BALTIMORE—What happened? For five games, the Orioles’ offense failed to produce. They had just four runs, were 1-for-31 with runners in scoring position and instead of leading the American League East, they were tied with the New York Yankees.
After Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel allowed a three-run home run to Ben Rice in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead, it looked as if the Orioles’ losing streak would reach six games, their longest since May 2022.
But their fortunes changed in the bottom of the ninth, leading to a one-game lead that could prove significant as they head into the All-Star break.
With two outs, the bases loaded and New York still ahead, 5-3, Ryan Mountcastle hit a ground ball to Yankees Gold Glove shortstop Anthony Volpe. He bobbled it, and instead of the game being over, Colton Cowser scored from third to make it 5-4. Cedric Mullins, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for Anthony Santander, then drove an outside pitch from Yankees closer Clay Holmes to left. Yankees leftfielder Alex Verdugo broke in on the ball and, when he turned to go back on it, he fell down. Ryan O’Hearn and Adley Rutschman scored to give the Orioles an improbable 6-5 win and a huge lift.
No one was happier than Kimbrel, who sprinted out of the dugout to embrace Mullins
“Been a tough week. It was huge to get a win,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “These guys definitely need a break.”
They got two in the ninth and head into the All-Star break feeling much better about themselves..
How wild was that 9th? The Orioles were within inches of going into the break in second place in the AL East until Volpe booted Mountcastle’s routine grounder.
“Volpe’s a really good player, and you expect a ground ball hit to him, you’re probably out,” Hyde said.
Earlier in the game, Volpe made a brilliant stab of Colton Cowser’s soft line drive toward center to save two runs and end the second.
Mullins followed with a drive to left that Verdugo misjudged and misplayed.
“I didn’t hit it hard enough to possibly drop,” Mullins said. “Walltimore over there, pretty tough to beat. I just needed it to go over his head. I hit it pretty good. As soon as I saw him take a step in, I figured he had a bad jump on it. I had a feeling he was burnt. He was burnt over his head.”
Kimbrel blew his fifth save and demonstrated how much he appreciated his teammates picking him up.
“You can’t lead off an inning with two walks and make a mis-pitch,” he said of Rice’s home run. “I didn’t throw it in the location I wanted to, and he hit it out.
“The boys battled, and we were able to put something special there at the end. That was fun to watch. I didn’t do my job today and the guys had my back, and we got a W. That’s huge.”
Kimbrel has blown five saves, and the Orioles have come back to win in three of those.
“That’s about as perfect as it gets to go into the break,” Kimbrel said. “Have a nice rest and think about the first half and what we want to do in the second half.”
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who hit a two-run homer, is off to Texas for the All-Star break and doesn’t have to think about a losing streak.
“We’re never out of it, and that shows the grit that we have on this team, and even after losing five straight to come back and do that in the ninth was pretty awesome,” Henderson said.
Oriole starter Dean Kremer allowed two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings and was pulled after 83 pitches.
“It was quite an electric atmosphere,” he said of the ninth. “It was big for us, big for the city and definitely more big for us than anything.”
How does the team look going into the break? The Orioles are 9-13 since June 21st have had two five-game losing streaks, are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position, and are showing the wear and tear of losing starting pitchers Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells for the season, and key reliever Danny Coulombe until at least September.
Hyde is hoping Sunday’s win carries over to the second half.
“It’s been a really tough week in a lot of ways,” he said. “There was definitely a different sense in the dugout today, a little more playoff-like … We really wanted to get this one.”
In the homestand, they were swept and outscored by the Chicago Cubs, a sub-.500 team, 21-2, and lost two more to the Yankees.
“This week has been really hard,” Hyde said. “Just the challenges of a major league baseball season. We’re going to have our ups and downs. This one was especially tough because we came off a good road trip and then didn’t play well against the Cubs, and then there was all that stuff that happened on Friday [when Heston Kjerstad was hit on the helmet by a Holmes pitch and Hyde went toward the Yankees’ side of the field after hearing yelling from their dugout].
“It felt like it would be really, really nice to get a win today to have these guys have these guys get a much deserved four days off.”
Mullins is hitting just .214, but he got the big hit on Sunday.
“It doesn’t make up for the entire first half,” he said. “I think hitting the halfway point is good to take a second, refresh my mind, come back and be better than what I’ve shown this year.”
Kremer is optimistic about the second half.
“We went through a little skid here, but it really doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters is getting hot at the end of the second half and building on that for the playoffs. I think we’re more than capable of doing that.”
How did the Orioles’ All-Stars do? Henderson, who’ll start at shortstop in the All-Star game, hit his 28th homer. Santander, a reserve outfielder hit his 24th, the 11th Eutaw Street homer, tying him with Chris Davis for most in ballpark history.
Rutschman, who’ll start at catcher, ends the first half in a 1-for-18 slump. He walked in the ninth and scored the winning run on Mullins’ double.
Jordan Westburg, a reserve third baseman on the AL team, was 0-for-3 and ends the first half 0-for-11.
What does Mansolino think about Westburg? Third base coach Tony Mansolino works with the infielders, and he’s delighted that Henderson and Jordan Westburg are representing the Orioles in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
“Westy’s interesting because he’s a first-round pick,” Mansolino said. “He’s a high-profile guy. He’s the 30th pick in the draft [in 2020], but his mentality is much more of a grinder. We knew Westy was a good player. That’s why he was drafted so high, but to see him go through the minor league system at the speed in which he did, the character that he has. It gives everybody the feeling of it’s a little bit of an underdog story in some ways, even though it isn’t.”
What’s the word? “That was who our team is.’-Hyde on the win
What does it mean? The Orioles hope that this win will give them a fresh start in the second half.
What’s the stat of the day? 2-39. Despite the win, the Orioles are just 2-for-39 with runners in scoring position in the last six games.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Kyle Stowers spent the last two games with the Orioles. He was recalled when Heston Kjerstad was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list. He led off the ninth-inning rally with a pinch-hit single.
Last month, Stowers set the Norfolk franchise record for home runs. He has 56.
“It’s an interesting one to hold, right?” Stowers said. “Definitely spent more time there than I anticipated, but at the same time you can only play where you’re feet are, and you always want to play well. I’ve performed pretty well in my time at Norfolk, and I’m very happy with that.”
Tides manager Buck Britton has spent the past several days with the Orioles. He’ll be Henderson’s pitcher in Monday’s Home Run Derby.
Double-A Bowie outfielder Jud Fabian was removed from the Baysox’s game with Altoona after he was hit in the head with a pitch.
What’s next? After the All-Star break, the Orioles play a three-game series at Texas beginning on Friday. Neither team has announced its starters.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com