The Bucs Stop Here
The Orioles continue stay the course as they take 2 out of 3 from the Pirates @ home, extending their winning streak to 5 in a row before dropping the finale. In a 30 year Anniversary Weekend that featured Oriole greats from years past, this team is carving out it’s own path to greatness as it continues to stay right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race.
Game 1 : Orioles 1, Pirates 0 – Ramon Urias drives in the lone Orioles run, Dean Kremer takes a shutout into the 7th inning & the bullpen does the rest as the O’s win their 4th in row & move a season-high 4 games over .500. Kremer runs into trouble in the 3rd but gets Cal Mitchell to ground into a doubleplay to end the inning & he doesn’t allow a baserunner over the next 4 innings. Anthony Santander doubles & scores on back to back infield singles by Terrin Vavra & Ramon Urias as the Birds break the scoreless tie & grab the lead in the 6th against Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller. Vavra is now 6 for 13 in his short time in the majors, he also singles in the 2nd to become the first Oriole Rookie to reach safely in 7 straight plate appearances since Jerry Hairston Jr. in 1999. Keller allows just a run on 8 hits, he strikes out 1 & walks 1, he has a 1.74 ERA in his last 5 starts but the O’s also go just 2-15 w/ men in scoring position on the night to help his cause. They get the leadoff man on in the first 4 innings but are unable to cash in, 3 of those times they had a man on 2nd & nobody out but came up empty, as doubleplays in the 1st & 4th innings derailed any scoring chances. Cionel Perez takes over for Kremer in the 7th & goes 1 2/3 before the O’s new closer Felix Bautista allows 2 on in the 9th but is able to close it out. This game was delayed for 109 minutes by rain before it started & the rain continued throughout most of the night. Both teams came into this game coming off of 3-game sweeps as the Pirates swept Milwaukee & the Orioles swept Texas. Pittsburgh has lost 5 of their last 8 but loses for the first time in 4 their last 4 games, they are 31.5 games out in the NL Central & 15.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Baltimore has now won 31 of their last 47, 6 of their last 7 & are now 32-21 @ home this season.
Bal (55-51) Pit (43-63)
WP : Kremer (4-3)
LP : Keller (3-8)
S : Bautista (4)
Game 2 : Orioles 6, Pirates 3 – Austin Voth pitches 5 innings to earn the win, Ryan McKenna cracks a 2-run pinch-hit double & the Orioles take the 2nd game of the 3 game Series to win their 5th in a row & keep pace in the AL Wild Card race. Terrin Vavra continues his hitting tear as he singles to score Adley Rutschman in the 1st, Jorge Mateo singles to score Roughed Odor & scores on a double by the newest Oriole Brett Phillips in the 2nd against Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker who goes 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, strikes out 6 & walks 2. O’Neil Cruz hits a 2-run shot off of Voth to cut the lead to 1 in the 4th – Voth allows 3 runs on 6 hits, strikes out 5 & walks 1. Ryan McKenna pinch-hits for Phillips in the 5th & drills a 2-out, 2-run double to score Mateo & Ramon Urias as the Birds build their lead against reliever Eric Stout. The Pirates get one back when Ke’Bryan Hayes singles to score Ben Gamel who doubles to lead off the inning & Voth gives way to Keegan Akin in the 6th. Cedric Mullins hits a sac fly off of reliever Chase DeJong in the 7th & the bullpen holds tight the rest of the way as Joey Krehbiel goes 1 inning, Nick Vespi goes an inning an 1/3 & Dillon Tate records the last 2 outs to close it out. The Orioles have gone 5-28 w/ runners in scoring position in the first 2 games of this Series but have avoided paying the price for it so far. Pittsburgh has lost 6 of their last 9, has lost 8 in a row @ Camden Yards & will look to avoid the sweep in the finale. Baltimore has won 21 of their last 28, is 33-21 @ home this season, they are 10-2 all-time against Pittsburgh @ Camden Yards, have now reached their highest win total in 5 years & are within 1 game of a Wild Card spot in the AL.
Bal (56-51) Pit (43-64)
WP : Voth (2-1)
LP : Brubaker (2-10)
Game 3 : Pirates 8, Orioles 1 – Bryse Wilson pitches into the 6th inning, Ke’Bryan Hayes homers & the Pirates use 2 multi-run innings & a shaky outing by the Orioles bullpen to win the finale & avoid the sweep @ Camden Yards. Jorge Mateo hits a solo shot off of Wilson in the 3rd to break a scoreless tie but the O’s would never score again as Wilson goes 5 innings, allows just a run on 4 hits, strikes out 5 & walks none. Pittsburgh scores 3 times in the 5th as Greg Allen singles to score Michael Chavis, Cal Mitchell singles to score Bligh Madris & Jose Godoy grounds into a fielders choice that scores Allen against O’s starter Spenser Watkins. Watkins walks Reynolds to start the 6th, Reynolds steals 2nd while Watkins strikes out Hayes & Watkins departs after that but Michael Chavis singles home Reynolds to make it a 3-run game in the 6th against reliever Bryan Baker. Watkins goes 5 1/3 innings, he allows 4 runs on 4 hits, strikes out 5 & walks 1. Kevin Newman reaches on an infield single that scores Greg Allen, who was initially ruled out but the call is overturned after Orioles C Robinson Chirinos is called for blocking the plate & the run counts which sends O’s manager Brandon Hyde into a rage, resulting in his ejection. Newman comes around to score on a single by Reynolds against Keegan Akin & Reynolds scores on a 2-run homer by Ke’Bryan Hayes off of Beau Sulser in a 4-run Pittsburgh 7th, it’s Hayes’ 2nd HR of the Series. Colin Holderman goes 2 innings in relief of Stout & Yerry De Los Santos works the 9th for the Pirates to close out the game. Baltimore is now 33-22 @ home this season, they are still 21-8 in their last 29 games & have the best record in the major-leagues since the All-Star Break. Pittsburgh wins for just the 4th time in their last 10 games, they snap a 9-game losing streak @ Camden Yards & are now just 2-11 all-time at the park.
Pit (44-64) Bal (56-52)
WP : Wilson (2-6)
LP : Watkins (4-2)
Baltimore wins 2 out of 3 @ home, has won 5 of their last 6 counting the sweep in Texas & will now remain home to host the rival Toronto Blue Jays for 3 in a HUGE Series between 2 teams in the mix for the AL Wild Card. Things are getting very interesting.
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GO O’S!!
#PirateBooty