More than two hours passed between the start and the end of the sixth round on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. He started off with a loud solo shot from second baseman Rougned Odor and continued with a long rain delay. But when the Orioles resumed the field from Oriole Park to Camden Yards, none of the offensive eruptions were dampened by waiting or weather.
It got serious enough that the Red Sox headed to catcher Kevin Plawecki to eat in the mound, ending the final moments of Baltimore’s 9-5 victory. But for a crime that struggled to post crooked numbers, the production in the sixth half and after that was encouraging. The nine rounds are the most scored by the Orioles this season and have provided more than enough support for a pitching staff that has excelled again.
The Baltimore Bullpen threw 10 2/3 innings without scoring in the series before J.D.’s grand slam. Martinez in front of right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. in the ninth. And right-hander Jordan Lyles kept Boston unbalanced, dancing in trouble during the six innings – an appearance that ended before the rain delay confused the middle innings, even though it didn’t clog the bats.
After using six rebounds in Saturday’s 10-game win, manager Brandon Hyde hoped to take Lyles deep into Sunday’s series final. That’s largely why the Orioles signed him on the right hand side this offseason – he broke a 180-game record last year – but with a short spring training session, Lyles didn’t get so deep into the games. as much as he would like.
Before Sunday, the longest outing of this season was 5 and a half innings, and Lyles managed 4 2/3 frames against the New York Yankees in his previous appearance. But despite early and frequent base traffic – the Red Sox had nine base players in four innings – it was only after a double from the start in the fifth that Lyles finally broke.
Shorthand Xander Bogaerts jumped on a fast ball from the first chain that split that gap from the center left, and two bats later, first baseman Franchy Cordero led it with a sacrifice fly. But that would be the only damage against Lyles, although he allowed seven shots, hit one batsman and walked three more. He went through six innings on a record 101 shots, giving some relief to a bullpen that was heavily subjected to use on Saturday.
Earlier this week against the Yankees, Lyles complained about using the slider. He did not draw many swings and left it over the set for a 118.8 mph single by Giancarlo Stanton. However, his cursor played better on Sunday, inducing five shots. He threw it more than any other chain, and the hardest contact on him was 84.8 mph.
Behind him, the bottom of the Orioles order awoke. Fellows Odor, Ramón Urías and Tyler Nevin combined to hit 1 to 22 in the first two games of the series, but the trio collaborated for a fifth inning – Odor made it simple, Urías doubled and Nevin led both runners with a single. Later in the game, right-hander Anthony Santander was robbed of a Grand Slam by the new wall of the field on the left, with his drive flying 378 feet for a sacrifice fly.
Odor added a solo shot in the sixth, before the Orioles beat Phillips Valdez of the Red Sox after a delay. Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle and Santander led in five rounds, pushing the series victory.
The reduction of lists is approaching
After Sunday’s game, the Orioles opted outfielder Ryan McKenna for the Triple-A Norfolk, one of the two necessary reductions, as the list decreases from 28 players to 26 until Monday.
For some of the marginal players, they are now in a situation that mirrors late spring training. Odor, for example, came in on Sunday reaching .180 with four errors. But his left bat is valuable, and a homer solo in the sixth half could extend his time in Baltimore – especially as field player Chris Owings hits .111.
Nevin could be another candidate to return to Triple-A Norfolk. But Nevin, called up this week, adds versatility to the field. In three games, he played third base, first base and designated hitter. It can also appear in any of the places in the field in the corner.
He hit .364 for Tides before the call-up and made a first-base dive. His only two-round drive in the first two rounds of Baltimore. Games like this could keep Nevin in place of Kelvin Gutierrez, who hits just .148.
With longer starts than