BALTIMORE—The Orioles played small ball in the seventh inning, and bigger ball in the eighth. Eight late-inning runs sent them to a win and a series split with the Washington Nationals.
Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Nationals manager Dave Martinez called on Wander Suero to relieve Erick Fedde, who allowed just Trey Mancini’s home run in the fourth.
Mancini led off the seventh with a walk, and Chance Sisco singled. With one out, Anthony Santander’s single scored Mancini to tie it, and Chris Davis’ bloop to center scored Sisco.
Tony Sipp walked Stevie Wilkerson, and Rio Ruiz, in a rare at-bat against a left-hander, hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Santander.
Ruiz hit because Hanser Alberto was unavailable because his wife had a baby girl earlier in the day.
The Orioles scored five more runs in the eighth and had a deceptively easy 9-2 win over the Nationals on Wednesday night.
The Orioles and Nationals play home-and-home series this season, and will play two games in Washington on August 27-28.
Aaron Brooks, in his second start with the Orioles, worked 2 2/3 innings, just as he had in his first, but allowed a run on two hits with two walks. On Saturday, Brooks didn’t allow a hit.
Gabriel Ynoa relieved Brooks and worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing back-to-back doubles by Trea Turner and Adam Eaton in the fifth. The one run on two hits was good enough for him to break a seven-game losing streak and win for the first time since September 21, 2017.
“I know he’s had a couple of really nice games, but for me this was his best game from a stuff standpoint,” manager Brandon Hyde said.
“I really liked the fastball, changeup, slider. This is not an easy lineup to pitch to. It’s a playoff-caliber lineup and he kept them off balance. For me, one of the biggest at-bats of the game was when Aaron couldn’t get through the third and I brought Gabby in to face [Juan] Soto, which wasn’t the matchup I had in mind, but I just couldn’t let Aaron go any further. With the bases loaded and two outs and to get him out right there and keep it at 1-0, that was a huge, huge at-bat even though it was early in the game.”
“I was feeling aggressive,” Ynoa said through a translator. “I do believe it was the best outing so far this year.”
Ynoa had been starting, but lately has been used as a long reliever.
“I feel comfortable wherever they put me,” Ynoa said. “The most important thing is to do the job, whatever role they designate for you, whether it’s a starter or a reliever.”
Mancini’s home run was his first since June 23, and came a day after he broke an 0-for-24 slump. He added a two-run home run in the eighth. He has 19 homers this season, and it was his first multi-homer game of the season.
“I knew after the first at-bat I just could tell I felt a little more like myself,” Mancini said. “I hit it into the shift right at [second baseman Brian] Dozier there. Kind of let me take a deep breath and realize that my timing was kind of back and I was feeling good out there.”
His second home run was a high, long shot that barely cleared the left field wall.
“Off the bat I didn’t think it was going out and then it just kind of kept going up and then I thought I had a chance,” Mancini said. “I’m glad he [Soto] didn’t catch it. He was close. My heart kind of stopped whenever they reviewed it, too, but luckily it counted. But I think that was one of the higher ones I’ve hit.”
The Orioles are 29-66. Last year, their 29th win came in the 102nd game, putting them seven games ahead of that pace.
Slump breakers: Davis broke an 0-for-14 slump, and Richie Martin’s eighth inning single ended his 0-for-24 slide. Dwight Smith Jr. and his 0-for-30 skid were rested.
Roster move: The Orioles optioned right-hander Tayler Scott to Triple-A Norfolk after the game. Scott allowed five runs in two innings.
Rain delay: The start of the game was delayed by one hour, 32 minutes. Rain has delayed Orioles games by 11 hours, 9 minutes this season.
BALTIMORE—For the second time in three games, closer Craig Kimbrel blew a save chance for…
Orioles left-hander John Means allowed just one hit in seven scoreless innings in his sixth…
Matt Wieters was one of the best catchers in Orioles' history. The fifth overall pick…
BALTIMORE—What happened? Cole Irvin pitched seven scoreless innings, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle…
A day after he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, Jackson Holliday was hitless in four…
The plaque on the back wall of the press box at Oriole Park said it…
View Comments
As a resident of NoVa ... and a lifelong O's fan that can't understand how a one time local (DC) Oriole fan base could change allegiance so faithlessly ... I escpecially appreciate the boys effort last night. Go Os!! I spit on the Nats and thier feckless frontrunning fans.
If they switched, I would dare say they were never rabid Oriole fans such as you and me.
In fairness to our Walgreens clad friends to the south, I don't think I've ever met a Nats fan that dislikes the Orioles. Practically down to a man, they all say they like the Orioles and were fans before the Nats came to town. Plus, can you really blame them? The Orioles were a dumpster fire and had been for a while when the Expos moved to the south. I don't begrudge anyone who jumps ship on this organization, I honestly question people like myself who stay loyal.
I’ll take our three World Series (& 2 trophies) over anything the Knat’s have done, probably more under achieving teams than we’ve had...go O’s...
I don’t root for the closest team with the best record. If the kid down the street has a better GPA than my son, I still pull for my boy, period. I don’t care who his teachers are, the principal of the school, etc. He’s my team.
Boog: DC fans are notoriously "front-runners". I hope when we play in DC in late August, the DC based Oriole fans will show up. At least we should know they are there during the National Anthem.
Happy 1-year Anniversary Rich!
I think Ynoa is here to stay. Ditto Santander. Interesting tidbit about our pace being ahead of last year too.
Ynoa? I’m sure he’ll stay for the duration of the year given our lack of options but he’s certainly not going to be a long term piece barring some unforeseen improvement.
Boy, Hanser Alberto is having himself a year. Hitting .300, making babies. Nice.
Hitting .300 and having babies go hand-in-hand. I’m amazed that Rod Carew and Ty Cobb didn’t combine for 73 kids.
When the Senators moved some of their fans began pulling for the Orioles. When the Nats came to D.C. they switched back. I know of one "fan" who did that for sure, there were probably more.
I know of at least one fan who was a Senators fan and began pulling for the O's when they left D.C.. When the Nats came that person switched back. There may have been others who did the same thing.
Games like this add a little fresh air into a somewhat stuffy room. It does feel good. What Ynoa did he should write it down and study it. Washington has always been a town of "frontrunners"? When were the Senators ever "frontrunners"?(actually in the 20's).
Nitpick: Martinez was leading 2-1 in the seventh, not trailing. Thanks, Rich, for keeping us up on the improved record from last year. That was NOT sarcasm. It gives an empirical basis for discussing the team's progress. Granted that last year was historically bad, it at least provides a base line.
You’re welcome, Will.
Right there with ya Boog. I’ve been an O’s fan since I was 10. Spent my first 30 years in New England then moved to NoVa in 85. I’ll never abandon the O’s. Certainly not for the Gnats.
48 years of obsession with the Orioles.