It was slightly harder for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Camden Yards than they thought it might have been against the ChiSox. Corbin Burnes struggled – but pulled through to qualify for the win. Oriole bats still seemed slightly off, but they were good enough to win. Burnes’ line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 4 K.
Chicago led off the game with single against Burnes, and the runner would advance to second on a fielding error by Ryan O’Hearn on a pickoff attempt. Benintendi would follow later in the inning with the runner at third with a sacrifice fly, and Sheets’ RBI-single would extend the lead to 2-0.
However Chicago doesn’t have the worst record in baseball for nothing. Gunnar Henderson led off the first inning for the Nirds with a solo home run, cutting the lead to 2-1. It was Henderson’s 34th homer of the season, tying Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada’s franchise record for the most homers as a shortstop.
However that’s all the Birds could muster in the first, despite getting other runners on base. And despite a few other blips, Burnes did steady the ship a bit. Needless to say once again, he stuck around long enough to get the win.
With two on in the third, the O’s tied it on an RBI-single by Anthony Santander. Later in the inning with runners in scrimping position, Austin Slater’s RBI-double finally gave the Orioles the lead. A lead they’d never surrender.
The O’s would load the bases in the fifth, and Gunnar Henderson’s sac-fly RBI would extend the lead to 4-2. Adley Rutschman would follow with a run-scoring single, extending it to 5-2. For those keeping score at home, that doesn’t go as an RBI, as Austin Slater made it to second base on a fielder’s choice and an error. He was originally called out, but the Orioles challenged and the call was correctly overturned.
The O’s also got an RBI-single by Cedric Mullins, and a two-RBI single by Austin Slater in the sixth. And that sequence came as a result of two walks to leadoff the inning. This an inning in which they ended up batting around…
…an act that also included an RBI-triple by Emanuel Rivera. He would later score on an RBI-groundout by Gunnar Henderson. They would end the inning with Cedric Mullins striking out with the bases loaded, however that sixth inning busted the game wide open.
Chicago would tack on a nominal RBI-single in the eighth, but the O’s went home 13-3 winners on Labor Day Monday. This because Cedric Mullins added a two-run homer in the last of the eighth. The runs kept coming.
With the win, the O’s moved back into a first place tie with New York – FOR NOW. New York plays Texas this evening, so one way or the other that will change. However whether the competition is good or bad, big innings win games. And how do you create big innings? Base runners – the O’s started that sixth inning with two walks. They also depleted the Chicago bullpen, nodding well for the other two games of the series this game also begins the final stretch of the regular season. Or the final month more like it. Needless to say, this was a good way to start the end. But it’s how they finish it that’ll matter.
The series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Nick Nastrini. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 