It was a grueling 17-day stretch. One that seemed to find different ways to keep fans on the edge of their seats, and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde pulled out every possible move he could to get through it.
The Orioles improved to 14-9 in September and, after splitting with the Cleveland Guardians, went 9-8 over that 17-game stretch over 17 straight days and three cities.
It was difficult at times, as an overworked bullpen, a tired offense and a dog fight to maintain a division lead showed the grit and fight that this Orioles team has. No matter what, Hyde guided his team to dig deep and find any ounce of energy they had to keep fighting and not give up or give in. Handle their business, and the rest will fall into place.
The reward? An off day before a six-game homestand to close the season. Plus, a combination of wins by the O’s, losses by the Rays or combo of each totaling three, will give the Orioles a division title and a much-needed five-day bye to start the postseason.
Though the series with the Guardians was a fight, the Orioles improved to 97- 59 while holding a 2.5-game lead over the Rays heading into the final week of the season. The race to the division will be decided by the end of the week, if not sooner.
Let’s see how the games unfold in the series.
GAME 1: O’s 2, CLE 5
Grayson Rodriguez has been showcasing what made him the top young pitcher in baseball since his return to the majors. Each start, you can see improvement and growth as he is developing into a front-line ace.
Against Cleveland, Rodriguez got his first taste of laboring through a start. The young righty would allow eight base runners (five hits, three walks) through five innings but only allowed two runs and struck out seven. Rodriguez would not factor in the decision, though, as the bullpen would have to close the game out.
Through the first seven innings, the Oriole offense mustered only three hits and no runs. In the eighth, the O’s would get RBIs from Anthony Santander and Ryan O’Hearn to pull the game even at two a piece.
Unfortunately, Cionel Pérez (L, 4-2), appearing in his fourth game in five days, would allow three runs to give the Guardians a 5-2 lead that would eventually be the final score.
The offense would collect seven total hits, led by Adley Rutschman’s three-hit night, but could muster only the two runs while striking out 10 times and going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
GAME 2: O’s 8, CLE 9
Everything game one was, it was the opposite in game two. There were seven lead changes in this game, and it showcased some sloppy defense, as there were five errors and four wild pitches between the two teams leading to a three-hour and 24-minute marathon game.
Dean Kremer struggled from the first pitch and would not make it out for the fourth inning, his third start in September of less than five innings. Kremer would allow six runs in his outing, though only three were earned. He labored through 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits and two walks.
The bats would explode for 10 hits in the game, as Santander, Gunnar Henderson and Ramón Urías would collect multiple hits to pace the offense. Unfortunately, every time the Birds would get the lead, the defense and/or pitching would allow Cleveland to take it right back.
The Orioles would take the lead in the ninth. Down a run with two outs, Santander would reach getting hit by a pitch, and O’Hearn would single to put two runners on. After a passed ball advanced the runners, Aaron Hicks would follow with a double, scoring both runners and giving the Orioles an 8-7 lead.
Yennier Canó would enter his fifth game in six days and give up two runs, which would give the Guardians a win. Canó (BS, 6 – L, 1-4) would be the hard luck loser in a game that saw Baltimore pitching give up 13 hits. The bullpen gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in the final 2.1 innings of the game.
Tyler Wells would return to pitch two innings of no-hit, no-run ball. He totaled 19 pitches, 12 for strikes, as he faced six batters. His performance wasn’t enough, as the O’s dropped the game 9-8, their third straight loss.
GAME 3: O’s 2, CLE 1
It was back to business as usual, not only for the Orioles, but John Means, who was making his third start in return from Tommy John surgery. As outlined in our article recapping Means’ outing, it was a return to what made Means the ace of a rebuilding Orioles team.
Means flirted with a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a home run, his only hit allowed. He would total 7.1 innings, throwing a season-high 96 pitches (65 for strikes), as the veteran lefty retired 22 of the 25 batters he faced.
Means (W, 1-1) would strike out a season-high four batters, give up one walk and hit a batter, as he lowered his ERA to 2.60 on the season.
Santander collected both RBIs in the game, while he (three hits), Rutschman (two hits) and James McCann (two hits) combined for seven of the team’s nine hits.
Canó (H, 30) and Cionel Pérez (S, 3) would form the back-end duo to close the game, as the Orioles won 2-1, reducing their magic number to five games to clinch the AL East.
GAME 4: O’s 5, CLE 1
Another seasoned arm, Kyle Gibson, would be the one to guide the Orioles in the final road game of the regular season. While not as great an outing as John Means, Gibson did his best to show his veteran leadership in the final game of the series.
Gibson would throw 95 pitches (59 strikes) to complete seven innings in a throwback performance of a tough innings eater. Gibson (W, 15-9) allowed five hits, a walk and a hit batter while yielding only one run and striking out four en route to his team, leading 15th victory of the season.
Aided by five walks and an RBI from Jordan Westburg in the second inning, the Orioles would race out to a 3-0 lead as Guardians starter Tristen McKenzie (L, 0-2) would fail to complete two innings.
The Orioles would add two more runs, one in the fourth and fifth, on RBI hits by Rutschman and Cedric Mullins to build a 5-1 lead. Rutschman (two hits and two walks) would reach base four times, while Jorge Mateo would collect two hits in the game. Santander collected an RBI in his fifth consecutive game, totaling seven RBIs for the series.
Danny Coulombe and D.L. Hall finished with two perfect innings to close the game with the Orioles winning, 5-1. Coupled with the Rays loss earlier, the Orioles magic number to clinch the division dropped to three.
With the series split, the Orioles assured that their streak of not being swept would stay in tack at 89 straight series. They are also the only team not to be swept this season.
The Birds (97-59) have a much-needed day off Monday as they will head back to Baltimore. They begin a two-game series with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, as the season is in its final homestand.
It’s time to pack The Nest and cheer our beloved Birds to victory as they march towards a division title. Be sure to cheer them to victory as the season wraps up.
What do you think of this series split with Cleveland? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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