After having been swept in Pittsburgh, the Baltimore Orioles needed a win tonight on the south side of Chicago. It’s never easy, especially when you have to call up a starter from triple-A this early in the year – Brandon Young, in this case. Young’s line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K.
Young stepped up big this evening fresh up from the minors, on a cold night. The Orioles needed a stopper. And he was it.
Following an Adley Rutschman walk in the fourth, Tyler O’Neill sent a flair down the left field line. Former Oriole Austin Hays was playing left field, and he appeared to pull up lame on the play. He was immediately removed, with an apparent injury. However the ball bounced fair, and in the shuffle Adley Rutschman was able to score and give the O’s a 1-0 lead.
Tyler O’Neill seemed shocked that the ball wasn’t caught, and on top of that shocked that it fell fair. In short, he should have been at second base. But it went as an RBI-single. That sort of mental lapse cannot happen. Run hard. Play hard.
Gunnar Henderson would add to the lead in the sixth with a solo homer, and the O’s took a 2-0 lead to the ninth when Ryan Helsley took the ball. Maybe it was the cold, but Helsley walked the first two hitters. He would later give up an RBI-groundout to Sosa, and put the winning run on due to a flukey infield single. But he ultimately closed the door on Chicago, helping the Orioles to snap a three-game losing streak.
The series continues tomorrow at Rate Field. Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Shane Smith. The game was moved up into the afternoon due to expected frigid temperatures in the evening in Chicago, and will begin at 3:10 PM.
Birdland Crush 