Tonight was a weird one. The MASN broadcast booth got its second consecutive day off with Baltimore playing on national television. The Orioles defense added insult to some unfortunate injuries, and Chris Bassitt looked better despite experiencing some more bad luck. A runner was called out for interference, Ryan Helsley pitched in a non-save situation, and Colton Cowser made contact against multiple offspeed pitches. The O’s received production from some unlikely candidates, and the Birds evened the series with a 6-2 victory at Camden Yards.
The story of the night took place before the first pitch when Baltimore scratched Adley Rutschman from the lineup. The Orioles placed Rutschman on the 10-day injured list with left-ankle discomfort. Rutschman had looked like his old self with an .855 OPS over the first 10 games. Baltimore recalled Maverick Handley before the game, but the organization also pinch hit for catcher Sam Huff early in tonight’s Triple-A contest.
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With Rutschman sidelined, it did not take long for Baltimore’s flawed defense to make an impact tonight. Rafael Devers led off the second with a single and quickly advanced to second on a passed ball by Samuel Basallo. Bassitt retired the next two batters, but Heliot Ramos managed a two-out single to center. Leody Taveras fired home, but the throw took Basallo up the third base line. Basallo—catching in place of an injured Rutschman—attempted to throw out Ramos at second, but his throw sailed into center field. Fortunately, Bassitt retired Patrick Bailey to limit the damage to only one run.
Baltimore shifted Basallo behind the plate when Rutschman went down and inserted Ryan Mountcastle as the designated hitter. Mountcastle made an instant impact by lining a ball to right center in his first at bat. San Francisco center fielder Harrison Bader bobbled the ball, and Mountcastle made the decision to keep running toward second. The bobble may have caught Mountcastle by surprise, and the veteran hitter began to stumble as he approached second. He arrived safely after a head-first slide but came up in pain. After a brief visit from the dugout, Mountcastle left the game with what the Orioles eventually called left foot pain.
O’s skipper Craig Albernaz sent Dylan Beavers to run for Mountcastle. Beavers advanced to third on a deep fly out by Taveras and reached third base with less than two outs. Colton Cowser has struggled to put the ball in play this season, but he got just enough of a low changeup to drive in Baltimore’s first run of the day with a soft dribbler.
Baltimore got its first run on a ball that traveled three feet, but the second run came on a ball that traveled much farther. Gunnar Henderson used his quick hands to turn around a high and tight cutter for his sixth home run of the season. The blast provided Baltimore a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
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Unfortunately, Baltimore’s defense let the team down again in the fourth. Matt Chapman led off with an infield single, and Bassitt nearly wiped him out with a potential double-play. Baltimore had its defense setup with a legal shift, and Henderson fielded a ball deep behind the bag. Henderson flipped the ball toward second to third baseman Coby Mayo, but Mayo failed to turn the unconventional double play. The Orioles had Rafael Devers dead to rights, but Mayo skipped a ball that Pete Alonso failed to corral.
The missed opportunity cost Baltimore a run. Devers moved up to second, and again to third, on a pair of singles before eventually scoring on a slow ground out to first base. The weak grounder evened the score at two and provided some frustration for the Saturday night crowd.
An already weird game got a little weirder after Beavers worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth. Taveras grounded a potential double play ball to second, and Beavers had to jump to avoid being struck by the ball. Beavers dodged the ball, but his foot kicked the hand of Luis Arraez. Beavers was called out for interference, but Taveras was ruled safe at first. Arraez eventually exited the game with a right wrist contusion.
Cowser smashed a changeup to right field to put runners on first and third, and Coby Mayo drove in the go-ahead run by avoiding a double play on a grounder up the middle. Jeremiah Jackson followed with a double that nearly left the yard. Mayo raced around the bases and just beat the throw home to provide Baltimore a 4-2 lead. Mayo looked uncomfortable as he popped up from the slide, but the 24-year-old stayed in the game.
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Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano and Rico Garcia kept the Giants off the board, and Jackson provided Baltimore some more insurance in the bottom of the seventh. The utility man went to left field this time and managed to clear the fence. Jackson’s first homer of the season extended the lead to three.
Anthony Nunez danced around a leadoff double to keep the score at 5-2, but Baltimore continued to add in the bottom of the eighth. Beavers punched a leadoff single to right before stealing second base. Taveras and Cowser both went down swinging, but Mayo came through with a two-out single for a 6-2 advantage.
Albernaz already had Helsley warming, and the skipper trusted his closer in a non-save situation. Helsley allowed the first two to reach before generating a double play ball and retiring Bader to end the game.
The win brought Baltimore back to .500 at 7-7. The Orioles will look to take the series tomorrow with Cade Povich set to face Adrian Houser.
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Jeremiah Jackson finished 3-for-4 with a double an a homer, and Colton Cowser went 2-for4 with an RBI. Coby Mayo drove in two, and Dylan Beavers came off the bench to score two runs. Oh yeah, Gunnar Henderson hit his sixth homer of the season. Who is your pick for the most Birdland player of the day? Let us know in the comments below!
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