It’s always tough when a pitcher makes his big league debut, which is what Brandon Young did this afternoon for the Baltimore Orioles. Today’s game had been circled since Zach Eflin had gone down, as it was the date the Birds were going to need a fifth starter. And Young was the guy who got the call. Young’s line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K.
The Orioles obviously would have preferred that Young pitched deep into the ballgame, but you have to remember it was his first major league start. Early in his outing he was probably in the strike zone too often. And in fact, the O’s fell behind 1-0 on Lux’s RBI-single in the first.
But Young adjusted. So did the Orioles. When they came to bat in the first, Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson went back-to-back with solo homers, giving the O’s a 2-1 lead.
However a solo homer by Fraley and an RBI-double by Friedl put Cincinnati back in the lead at 3-2. But this was shaping up to be one of those wild sorts of games, so it only made sense that the Orioles would immediately tie it back up. This on a second inning RBI-double by Gunnar Henderson.
Adding to that motif was the fact that Cincinnati’s starter Greene is one of the best starters in the league. But the O’s chased him after three innings. And in doing so, the Birds obviously made him work. And thus sent a guy who at times looks unhittable to the bench.
But before that happened, Ramon Laureano smacked a two-run homer, giving the Orioles a 5-3 lead. The only problem was that Laureano was only in the game because Heston Kjerstad had to exit after getting hit on the elbow with a 100 MPH fastball.
Things would tighten in the sixth when Cincinnati squeezed in a run on a bunt RBI-single by Friedl. He was also safe at first base, with Keegan Akin not being able to handle the bunt. Akin was replaced with Seranthony Dominguez, who immediately induced an inning-ending 5-4-3 double-play, ending the threat.
I mentioned above that Heston Kjerstad left the game early after a HBP. Luckily, X-Rays were negative. This for a guy with a lot of talent, who’s already had amazingly putrid luck with injuries in his career. Presumably he’s day-to-day.
Ramon Laureano had already made an impact with a two-run homer earlier in the game. But with the team leading by one and looking slightly shaken, he came through again in the last of the seventh. The guy who wasn’t supposed to play today hit a solo home run, giving the Orioles a slight bit of breathing room.
For good measure, Jordan Westburg added an immediate solo shot of his own, giving the O’s a 7-4 lead. That busted Westburg out of an 0-for-30 slump.
Interestingly, Cincinnati manager Terry Francona used tomorrow’s scheduled starter, Carson Spiers, in relief. And to show he wasn’t kidding, he pitched Spiers for the final four innings. Needless to say, Francona’s a hall of fame manager (or he will be). Obviously he has a plan for tomorrow, and he knows what he’s going to do. It was just curious to me.
The O’s would post two insurance runs in the eighth on RBI-singles by Tyler O’Neill and Ryan O’Hearn. And it’s a good thing they did – Cincinnati wasn’t going away. They got a solo homer from Hays in the ninth.
They also put two runners on base. And they forced Brandon Hyde to go to closer Felix Bautista, who closed out the game and the Orioles’ win. The bullpen is now taxed going into tomorrow – but so is Cincinnati’s.
The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Charlie Morton gets the start for the O’s, and Cincinnati is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 