Baltimore Sports Today

Baltimore Sports News Continuously Updated

Friday Night Funnies

by

Having been on the losing end of a game like this (4/20 vs. Cincinnati Reds), It was nice to see the script flip Friday night at Oriole Park. It was enjoyable to see the Baltimore Orioles impose their will on another team, albeit for a night, as they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (46-36) 22-8 in front of 20,047 fans on a gray, misty night.

The start of the game indicated that it might be a laugher, but one with the Orioles on the bad end, as the Rays scored six times in the second inning; four of those runs coming on a trio of homeruns given up by starter Tomoyuki Sugano (6-4).

Down 6-0 going into the home half of the second, Baltimore answered with four runs of their own. The big hit came on a Ramon Urias single that scored Gary Sanchez and Coby Mayo. Urias came into the game off the bench as a substitution for Jordan Westburg who seemed to reinjure his left hand sliding head-first into second base on his first inning double.

A walk, a single, a stolen base and a throwing error by Tampa catcher Danny Jansen drew the Orioles one run closer in the fourth inning. Tampa answered with a run of their own in the fifth before Sanchez’s three-run homerun to left-center put the Birds in the lead for good. The Orioles then proceeded to score runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, erupting for seven runs alone in the eighth.

Sugano, who looked done after the second, stuck around long enough to record the win. He stuck it out through 5.0 innings, allowing 7 runs on 9 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts.

Sanchez had a big night, going 4 for 5 with a double, a homerun, 4 runs scored, 4 RBI and a walk. In the ten games since returning from the IL, Sanchez is slashing .382/ .462/ .765 with a 1.226 OPS, a double, 4 homeruns, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored.

The Orioles mirrored Tampa’s second inning by hitting three homeruns of their own in the seven-run eighth. Jackson Holliday hit his 10th homerun of the season, Gunnar Henderson hit his 9th, and first since June 5th, and Mayo hit the first of his career. Henderson’s and Mayo’s were hit off of SS Jose Caballero who was pitching because MLB rules allow it. I am certain that ten years or so down the road it will not matter that Mayo’s was hit off of a position player.

Every starter in the line up recorded at least one hit in the 21 hit effort and every starter but Westburg crossed the plate during the 22 run outburst.

Orioles hitters not named Sanchez who generated multi-hit nights with extra-base hits were Colton Cowser (3 doubles), Urias (double), Henderson (HR), Ramon Laureano (double) and Mayo (double).

The question now becomes, who does this game say more about, the Orioles or the Rays? Those tending to hot-takes and overreacting will say this is the turning point of Baltimore’s season. Is it that, is it nothing or is it just one out of 162 in the 2025 season? This gam’s context will manifest itself over the next two games, especially with just 28 games in total remaining before the MLB Trade Deadline (6 pm on July 31st).

BOX SCORE

2025 Record: 35-46

Next Game: Sat. 6/28 @ 4:05 pm vs. Tampa Bay Rays