Gary Sánchez hit a grand slam, and both Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg went deep in an 11-2 victory over LA.
Sometimes the wacky lineups are the ones that get it done.
The Orioles, stuck in a season-long slump against left-handed pitchers, elected to switch things up today. Tony Mansolino turned in a lineup card that did not include Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser or Ryan O’Hearn. The skipper doubled down on the unorthodox lineup by employing Scott Blewett as the opener for Cade Povich.
At the end of the day, the Orioles made the interim manager look good. Ramón Urías, Gary Sánchez and Jordan Westburg all went deep. Baltimore tagged lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi for a season-high five runs, and the offense exploded for an 11-2 victory on Father’s Day.
Blewett allowed a solo homer to Nolan Schanuel in the top of the first, but the Birds immediately battled back with a pair in the bottom half. Westburg reached on an error to start the rally, and Urías immediately took advantage of his elevated place in the lineup. The number-two hitter sent a hanging breaking ball 410 feet into the seats in left field to reclaim the lead.
Blewett returned for a clean second and retired the first two batters in the third. Zach Neto snuck a double by Urías at third base, and Mansolino summoned previously-scheduled starter Cade Povich from the bullpen.
Povich immediately gave up a base-hit, and the tying-run scored on a wild pitch. With the go-ahead runner in scoring position, Povich struck out future hall-of-famer Mike Trout to end the inning.
Baltimore secured the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth. Gunnar Henderson ripped a leadoff double off of Kikuchi, and Ramón Laureano punched an RBI-single to left. The matchup against Kikuchi looked rough on paper, but the Orioles made it look easy against the lefty today.
Povich settled into a groove, and the Birds tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth. Sánchez bounced a two-out single into right, and Cedric Mullins took advantage of the defensive alignment. Mullins bunted for a base hit, and Kikuchi fired the ball wide of first base. The backup backstop raced all the way around the bases, and Mullins advanced to third on the wild throw.
Coby Mayo followed with a hard-hit double to left field, and the Orioles led 5-2. Mayo finished 1-for-3 with a walk while looking comfortable at the dish.
Meanwhile, Povich made things a little uncomfortable in the top of the seventh. Taylor Ward smacked a leadoff single, and Povich walked Jorge Soler to bring the tying-run to the plate. The lefty retired Travis d’Arnaud after a mound visit, but Luis Rengifo loaded the bases with a single to left.
Mansolino summoned Seranthony Domínguez to keep the lead at three. Domínguez dotted the corner with a 3-2 splitter to send Jo Adell down looking, and he prompted LaMonte Wade Jr. to chase for the final out. The Orioles were about to pour it on, but the pair of K’s felt extremely significant at the time.
The party officially kicked off in the bottom of the seventh. Westburg singled, Urías doubled off the scoreboard, and the Angels intentionally walked Henderson. Laureano struck out for the second out, but Mansolino left Sánchez in to face RHP Connor Brogdon.
Sánchez tomahawked a high fastball and sent it over the wall in left field. The grand slam extended the lead to seven while bringing an announced-crowd of 33,370 to its feet. The blast all but secured a series sweep while marking Baltimore’s second consecutive offensive outburst.
Westburg kept the good vibes rolling with a two-run homer in the eighth, and Yennier Cano posted a zero in a low-leverage situation. The Birds moved to 10 games below .500 (30-40) with the victory.