Zach Eflin delivered his fourth quality start since joining the Orioles, and Baltimore’s bats came to play in a 5-1 victory.
Zach Eflin did it again. The 30-year-old righty completed six innings and earned the victory for the fourth consecutive time in a Baltimore uniform. Eflin and the bullpen kept Boston in check, and the Orioles offense did enough for a 5-1 victory at Camden Yards.
“He just really knows what he’s doing,” Brandon Hyde said of Eflin after the game. “He’s unbelievably prepared with a great game plan going in. When he executes, it’s tough to hit.”
Eflin has dominated opponents since arriving in Baltimore. The righty struck out a season-high eight batters over six innings of one-run ball. He limited Boston to five hits and did not walk a batter.
Eflin and Boston starter Nick Pivetta traded zeros over the first three frames. Eflin notched a pair of strikeouts in each of the first two innings before K’ing Jarren Duran to end the third.
Eflin made his only mistake at the start of the fourth inning. The former Ray threw a curveball that caught too much of the plate to Wilyer Abreu. Abreu went down to get the ball and launched into onto the flag court for a 1-0 advantage.
Fortunately, Pivetta did not have a shutdown inning in him. Anthony Santander worked the count full before receiving a generous base on balls from the home plate umpire. Pivetta had to be frustrated by the call, and he followed with his first mistake of the evening.
Pivetta mimicked Eflin with a low curveball over the plate. Henderson absolutely whalloped the ball at a 20 degree launch angle to clear the scoreboard in right field. The ball traveled 403 feet, and the Orioles led by one.
Eflin allowed a pair of singles in the fifth, but he struck out David Hamilton and retired Duran to strand the tying run in scoring position.
Cedric Mullins led off the bottom half and touched the railing above the scoreboard. The umpires got the call right in real time, and Mullins provided Baltimore a two-run cushion.
Eflin worked a clean sixth, and the Orioles tacked on another run for good measure. Anthony Santander smoked a leadoff double and advanced to third on a grounder by Henderson. Brandon Hyde sent Ryan Mountcastle to hit for Ryan O’Hearn against a lefty reliever, and Mountcastle delivered a base hit up the middle.
Hyde turned to the struggling Gregory Soto with a three-run lead, and Soto failed to take a step forward. He plunked Masataka Yoshida with a first pitch fastball that wasn’t even close and immediately balked Yoshida into scoring position. Soto allowed a one-out single to Ceddanne Rafaela, and Hyde used a quick hook with the tying run at the plate.
Burch Smith entered and delivered the biggest pitch of the night. He generated an inning-ending double play with a 2-0 fastball to Romy Gonzalez.
Colton Cowser drove in the fifth run with a two-out double in the seventh, and Boston went quietly after that. Cionel Pérez struck out Devers to end the eighth, and Yennier Cano completed the ninth without drama.
Soto’s woes remain a disappointment, but Eflin was the story tonight.
“At the end of the day, I’m just trying to go out and be competitive,” Eflin said. “You’re kind of forced to be comfortable this late in the season— especially in the middle of a pennant chase. Baseball never stops, so you’ve got to come in ready to go.”
Eflin’s ability to remain calm on the mound should not be lost on anyone. It’s a trait that could prove crucial in the postseason.
The Orioles and Yankees are tied atop the AL East at 72-50. Corbin Burnes will start tomorrow for the Birds.