I’m not sure too many people saw the Baltimore Orioles sweeping Atlanta this weekend at Truist Park. But they did just that, culminating in a game that began this morning. And a dominant performance by starter Trevor Rogers at that. Rogers’ line: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.
Rogers was dominant from the beginning today. So were his teammates – in terms of getting guys on base, that is. They did leave runners on base, which can often come back to bite you.
But the O’s did manage to take the lead. Jackson Holliday smacked a two-run home run in the third inning to put the Birds ahead 2-0. In theory, that was all the Orioles needed. However they did leave the bases loaded in the sixth. In close games, you have to find a way to tack on insurance runs. Today it didn’t bite them.
Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto were both strong out of the bullpen. Atlanta did make a small run of things in the ninth with Seranthony Dominguez on for the save. Murphy slapped a solo homer to cut it to 2-1. They also put the tying run on base, but Dominguez pitched out of it, out of the inning, to a win, and to an Oriole sweep in Atlanta.
These two teams have been disappointing this year, mainly due to injuries. But this weekend we saw what the Orioles were expected to be, and what they can be if not for their injuries. This was a series sweep, and a winning road trip at 4-2.
It begins and ends with starting pitching. Trevor Rogers wasn’t only good today. He was outstanding. It begins and ends with starting pitching. Rogers may well have deserved more run support than he got. But he got enough. And it equated to a big win.
The O’s are now to within ten games of the .500 mark at 40-49. Not very long ago that seemed like an unlikelihood. Will this season still be something? We don’t know. But they’re trending in the right direction.
Birdland Crush 