The Baltimore Orioles begin a stretch that will see them play 30 games over the next 31 days. Our very own Zack Bucklew has dubbed the month of June as “Hell Month.”
The Orioles welcomed their AL East rival, the Tampa Bay Rays, for a three-game series, the first meeting between the two this season. The O’s entered the series 9-3 against the AL East and were 13-0-5 since April of last year against division opponents, the longest such stretch in team history.
With the announcement of John Means and Tyler Wells’ season-ending UCL surgeries, the Orioles pitching depth will be tested and the team’s morale pushed.
Let’s see how the opening series of “Hell Month” played out.
GAME 1: O’s 3, Rays 1
Albert Suárez continues to be another one of those gems that GM Mike Elias finds every season. The 34-year-old Suárez spent the previous seven seasons playing abroad before becoming one of the newest unsung heroes for the Birds.
Suárez would pitch five strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits in game one of this series. The veteran righty struck out five and left with the Orioles trailing 1-0.
In the bottom of the sixth, two more veterans stepped up to turn a deficit into another come-from-behind victory.
https://x.com/Orioles/status/1796710391109529704?t=cAU-yrxMRfelUJM3RCpNig&s=19
Austin Hays would pinch hit and drive in the tying run, giving the Orioles offense a spark. Jorge Mateo would then stroke a two-run double to left, giving the home team a 3-1 lead.
Cionel Pérez (W, 1-0) would pick up the win with a clean sixth inning. Yennier Canó (H, 13), Danny Coulombe (H, 12), Jacob Webb (H, 5) and Craig Kimbrel (S, 13) would finish the game.
The 3-1 victory put the Orioles a season-high 17 games over .500 and on pace for 106 wins.
• Notes: Jorge Mateo has 27 hits this season, with 16 of them going for extra bases. He has added 10 stolen bases while playing (and adding) to a career-high 30 games at second base.
GAME 2: O’s 9, Rays 5
The usually sure fire Kyle Bradish had one of his rare off days in game two. Coming into the game, Bradish had pitched in five games, allowing two runs in only one of them.
Coming off seven innings of no-hit ball, the Rays would score five runs in 2.2 innings against the righty. Due to the short outing, the O’s bullpen would be tasked with keeping the Rays off the board for the next 6.1 innings.
The good news for Bradish was that the Oriole offense came to play.
https://x.com/Orioles/status/1797000998159892679?t=XGRJFLfqkUEU_tTj-EbJ5w&s=19
Paced by Ryan Mountcastle’s two home runs (8) and four RBIs, the Orioles would hit four home runs on the day. It was Mountcastle’s ninth career multi-homer game.
Anthony Santander (10) and Jordan Westburg (9) would add solo home runs, as the offense picked up five extra-base hits of their 10 total hits on the day.
Mateo and Kyle Stowers added RBI hits, and Westburg picked up another RBI on a single as well.
https://x.com/Orioles/status/1797006985759428655?t=j8YJPQY8hofyRBLjmPh6EQ&s=19
Webb (W, 1-3) would pitch 2.1 no-hit innings to pick up the win. Dillon Tate, Pérez (H, 5), Canó and Keegan Akin allowed just three hits over the final four innings to close out the 9-5 victory.
• Notes: The Orioles hit four home runs that traveled over 400 feet (Mountcastle had the longest at 431 feet), totaling 1,646 feet combined.
GAME 3: O’s 3, Rays 4
Cole Irvin’s resurrection continues, and it couldn’t be at a bigger time during the year.
Irvin would pitch 6.1 innings, securing his fourth quality start in nine starts on the season. He allowed two runs on eight hits while throwing 90 pitches (64 strikes).
Offensively, the Birds would start early, as Gunnar Henderson would blast his 19th home run on the second pitch of the game. Adley Rutschman and Santander added RBI singles in the third and fourth innings, giving Baltimore a 3-0 lead.
https://x.com/Orioles/status/1797323582986408119?t=Vx90FSx6c1gqncCEWJeHJA&s=19
The Rays wouldn’t stay quiet long, as they would score a run in the fifth and seventh innings to chase Irvin from the game.
Tate (BS, 1) would allow two runs on the eighth, as the Oriole bullpen was being stretched out once again. Coulombe would finish the final 1.1 innings to close the game.
The Birds would be unable to complete their 19th come-from-behind victory, though they did take their 14th straight series win against the AL East since last April.
• Notes: After today’s game, manager Brandon Hyde announced that Jorge Mateo is in concussion protocol after being accidentally hit on the head by Cedric Mullins’ bat in the on-deck circle.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
One of the biggest things the Orioles needed to do was take pressure off their starters and put less pressure on the bullpen as well.
For the series, the Orioles went 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with runners in scoring position. The Birds also scored 12 runs combined through the first four innings of the series.
Though the Orioles did drop the last game of the series, the team overall did a nice job of producing offensively in this series.
❌️-FACTOR: SUCCESSFUL ✅️
The Orioles will head to Toronto to begin a four-game series with the Blue Jays. The first game is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. EST tomorrow night.
Will the Blue Jays climb out of the AL East cellar, or will the Birds continue their recent dominance of the team from the North?
What do you think of this series win? 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!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Stephen’s content? Follow him on X – @SRJHeckman, and listen to the official podcast of The Baltimore Battery, The Final Strike, anywhere you get your podcasts!
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment