The Orioles scored six runs in the third inning and held on for a wacky 8-6 win over the Padres.
The Orioles offense had a difficult week before breaking out for six runs in the third inning of today’s finale against the Padres. Ryan Mountcastle added a pair of insurance runs with a clutch at bat in the eighth, Yennier Cano kept his composure during an odd ninth inning, and Baltimore emerged with an 8-6 victory.
Baltimore grabbed its early lead by stringing together several quality at bats. James McCann fell behind 0-2 before battling back for a leadoff walk. Colton Cowser trailed 0-2 before punching a single to right center, and Anthony Santander worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
Gunnar Henderson gained a 3-1 advantage in the count before fouling off what would have been ball four. However, the shortstop did not make the same mistake twice. Henderson drove in the first run of the game by watching ball four go by.
Ryan O’hearn followed with a single to right that plated Cowser. Ryan Mountcastle dropped behind 0-2 before taking a curveball the other way for a two-run single. The latter provided Baltimore a four-run advantage and chased San Diego starter Randy Vásquez in the third inning.
Padres’ reliever Enyel De Los Santos struck out Jordan Westburg, but Cedric Mullins broke the game open with a two-run double to the gap. McCann took his second walk of the inning, but Connor Norby and Cowser both struck out to end the threat.
Much to Brandon Hyde’s dismay, the Orioles took a while to build on the early six-run advantage. Albert Suárez posted zeros in the first four frames, but San Diego cut the lead in half during the fifth.
Jackson Merrill started things off with a double. David Peralta followed with an infield single, and Merrill advanced to third when Henderson sailed his throw beyond first base.
Henderson made some spectacular plays in the field today, but he’s now committed an error in four consecutive games. He threw another ball wide of first in the ninth inning that allowed the runner to take second under unique circumstances.
Ha-Seong Kim drove in San Diego’s first run with a double, and Kyle Higashioka plated the second with a base hit to left field. Suárez traded a third run for a double play, and Jacob Webb came in to get the third out of the inning.
Webb returned for the sixth inning and ran into trouble. Manny Machado smoked a leadoff single to right, and Xander Bogaerts launched a changeup over the left field wall for a two-run homer.
The game held at 6-5 until Baltimore finally added some insurance in the eighth. Santander took his second walk of the day, and Adley Rutschman took a two-out walk when pinch hitting for O’Hearn. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Mountcastle laced a ball by a diving Jurickson Profar to provide the Orioles two crucial insurance runs.
Things got wacky after that. Hyde sent out Yennier Cano over Craig Kimbrel in a save situation, and the Padres attempted to chip away at the three-run lead. David Peralta beat out an infield single and advanced on the second throwing error by Henderson. The umpires ruled—and confirmed via replay—that the ball was “lodged” in the netting near Baltimore’s dugout. McCann, Hyde and the MASN booth all disagreed with the assessment.
Ha-Seong Kim nearly grounded out but received an extra life when home plate umpire Jim Wolf ruled a ball “dead” instead of in fair territory. Kim followed with an infield hit that Henderson failed to field after a difficult hop.
Cano generated a soft lineout from Higashioka for the first out, but Luis Arráez loaded the bases with a bloop single. The Padres sent out Tyler Wade to pinch run for Arraez, and Wade quickly made an impact.
Profar bounced a ball over Cano’s head. Henderson fielded the ball, tagged second, but fell to the ground before he released the ball toward first base. Wade’s foot made contact with Henderson, and the Orioles appeared to win the game on a slide violation.
The Padres challenged, and the play looked less cut and dry after replay review. The slide was not dirty, but Wade did appear to alter his foot’s path to make minor contact with Henderson. Somewhat surprisingly, the call was overturned and the Padres only trailed by two.
Hyde came out to argue and was eventually ejected. He told reporters after the game that he did not receive an explanation, but that he would get one from MLB.
The long review caused an extended delay for Cano, but he generated a weak grounder from Jake Cronenworth to end the game.
Hyde called the third inning the best offensive inning the team has had in weeks. Almost everyone found a way to contribute, and Mountcastle’s insurance runs quelled the narrative that Baltimore failed to build on its early advantage.
Recent acquisition Seranthony Domínguez posted a zero in the eighth inning. Mullins made a tremendous running catch to rob Machado at the center field wall, and Domínguez struck out Bogaerts before retiring Merrill.
The Orioles avoided a sweep and extended their AL East lead to 1.5 games with the win. Zach Eflin will start the first game of a doubleheader against Toronto tomorrow.