, but that momentary lack of clarity hurt the Orioles in the inning.
But not for long. Because with Urias on second later in the inning Emmanuel Rivera came back up to bat and smacked a two-run home run. This put the Orioles back in the driver’s seat, 3-2.
And Albert Suarez shut Colorado down the rest of the way. Which was good, because the Orioles still seemed to be in an offensive fog at times. Jackson Holliday walked to lead off the fifth, and stole the first base of his career. Austin Slater sent a liner into center, which Colorado’s Doyle caught on a dive. It was outstanding defense. However Holliday, thinking it would fall in for a hit, had to go back to second and tag up. In doing so, he was thrown out at third. In the blink of an eye, there were two outs and nobody on.
Suarez turned things over to Cionel Perez in the eighth, and he sent Colorado down 1-2-3. But the better news was that Oriole bats came alive in the ninth. Jackson Holliday’s RBI-triple extended the lead to 4-2. And in a park like Coors Field, that’s often necessary.
Holliday would score a moment later when Cedric Mullins reached on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error on the pitcher. And it’s a good thing he did, because Colorado’s Rogers hit a solo homer in the ninth inning. However Seranthony Domínguez was able to close things out, and the Orioles took game one in Denver, 5-3.
The series continues this evening at Coors Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Colorado’s Ryan Feltner. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.
Birdland Crush 