The Orioles CF made one of the best catches you’ll even see in the 1st inning and followed it up with a HR as the Orioles took the series opener vs. Minnesota
Death, taxes and Cedric Mullins, these are the things you cannot escape. The Orioles CF made the web gem to end all web gems in the 1st and added a home run in the Orioles 7-4 win vs. the Twins on Jackie Robinson Day.
The play of the game came in the top of the 1st thanks to the Orioles All-Star CF. With two outs and a runner on second, Cole Irvin gave up a line drive to deep left-center field. Mullins initially looked like he had no chance to make the play as he was shaded to right-center. However, not even well-hit baseballs can escape Cedric Mullins, especially when he does this:
The flyest guy around pic.twitter.com/bZBlIAmUmW
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 15, 2024
They don’t hand out Gold Gloves for individual months, but if they did, safe to say Mullins would be a shoo-in for April.
The Orioles offense immediately repaid Mullins’ efforts by putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the 1st. Adley Rutschman got the rally started when he shot a cutter back up the middle for a one-out single. Ryan O’Hearn looked like he grounded into an inning-ending double play, but Twins 2B Edouard Julien bobbled the exchange and both runners were safe.
Ryan Mountcastle then laced a first-pitch single into RF to load the bases. After Colton Cowser struck out, his buddy Jordan Westburg picked him up by doubling through the infield into the left-center gap to bring home Rutschman and O’Hearn.
That’s my West friend, go West friend. pic.twitter.com/IdlI7YAQGR
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 15, 2024
The second most exciting thing to come out of Monday’s game was the introduction of the new Homer Hydration station. O’Hearn became the first one to drink from the improved Homer Hose when he launched a solo shot over the center field fence for the O’s third run. Baltimore tacked on another run in the 3rd thanks to a pair of singles from Mountcastle and Westburg that put runners on first and third. Mullins then lofted a sac fly into center to bring home RMC and give the Orioles a 4-1 lead.
Red-hot Ryan pic.twitter.com/s3IHBa5q9t
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 15, 2024
Welcome to the Hydration Station. pic.twitter.com/jqBw765YPa
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 15, 2024
he fireworks and Cedric Mullins highlights didn’t stop there. With the O’s up 4-2 in the 5th, Jordan Westburg bounced a see-eye single through the left side of the infield to get on base and set the stage for Mullins. After falling behind 1-2, Mullins got his hands around on an inside cutter, pulling the ball down the right field line and around the foul pool for a two-run homer. The homer gave Mullins his fourth long ball of the hero (tied with Cowser for most on the team), gave the Orioles a 6-2 lead and gave Mullins his first opportunity to drink from the Hydration Station.
Nonstop entertainment. pic.twitter.com/eisdrr8x5o
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 16, 2024
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Gunnar Henderson capped off the Orioles offensive output with a bomb of his own in the 6th. Like Mullins, Gunnar fell behind 1-2 but then Twins reliever Matt Bowman hung a sweep over the plate and the Orioles SS deposited it into the center field stands. With 12 hits on the day, it felt like at times the O’s would add on more runs. Still, the strong offensive showing continues to help the O’s put the struggles of a couple of weeks ago in the rearview mirror.
Never Gunn give you up, never Gunn let you down. pic.twitter.com/L8tbb0FMPe
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 16, 2024
The pitching did not quite live up to the standard set by Mullins’ defense or the offense, but they did enough to make sure the O’s never trailed. Cole Irivn was his usual wild but moderately effective self on Monday. After the bats spotted him a 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st, he gave up a solo HR to José Miranda to lead off the 2nd.
After the O’s scored two in the top of the 3rd, Irvin again gave a run back in the 4th. Byron Buxton led off the inning with a double into the left field corner, and two batters later Miranda struck again, singling to left to bring in Buxton. After Irvin gave up another single to Carlos Santana, he looked like he was running out of gas. However, a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play got him out of the jam and gave Brandon Hyde to confidence to send him out in the 5th.
Irvin would set down the first two batters in the 5th, he gave up a single and then gave way to Dillon Tate. Watching Irvin pitch still gives you the sense that he doesn’t know where the ball is going once he releases it, but at least the final line of 4.2 innings, six hits, two runs and four Ks is an improvement on his first two starts.
The Orioles bullpen was it’s usually steady self, only running into trouble in the 7th. After Tate worked four scoreless outs across the 5th and 6th, Keegan Akin took over in the top of the 7th. Akin punched out the first batter he faced but then gave up a single and ground-rule double to give the Twins two runners in scoring position. Yenier Cano came in to clean up Akins’ mess, but couldn’t keep the runs from scoring as the Twins cut the O’s lead from 7-2 to 7-4.
The All-Star setup man limited any more damage in the 7th and then worked a scoreless 8th to hand things over to Craig Kimbrel in the 9th. The future Hall of Famer was his normally dominant self, punching out the first two batters he faced and then inducing a weak ground ball to end the game. It was Kimbrel’s fourth save since joining the O’s and gives him 421 on his career—one behind Billy Wagner for 7th on the all-time list.
**
The win means the O’s extend their AL-record steak to 97 series without being swept. Baltimore is nine behind the New York Giants of the early 1900s for the second longest sweepless streak. Brandon Hyde will send Grayson Rodriguez to the mound tomorrow as the O’s look to wrap up their fourth series win on the season.