Two teams with different trajectories met for the final time this season, as the Orioles came in winners of seven of their last 10, while the Angels had lost four straight.
The Baby Birds continue to shine with Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman leading the way. Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg have started to turn heads as well, and it’s just a matter of time before Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad are joining the party.
The O’s head into their off day by taking their series against the Halos, two games to one, and winning the season series against Los Angeles.
Let’s see how the series unfolded and who made their mark.
GAME 1: O’s 4, LA 2
Albert Suárez has become the gem that nobody even thought of, as the Orioles snatched him up and polished him off. Now he is sparkling, and teams are taking notice.
After debuting with 5.2 innings of scoreless ball, Suárez followed that up with another 5.2 innings of scoreless ball to earn his first Orioles victory. The 34-year-old (W, 1-0) has allowed a total of seven hits and two walks and has struck out seven in his two starts.
The offense was kick-started by James McCann’s first home run of the season, but it was the Baby Birds that provided the excitement.
Colton Cowser homered, Gunnar Henderson collected two hits, including a triple, and Adley Rutschman drove in two runs.
The offense had a total of six hits, stole four bases (Mateo (2), Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins) and walked four times.
Yennier Canó (H, 3), Jacob Webb (H, 1) and Craig Kimbrel (S, 6) locked down the Angels for three innings to secure the 4-2 victory.
GAME 2: O’s 4, LA 7
Grayson Rodriguez came in sporting a 2.63 ERA and a 3-0 record. The Orioles and Birdland were ready to watch the young phenom shut down the Angels and cruise to victory.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez was not in his zone, and though he managed to pitch into the fifth, the young fire-baller left with his ERA rising almost two full points. Rodriguez (L, 3-1) went 4.1 innings, allowing 11 hits and a walk while yielding seven runs and striking out seven.
The bullpen combination of Dillon Tate, Keegan Akin and Yohan Ramírez, would pitch the final 3.2 innings without allowing a hit or run.
The offense wasn’t much better, collecting just eight hits led by Rutschman’s 3-for-5 day. Ryan O’Hearn had two RBIs, as did Henderson, who hit a solo home run.
The Orioles combined to strike out 11 times en route to dropping the game 7-4.
GAME 3: O’s 6, LA 5
Dean Kremer was looking to right the ship from his early season struggles. After 14 quality starts last season, Kremer has just one this year and has only pitched six innings in one of his five starts.
In the series finale, he looked like the Kremer of old. Completing 5.1 innings, Kremer (W, 1-2) gave up two runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts, tying a career-high.
The offense was once again led by Henderson, who got the scoring started with a solo shot in the third. He would finish 3-for-3 (a triple short of the cycle) with three RBIs and a stolen base.
Rutschman tallied two hits and an RBI, while Jorge Mateo collected an RBI as well.
The bullpen, which had been strong through the first part of the series, allowed three runs (two earned) over 3.2 innings, allowing two home runs and three hits.
Kimbrel (S, 7) did pick up the save after allowing a hit and walking one. It took McCann throwing out Jo Adell at second to end the game and secure the series win.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
This series was set to focus on the Orioles’ bullpen. After struggling over the last series, they were put on the spot as our BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for the series.
The bullpen overall was very strong in the first two games, and though they did not cost the team any games, they struggled in the series finale before sealing a 6-5 victory.
For the series, the pen pitched 9.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) for a 3.96 ERA on eight hits with 14 strikeouts.
❌️-FACTOR: SUCCESSFUL ✅️
The Orioles are off on Thursday but return home for a seven-game homestand that starts with the Oakland Athletics coming to town.
Will the Birds continue to sore, or will the Athletics continue to be a pesky team? It all starts Friday.
What are your thoughts on this series victory? 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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