The Baltimore Orioles found a way to win last night despite a rough outing by a starter. Charlie Morton struggled on the bump in Sacramento. Morton’s line: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 5 K.
The Orioles put up a run in the first inning on a sac fly-RBI by Ryan O’Hearn. However Morton just didn’t have it last night, as can happen with a starting pitcher from time to time. Morton promptly loaded the bases. And walked in a run. MacIver’s RBI-single gave the Athletics a 2-1 lead. Morton appeared to get out of it after walking in a third run. W
ith the bases still loaded he induced a comebacker by Schuemann. Morton went to tag Schuemann, and the inning was over. However Oakland challenged the call, and in fact replays showed that Morton missed the tag. This gave Oakland a 4-1 lead.
Ryan O’Hearn led off the fourth with a single, and Ramon Laureano’s two-run homer cut the lead to 4-3. That was a big moment, as it propelled the O’s back into the game. One inning later Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single tied the game at four.
And one inning after that, the Orioles took the lead on a solo home run by Colton Cowser. Later in the inning Jackson Holliday reached on a throwing error, scoring a sixth run. Once the Orioles started scoring, they didn’t stop. A seventh inning RBI-single by Ramon Laureano sent the Birds home with a 7-4 lead.
Oakland put up their four runs on Morton, who struggled. Once he was out of the game, they couldn’t do anything further. And the Birds didn’t stop once the main scoring started.
The doesn’t mean that Morton should induce concerns like we saw at the beginning of the season. He just didn’t have it last night. And that will happen to starting pitchers.
The series concludes this afternoon at Suter Health Park. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by The Athletics’ Jacob Lopez. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.
Birdland Crush 