Tomoyuki Sugano fired six innings of one-run ball, and Tyler O’Neill homered in his third consecutive game during a 5-1 win over the Rockies.
The Orioles failed to match the dominance of Saturday’s 18-0 win, but Baltimore played solid baseball again today. Tomoyuki Sugano tossed six innings of one-run ball, Tyler O’Neill homered in his third consecutive game, and the Orioles took the series with a 5-1 win at Camden Yards.
Baltimore quickly erased a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the second. Cedric Mullins took a one-out walk, and Coby Mayo followed with a double off the left-field wall. Dylan Carlson made the most of a Sunday start by slapping a base hit to left field. Buck Britton continued his aggressive antics as the third base coach, and both runners scored on the solid piece of hitting.
The Birds doubled their lead one inning later. Henderson muscled a single to right field before stealing second, and Tyler O’Neill followed with another big blast. O’Neill homered in his third consecutive game—this one a 433 blast over everything in left field—to provide Baltimore a 4-1 advantage.
Baltimore’s bats went relatively silent after that, but Colorado never got going at the dish.
The Rockies had struck first on Sugano’s only mistake of the day. Sugano left an 0-1 cutter over the heart of the zone, and 23-year-old rookie Warming Bernabel smacked the first home run of his major league career. The big fly proved to be an outlier on the day.
Sugano retired the final two batters of the inning before facing the minimum in the third and the fourth. He stranded runners on the corners with a strikeout to end the fifth, and he added two more K’s in a clean sixth inning.
The 35-year-old tied his MLB high with 8 strikeouts over six frames. He allowed four hits, one run, and threw 63 of 91 pitches for strikes.
Nothing is guaranteed for the Japanese hurler beyond today. Sugano does not profile as any club’s Plan A in the postseason, but the rookie could eat some innings for a contending team in need of pitching depth over the final two months.
It’s unclear whether Sugano will continue his MLB career beyond this season. He would likely relish the opportunity to pitch for a playoff team. Sugano probably envisioned the Orioles chasing a World Series when he signed a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason, but the dream never materialized for Sugano or the O’s. Regardless, he did his part in what may or may not be his final start in an Oriole uniform.
The Orioles were trending toward a save situation before tacking on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Ramón Laureano got things started with a single, and Henderson punched a ball to the right side. Henderson sprinted to first to avoid a double play, and he jogged to second when the throw skipped out of play.
Colorado reliever Jaden Hill followed with a wild pitch, and Hill failed to step toward home as the ball skipped by. Henderson broke for third and did not stop. The shortstop rounded third and dove home for Baltimore’s fifth run of the day.
Henderson paired his hustle play with a pair of web gems in the field. He finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. The team may be trending in the wrong direction, but Henderson’s approach remains full throttle.
Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge, and Seranthony Domínguez all posted zeros out of the bullpen, and the Birds secured the 5-1 win.
The Orioles moved to 47-58 on the season. That’s not good, but it’s not Colorado’s 27-78 either. Adley Rutschman and Keegan Akin are set to return as the Birds kick off four games in three days against the Blue Jays.