The one thing about playing the game of baseball is that anything can happen at any given moment. For the Colorado Rockies, that seems to be a reoccurring theme.
The Rockies became the first team to hold a lead in eight straight games in the fifth inning or later and lose. This happened in their series against the Tampa Bay Rays and in this most recent set against the Baltimore Orioles.
In the Orioles’ favor, it turned into a series win, as they took two of three from Camden Yards. The series wasn’t all too celebratory, however, as All-Star closer Félix Bautista was sent to the injured list with a UCL injury that he sustained in game one of this series.
Let’s review how the series unfolded:
GAME 1: O’s 5, COL 4
Cole Irvin was making his third straight start since joining the rotation as the sixth starter. The previous two starts saw him go five innings in each game while giving up one and zero runs, respectively.
Irvin would complete six innings this outing, but he would also allow four runs on six hits while striking out six, though the deficit would be only two runs, as Ryan Mountcastle would hit a two-run homer (18) in the first inning.
Shintaro Fujinami (W, 6-8) would come in and fire two innings of shutdown ball that would allow the Orioles to climb back into the game. That all started with Austin Hays hitting a solo home run (13) to pull the Birds within one after six innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, it was Hays again who would start a rally with a one-out walk. Gunnar Henderson would come to bat and send a blast over the right field scoreboard for a 5-4 lead and the Orioles’ 39th comeback.
Everyone knew what was coming in the ninth, as the lights dimmed and “Omar’s Whistle” filled the air. Félix Bautista strolled in from the bullpen. It was all business as usual.
The first two outs came quickly, and before the stands were ready to cheer the victory, a 1-2 pitch left Bautista’s arm, and he stumbled off to the side. As he righted himself, his right arm stayed straight and tight. O’s manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel rushed out to their closer.
In a few seconds, they walked off the mound, and Danny Coulombe (S, 2) would finish the final strike to close the 5-4 victory. It would be reported the next day that Bautista would be placed on the 15-day IL with a UCL injury and D.L. Hall would join the team.
GAME 2: O’s 5, COL 4
Kyle Bradish is quickly showing the Orioles why he could be a future ace. After claiming the AL lead in ERA last game, he continued his dazzling season by putting forth another strong outing and quality start.
This time, he would complete six innings of work, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out eight. In doing so, he also moved 16 innings over last season, setting a new career-high. A shakey third by Bradish saw the Rockies score two runs, but he would shut them down the rest of the way and allow Baltimore to once again come from behind.
In the fifth, Hays would draw a walk and steal second on a strikeout. On the play, catcher Elías Díaz would throw the ball away, allowing Hays to reach third. Ramón Urías followed with a fielder’s choice that would give the Birds their first run.
In the sixth, back-to-back singles by Henderson and Anthony Santander would bring Mountcastle to the plate. He would follow suit with a two-run double to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead.
After a ground out moved Mountcastle to third, Hays would hit a grounder that shortstop Ezequeil Tovar would bobble, allowing Mountcastle to score as Hays was thrown out at first. This put the Birds up, 4-2, until an RBI double by Santander in the seventh put the Birds up 5-2 and left them comfortably ahead going forward.
Danny Coulombe (H, 22), Jacob Webb (H, 9), despite allowing two runs, and D.L. Hall (H, 1) would all pave the way for the Orioles to trot out a new closer for this game.
Yennier Canó (S, 5) would enter to take Bautista’s place and do his best impression to stave off the Rockies. After 10 pitches, the game was over, and the Orioles would win their 81st game and move to three games ahead of the Rays while winning their fifth straight game and taking the series.
GAME 3: O’s 3, COL 4
Former Oriole Ty Blach got the starting nod for the Rockies, and through seven innings, he made the Orioles look off-balance.
Throwing 86 pitches, Blach would work seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven to keep the Orioles at bay. Outside of a Cedric Mullins home run (12), the Birds couldn’t muster much against Blach.
For the O’s, Jack Flaherty would return to the mound, and though he completed 5.2 innings, he did not look comfortable and would allow three runs on seven hits.
Austin Voth and Cionel Pérez would keep the Rockies from scoring for 2.1 innings. This would allow Ryan O’Hearn to deposit a ball into the flag court, his 11th, to tie the game at 3-3 going into the ninth.
Canó would enter to keep the game knotted, as his last 10 appearances were scoreless outings. The inning opened with a ground ball that Henderson made a nice play on but would throw away, allowing the runner to reach and move to second on the error.
The next batter would hit a grounder to move the runner to third before Colorado’s only All-Star, Díaz, hit a Baltimore chop that would score the final and deciding run of the game.
The Orioles would go quietly and quickly in the bottom of the ninth and would lose the final game, 4-3.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
This series was going to pin on the outcome of All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, as he had been quietly hot over the last couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, over this series, Rutschman was a little off and finished just 2-of-12 (.167) with three strikeouts and zero runs or RBIs. This series, Rutschman would cool off some, but the Birds would prevail in winning the series.
With the Orioles losing the final game and the Rays winning two of three against the Yankees, the Orioles are now only two games up and sit at 81-49, 32 games over .500.
There is no time to rest, as the Orioles will welcome the Chicago White Sox to town Monday night for a three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
With 30 games left this season, the Yard should be jumping as the postseason push is winding down. Will the Birds fly strong, or will the Sox stop them in flight?
What do you think of this series win over Colorado? 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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