It’s 2023, and we’re living in a new era of Baltimore baseball. We would like to be the first to welcome all the doubters to Birdland. Secondly, to all our foes; This is Birdland!
The Orioles not only took down the vaunted Toronto Blue Jays, a preseason AL East favorite, but they beat them with a beautiful combination of hitting, pitching and pure grit.
As the Orioles won the series two games to one, they improved to 5-1 against the Jays this year. They also concluded their homestand with a 5-1 record and have won six of their last seven.
Last season, the Orioles won their 43rd game on July 10 to move to 43-44 in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. This time, the O’s collected their 43rd victory almost a month ahead of last season.
Let’s see how the games unfolded as the Birds continue their magical season and improve to 15-6-1 in series this season.
GAME 1: O’s 11, TOR 6
Dean Kremer continues to show why he is becoming a dependable arm in a young rotation.
Making his 11th straight start of five plus innings, Kremer (7-3) would allow three or fewer runs for the eighth time this season. He would toss six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six.
The bullpen would make things dicey, though. Bryan Baker pitched a clean inning before Austin Voth and Cionel Pérez combined for 1.2 inning, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. It took Mike Baumann to close out the game and seal the victory.
On offense, Gunnar Henderson continued his onslaught, leading the way with his first career grand slam and third straight game with a home run. He finished his day 3-for-5 with a six-game hitting streak.
Every Orioles starter had at least one hit, and Adam Frazier, Ryan O’Hearn and Aaron Hicks all contributed home runs, while Adley Rutschman and Austin Hays each had two doubles.
GAME 2: O’S 1, TOR 3
What was an offensive outburst in game one turned into a pitching duel come game two.
Kyle Bradish (2-3) might only have two wins on the season, but if you look at his stats, you might question how. In 10 of his 12 starts, he has allowed three runs or less. The other two, he allowed 11 earned runs in 7.1 combined innings of work.
This game was another showing of how much talent is there for the young right-hander. Pitching seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball, Bradish would come up short once again.
On the opposite side, José Berríos was even more dominant. He would hold the Orioles to three hits, the first one in the seventh off the bat of Adley Rutschman.
The Orioles tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, successive singles by Ryan O’Hearn, Austin Hays and Aaron Hicks cut the lead to two. Unfortunately, Adam Frazier struck out to end the game in a 3-1 loss for the Birds.
GAME 3: O’s 4, TOR 2
If Dean Kremer is becoming consistent and Kyle Bradish is storming in behind him, then Tyler Wells is setting the foundation that the Orioles’ rotation is being built on.
Coming into the game, Wells was leading the majors with a 0.85 WHIP and was second with a .181 average against.
Once again, Wells put forth another superb effort. Winning his third straight start, Wells (6-2) would go 6.2 innings, giving up eight hits, two runs (both on Danny Jansen home runs), while walking one and striking out eight.
The duo of Yennier Canó (H,15) and Félix Bautista (SV,18) would pitch for the first time in five days to lock down the game while helping to keep the bullpen well rested.
On offense, Gunnar Henderson kicked the scoring off with an RBI single. Adley Rutschman, who had six hits (three for extra bases), would hit a mammoth home run to tie the game at 2-2 a piece.
An RBI single by Anthony Santander and a home run by Austin Hays (now has at least one hit in 10 of 12 games in June) would close the scoring and lead the Birds to a 4-2 victory.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The Orioles’ bullpen was coming off a strong series against the Royals. Coming into the Toronto series, the test would be up to them to shut down the powerful lineup of the Blue Jays.
A more dangerous lineup would bring a stiffer challenge to the O’s pen, and based on the stats, it definitely did that. Though the bullpen did not cost the Orioles a game, they did allow six earned runs across 7.1 innings of work (7.61 ERA).
Of course, a big lead in the first game and lock-down pitching by Canó and Bautista in the last game was the saving grace. For the most part, it was three relievers, Austin Voth (two earned), Cionel Pérez (two earned) and Danny Coulombe (two earned in 0.0 innings) that held the blemishes.
This is a team sport, and you rise and fall together. Fortunately for the Orioles, their pen was good enough to help them win the series but definitely needs to tighten up some.
The Orioles will have little time to celebrate as they head to Chicago to visit former teammate Trey Mancini and the Chicago Cubs for a three-game weekend series. It all starts at Wrigley Field tomorrow at a unique 2:20 p.m. EST start time.
What do you think of this series win against the Jays? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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