In what feels like light years ago, Dean Kremer gave the Baltimore Orioles another outstanding start. Odds are he would have gone deeper into the game had it been under different circumstances, but fact is this already was a postseason game for the Birds – in a sense. And Kremer rose to the occasion. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
It’s never easy. It hasn’t been all season. Especially of late. This much we know. But the O’s battled in this one, and on any given day of the season, this would be a great win.
Following a one out single and double, Heston Kjerstad’s RBI-groundout in the second inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Ryan O’Hearn extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI-single. For the record, that came following Anthony Santander having gone to second base on a wild pitch. Attention to detail.
However New York would narrow the lead back to one later in that fourth inning on Judge’s solo homer. However Kremer limited the damage, and made a subsequent great play in the field, and got the Birds out of the inning without further incident. Buckling down in that moment made as big a difference as anything.
But that was never going to be enough. Anthony Santander’s solo homer off the right field foul pole in the sixth and Ramon Urias’ solo shot in the seventh extended the lead to 4-1. But even that wasn’t enough – almost.
NY had runners at the corners with two outs in the last of the seventh. Torres’ RBI-double narrowed the lead to 4-2. That brought Soto to the plate, one of the two biggest heavy hitters – in a lineup full of heavy hitters. And he sent an RBI-single for to right, which should have tied the score. However Torres was held up at third base…
…and chaos seemingly ensued. The O’s caught Torres in a rundown. A 9-2-6-2-5-2-6 rundown resulting in an out, to be exact. Attention to detail.
That should have tied the game. It didn’t. And the Orioles capitalized, with Colton Cowser’s solo homer in the eighth. That gave the O’s a slight cushion, and the bullpen found a way to close things out. That narrowed the magic number to one, and by virtue of Miami beating Minnesota, the Orioles clinched a postseason spot.
So the Birds return to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996-97. It’s only one step. But it’s a big one, and it came at a price. Whereas last season was a rosy victory lap down the stretch, this year was a struggle until the end. And even this game – New York had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. But one way or the other, they found a way. And they made it.
That Torres play in the seventh – it was also big because by virtue of the inning ending there, it all but guaranteed that Soto and Judge wouldn’t come up again before the end of nine. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but it felt like something dramatic would have to happen. Not smart base running by New York. And the Orioles benefitted.
The series continues tomorrow evening at Yankee Stadium. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Nestor Cortes. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 