Corbin Burnes gave the Baltimore Orioles a quality start last night. And for the first time in however long, Oriole bats cooperated. That would be putting it mildly I suppose. Five home runs later, that is. Burnes’ line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K.
Needless to say, Burnes was good last night. The question is can the Birds say he pulled them out of their late-season swoon? This wasn’t a game they won by the skin of their teeth, like on Thursday against San Francisco. This was dominant.
You got the message that this game was going to be different early on when Gunnar Henderson led off the game with a double. A deep shot which split the Detroit outfielders. It should have been an out, but the two outfielders miscommunicated and the ball dropped. It was ruled a double, but…should have been an out. That’s the sort of thing that would have happened TO the Orioles in the last few weeks, as opposed to happening to their betterment.
And the Birds took advantage. Anthony Santander smacked a two-run home run later in the inning, and the O’s led 2-0. An inning later in the third it was Colton Cowser’s turn, this as a solo homer.
Even the struggling Coby Mayo got on base with a fifth inning single. And he scored on a two-run home run by James McCann. An inning later brought another Colton Cowser home run, again as a solo shot. But James McCann wanted more also. Why let the milkman be the only guy to go yard twice in the game?! He followed suit later in the inning with his second homer of the game, also a solo shot.
Detroit would tack on a nominal run in the ninth with an RBI-single by Sweeney. For what it’s worth, that came after a walk where the runner advanced on defensive indifference. So had the Orioles been playing defense at full throttle, it might have been a shutout. The Orioles also got Danny Coulombe back off the IL, and he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. I suppose you can call him the first of several players who could be returning soon.
The Orioles’ magic number to clinch a postseason appearance sits at three. I see very little chance of them not clinching at some point, but you have to hope last night’s game becomes more commonplace. This giving you momentum going into the playoffs. However end of the day, just getting there is the goal.
The series continues this afternoon at Camden Yards. Cade Povich gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Reese Olson. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 