Bats, bullpen lead Orioles to 8-5 win in Detroit

The Orioles, fresh off a disappointing weekend series, hoped Kyle Bradish could play stopper this evening. Baltimore’s starter dealt with some uncharacteristic struggles, but the bats and bullpen picked him up in an 8-5 win over the Tigers.

The Birds jumped ahead by scoring in each of the first three innings. Pete Alonso punched a one-out double in the top of the first, and Gunnar Henderson followed with a base hit to right field. Alonso held up at third on the hard-hit single, but he came around to score on a soft grounder by Taylor Ward.

Jackson Holliday got the second started with a double to left, and Coby Mayo reached when third baseman Colt Keith failed to corral a bouncer at third. Jeremiah Jackson stepped in and delivered Baltimore’s second RBI groundout in as many innings, and Dylan Beavers plated the O’s’ third run with a base hit to right field. Alonso advanced Beavers to third with a two-out single, but Henderson flew out to end the threat.

Kyle Bradish danced around a pair of singles in the first, but Detroit broke through in the bottom of the second. Bradish was far from perfect tonight, but it’s difficult to blame him for the Tigers’ first run. Zach McKinstry punched what should have been a leadoff single to center, but Leody Taveras inexplicably made a diving attempt on the shallow liner. The ball fell in front of Taveras before skipping by him, and McKinstry raced all the way to third for a triple. The extra bases allowed Hao-Yu Lee drove in Detroit’s first run with a sacrifice fly.

Baltimore’s offense snatched the momentum right back in the next half inning. Taylor Ward worked a walk to start the third, and Holliday followed with his second knock of the day. Mayo stepped in with runners on the corners and delivered a base hit to left field to bring the lead back to three.

Holliday went first to third on Mayo’s single, and Jackson took a pitch off the hand to load the bases. The HBP brought up Chadwick Tromp with a force out available at every base, and you can probably guess what happened next. Tromp grounded into a 5-2-3 inning-ending double play. He finished 0-for-4.

Bradish used a double play to erase a leadoff single in the third, but the Tigers battled back in the fourth inning. The Tigers loaded the bases with a double, single and walk before Bradish managed to record an out. Lee drove in Detroit’s second run with an infield single that deflected off Holliday’s glove. The Tigers trimmed the lead to one with a sacrifice fly, but Bradish managed to strand runners on the corners to keep the game at 4-3.

With Bradish not quite looking like himself, it felt like the Orioles may regret leaving a few additional runs on the table. Instead, the offense responded with three runs in the fifth inning. Leody Taveras calmed the nerves with a LOUD solo home run to right field. Holliday chased Tigers starter Keider Montero from the game with his third hit of the evening, and Coby Mayo took right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee deep to stretch the advantage back to four.

The insurance runs paid off as Bradish failed to deliver a shutdown inning. Dillon Dingler singled, Keith doubled, and Spencer Torkelson plated Dingler with a sacrifice fly. McKinstry followed with an RBI single, and Craig Albernaz came out to get Bradish with two outs in the fourth. Yennier Cano retired Lee to keep the game at 7-5.

Albernaz continued to make moves in the next half inning. The skipper sent out Tyler O’Neill to pinch hit for Dylan Beavers, and O’Neill delivered with a deep fly to left field. O’Neill’s seventh homer of the season made it 8-5 Baltimore.

The Orioles bullpen did the rest. Cano returned to record a pair of outs in the sixth, and Grant Wolfram recorded four outs without allowing a base runner. Andrew Kittredge allowed a single and benefited from a tremendous catch by defensive replacement Colton Cowser in the eighth, and Rico Garcia bounced back with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The win ensured that the MASN broadcast booth would have more to smile about than a rogue squirrel in the field of play. Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald tracked the black rodent for a half inning before home plate umpire Bill Miller instructed Detroit’s grounds crew to chase the animal from the field of play. Miller gave the crew a shoutout over the microphone, and the MASN booth met the moment with the type of humor we’ve come to expect from the duo.

The game marked a positive step for several Orioles players. Holliday, making a rare start at shortstop, recorded a hit in each of his first four at bats. Mayo watched newcomer Christian Encarnacion-Strand make an instant impact over the last week, but the third baseman had a big night against right-handed pitching. Taveras made up for some lousy defense with a loud home run, and Garcia notched his fifth save of the season.

The Orioles moved to 52-55 with the victory. Baltimore will attempt to win the series tomorrow Dean Kremer on the hill against Troy Melton.

Make your pick for the Most Birdland Player of the Day in the comments below.