PHOENIX—Facing one of the best young pitchers in baseball for the first time, the Orioles scored five runs against Zac Gallen and secured a series win against another playoff hopeful, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After a poor offensive performance on Friday night, the Orioles scored 15 runs in the final two games to win the series. Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn and Adley Rutschman each drove in two runs as the Orioles beat Arizona, 8-5, before an announced crowd of 24,284 at Chase Field on Sunday.
“We didn’t like losing the first game, but thankfully we had the last two games,” Ramón Urías said.
The Orioles (85-51) remain 2 ½ games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay in the American League East. The Rays beat Cleveland, 6-2.
“I don’t think there is a secret. We’ve been doing it all season,” Jordan Westburg said. “You brush off the losses and you come back tomorrow with a brand-new mindset. It’s a new day. Everybody in the offense trusts the offense. All the hitters trust themselves and know that we’re good enough to put up 10 runs on a given night. It’s just not always how it shakes out.”
The Orioles scored four runs against Gallen in the first two innings. O’Hearn had a two-run single in the first, and Henderson had a two-run single in the second. With Henderson on first and Rutschman on third, the Orioles tried to pull off a double steal, but Rutschman was out trying to steal home as second baseman Ketel Marte threw home.
Lourdes Gurriel hit his 22nd home run against Oriole starter Jack Flaherty in the first, and Corbin Carroll his 24th in the third.
Arizona (70-67), in a three-way race with Cincinnati and San Francisco for the National League’s final wild-card spot, tied it in the bottom of the fifth. Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single. Carroll grounded to second, and Perdomo eluded Henderson’s tag after the shortstop fielded the ball on the second base side of the bag. Henderson’s throw to first was then too late to get Carroll.
Manager Brandon Hyde challenged the call, thinking that Perdomo ran outside the baseline, but the call wasn’t reviewable. Hyde hoped that Carroll would be ruled out at first. The challenge failed, and Ketel Marte’s single scored Perdomo, and Carroll scored on a wild pitch.
“Kind of a weird inning there,” Flaherty said. “These guys put up eight runs in a game when Gallen’s pitching, is huge. He’s great over there. He’s been really great for them all year.”
Flaherty allowed four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one. Hyde thought Flaherty was undermined by the controversial play.
“The lack of a call on that made it tough on him,” Hyde said. “He didn’t get out, runners advance. I thought he was fine. He battled into the fifth, and our bullpen was fantastic.”
The Orioles took an 8-4 lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Urías, a pinch-hit RBI double by Westburg and Rutschman’s two-run double.
“The way the offense was working today, I feel like we were consistently getting guys in scoring position,” Westburg said. “It was only a matter of time. In my mind, that’s how I was thinking of it.”
Relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (5-1) retired the four batters he faced. Cionel Pérez and Jorge López pitched scoreless innings.
Christian Walker led off the ninth with his 30th home run against Yennier Cano.
Gallen (14-7) allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Orioles move on to play three games against the Los Angeles Angels before finishing their road trip with three games at Boston next weekend.
“I try to treat every game the same. I try to treat it like it’s a ‘must win,’” Westburg said. “I try to treat them all the same. Atmospheres change, ballparks change, so some of them may feel bigger than others. I treat them all the same.”
Note: López is the 48th player used by the Orioles this season.
Minor league update: First baseman Heston Kjerstad hit a two-run home run, his fifth, and rightfielder Josh Lester hit his 19th as Triple-A Norfolk lost to Worcester, 5-4. Cade Povich (1-3) allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. Povich has a 7.22 earned-run average.
Second baseman Frederick Bencosme had four hits in High-A Aberdeen’s 7-6 loss to Jersey Shore. Catcher Samuel Basallo hit a two-run homer, his fifth, and Erison Placencia hit his first. Graham Fireoved (0-3) allowed four runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Catcher Randy Florentino’s 10th-inning single drove in the winning run as Single-A Delmarva beat Columbia, 5-4. Florentino had three hits.