Zach Eflin acted as a stopper of sorts for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. The O’s had only lost two straight, but better to end a losing streak now than let it really get churning. And Eflin turned in a quality start in ending the losing streak. Eflin’s line: 6.2 IP. 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.
Ramon Urias got the O’s on the board in the third with a two-run homer. However the Orioles continued getting guys on base. They even got them into scoring position. They just couldn’t get them home. The fear of course, was that this would come back and bite the Orioles. For a moment, it looked like it would.
Detroit put two runners on base in the seventh, and Keith’s RBI-double cut the lead to 2-1. That left one out and two runners in scoring position. The Orioles brought the infield in, and Dingler lined out. Tony Mansolino lifted Eflin, and Keegan Akin struck the final hitter out.
That was a jam. While the Orioles didn’t want to surrender a run there, that inning was a win. The game could have imploded. But they limited the damage. And it was especially big given that Gunnar Henderson smacked an RBI-single in the last of the eighth extending the lead to 3-1.
Cedric Mullins’ RBI-double in the last of the eighth seemed to somewhat seal the deal. Mullins would later score on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 5-1. Insurance runs mean something. Especially that one, as it meant the Orioles didn’t need to use Felix Bautista.
But the onslaught didn’t end there. Following a couple of walks Ryan O’Hearn’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 7-1. But it was a three-run home run by Jordan Westburg that capped the evening off, Westburg’s second game back and his second home run in that span.
The fact that Westburg seems to be picking right up where he left off is meaningful. And on top of that, this was the Orioles’ biggest win since Opening Day in Toronto. Go figure, guys get healthy and things improve.
The series concludes tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 