The Orioles have proven their moxy. The one thing you have to do as a winning team is win the games and series you need to win.
With the Oakland Athletics coming to town and playing some surprising ball, the Orioles were in for a harder time than expected.
Let’s see how the series unfolded, as the Birds would lose two out of three in this set.
GAME 1: O’s 2, A’s 3
Corbin Burnes keeps doing Corbin Burnes things while putting the Orioles in position to win.
Burnes dropped his ERA from 2.76 to 2.55 after pitching six innings, allowing a run on three hits while striking out six.
An RBI single from Ryan O’Hearn and a solo home run from Cedric Mullins (6) were the only runs the Birds could muster in this one.
Danny Coulombe (H, 5) and Yennier Canó (H, 5) set up for Craig Kimbrel to close things down. Kimbrel (BS, 2), pitching for the 12th time in 25 games, would allow a run to tie the game. Unfortunately, the O’s could not score in extra innings, and the A’s pushed across a run against Jacob Webb (L, 0-1) in the 10th that would be the game-winner.
The offense was led by O’Hearn’s two hits, as they totaled six for the game. The O’s struck out seven times while scoring just the two runs for the game.
GAME 2: O’s 7, A’s 0
Cole Irvin was coming off his best outing of his career and getting himself in a groove. Pitching against his former team, Irvin was looking to make a statement.
If a statement was to be made, Irvin made a big one. He would pitch seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing no runs. Irvin (W, 2-1) would strike out five and throw only 89 pitches (63 strikes).
The offense responded as well, led by Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, each picking up two hits.
Adley Rutschman (3) and Ryan Mountcastle (3) hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth, and Henderson (9) added a two-run shot in the seventh.
The Orioles also got RBIs from Westburg, Anthony Santander and James McCann, as the Birds scored seven runs for the day.
Henderson (6) and Jorge Mateo (4) added stolen bases, and the Birds turned three double plays for the game as they picked up their second shutout of the year.
GAME 3: O’s 6, A’s 7
Albert Suárez came in with 11.1 innings of scoreless pitching. That ended with one out in the second, as he allowed a solo home run to Brent Rooker. Suárez would go on to allow four runs over four innings of work, though he left with the lead.
With Westburg out with a stomach bug, the rest of the Baby Birds would have to fill in for him, and that they did.
Colton Cowser would hit a two-run double in the second. Rutschman (4) would add a solo home run and Mountcastle (4) a two-run shot in the third inning.
If that wasn’t enough, Ramón Urías (1) would hit a solo home run in the fourth, as the Orioles built a 6-4 lead.
Keegan Akin pitched two clean innings, while Coulombe (H, 6), Webb (H, 2) and Canó (H, 6) would hold the A’s at bay before handing it over to Kimbrel.
Kimbrel (BS, 3, L, 3-1) would allow a two-run home run before leaving with lower back tightness. Dillon Tate would close the inning, and the Orioles would drop the game 7-6 and the series.
BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR
Our BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR for the series was the O’s offense’s ability to get to Oakland’s starters early and avoid the big arms in their bullpen, especially Mason Miller.
The O’s scored a total of 15 runs off the A’s starters this series, but they didn’t do enough to really avoid the big arms in their pen.
The flamethrowing Miller earned the save in game one but did not pitch the rest of the series. Lucas Erceg came in to close the series finale out, topping at 100 mph.
Did the O’s get to the Oakland starters? For the most part, yes. Did it contribute to the O’s winning the series? No, it didn’t.
❌️-FACTOR: UNSUCCESSFUL 👎
The Orioles will welcome the New York Yankees to town for a huge four-game series, with first place in the division on the line.
Will the Birds be able to protect the nest, or will the Yankees raid the town? With first place on the line, first pitch is Monday at 6:35 p.m. EST.
What are your thoughts on this series loss to Oakland? 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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