The Baltimore Orioles desperately needed a win this afternoon in Colorado. After last night, after which Ramon Urias went to the IL and Dean Kremer’s status remains to be seen, they needed a win to calm the fears of Birdland – at least for today. Enter Zach Eflin, fresh off the IL himself. Eflin’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K.
If there was any concern about Eflin coming off the IL, he quickly quelled them. He pitched a perfect game into the sixth inning, and didn’t surrender a run until the seventh. By going that deep into the ballgame, he also spared the bullpen after a long game last night.
The Orioles jumped on Colorado early. After a walk and a base hit, Gunnar Henderson seemingly snapped out of his slump with an RBI-single. The only downside was that was the lone run the Orioles scored in that inning. But they made up for it.
Coby Mayo’s run-scoring single extended it to 2-0 in the fourth. That also was thanks to a two-base fielding error by Colorado’s Cave in right center, which allowed Eloy Jimenez to score from first. Cedric Mullins would single Mayo home later in the inning, and the Birds led 3-0.
One inning later the O’s opened the game wide open. James McCann’s two-run homer pushed it to 5-0. Gunnar Henderson’s seventh inning RBI-single ran it to 6-0, and the final was 6-1 thanks to an RBI-single by Jones in the seventh. This against a tiring Zach Eflin, who was able to make it out of the inning aside from that.
The story of the game was Zach Eflin. You couldn’t have scripted a better game coming off the IL. And again, the Oriole bullpen needed a blow. And they got it thanks to Eflin.
But don’t discount Gunnar Henderson either. He only hit .234 in August. So him being able to snap out of the funk and contribute at the plate today was huge. What happens with the roster in terms of injuries going forward remains to be seen. But the O’s took two-of-three this weekend in Colorado.
You could argue they should have swept, however you can never say that in baseball. If you’re taking two-of-three consistently, you’re doing okay. Especially when New York drops two-of-three at home this weekend, meaning the O’s are a half game out of first.
The Orioles now head home for a series with the ChiSox, beginning tomorrow with a mid-afternoon matinee at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Chris Flexen. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.
Birdland Crush 