Brandon Young got the start this afternoon in his de facto hometown of Houston for the Baltimore Orioles. Young of course grew up approximately 100 miles from Houston, and this was his second start at Daikin Park. The first one wasn’t too shabby, as he almost threw a perfect game. Not the case today, but still very good. Young’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K.
Houston put two runners on with nobody out in the second, but Young pitched out of it. That was the main threat that Houston made in the game. At least early. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single in the third gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning the O’s had Pete Alonso on first and Henderson at third. Craig Albernaz called for a double-steal, and it was executed perfectly. Henderson stole home plate, and the Birds led 2-0.
Houston would get on the board in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-double by Alvarez. But Young limited the damage, and got out of the inning. Pitching is as much about that as anything else – limiting the damage. Teams are going to score runs – most teams, that is. But no reason to turn that into a big inning.
The O’s would load the bases in the fifth, and Leody Taveras’ two-RBI single extended the lead to 4-1. Coby Mayo sent the second pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in right, extending it to 5-1. Altuve got Houston one back in the eighth with a solo homer, but the Birds went onto win 5-2.
One area of concern now is catcher. The Orioles called Sam Huff up to join the team before the game, making one wonder if Adley Rutschman isn’t dinged up. Samuel Basallo started behind the dish today, but left the game in the second with what the Orioles called right shoulder discomfort. He appeared to wince while swinging the bat in the top of the inning.
It might be fair to say maybe Rutschman had a scheduled day off. However odds are against the O’s doing that and calling up a third catcher for today’s game as a result. Something to watch as we go onward.
The O’s have now swept their previous two series’. They’ll go to Boston, who’s won 13 straight games. The Orioles’ win streak is at seven. So for the next few days we’ll see the two hottest teams in baseball.
The O’s now head to Boston to open the aforementioned series at Fenway Park. Shane Baz gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Payton Tolle. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 