Orioles defeat Guardians, 6-2, take first series of the season

It finally happened. The Orioles won back-to-back games. And they won a series! It was only a matter of time on both counts, but it’s nice to have that monkey of their backs. Now let’s hope the series wins keep coming.

So how did they do it? Dare I say pitching, defense, and three-run homers? Starter Tomoyuki Sugano was excellent. He completed seven innings, the first Orioles’ starter to do so this year. The offense had only seven hits but three were home runs, including a three-run shot from Ryan O’Hearn.

Gunnar Henderson made a nice play at shortstop, Cedric Mullins made several Cedric-like catches in the outfield, and there was no defensive bumbling to speak about. The end result was a 6-2 Orioles win.

Sugano gave the Orioles exactly what they needed. Seven strong innings, two runs allowed, and a relatively stress-free start. He was heralded as a control artist, and that’s just what we saw tonight. He struck out only three but didn’t walk a batter.

Sugano looked strong from the get-go. He started the game with a rare Steven Kwan strikeout and pitched two perfect innings on 21 pitches. It gave the Orioles the chance to jump out to an early lead, and thanks to Henderson, they did just that.

It’s been a bit of a slow start for Henderson since his return from the IL, but he’s been coming around. Batting second tonight, Henderson launched his first home run of the season, muscling an opposite-field shot that landed just in front of the Bird Bath. Thanks, new wall!

The 1-0 lead didn’t hold long. The third inning was Sugano’s only bad one of the game. It started with a home run to center field by Daniel Schneemann. Mullins almost made an incredible catch. He leapt as high as his 5’8” frame would allow, and the ball just scraped past his glove. If only he were 5’10”, you would be watching his catch on every highlight show reel tomorrow.

The next batter, Austin Hedges, hit a homer that wasn’t quite so close. In fact, it bounced off the top of the old Walltimore and into the stands. That was a home run in 30 out of 30 ballparks, and it put the Orioles down by a score of 2-1.

At that point I wondered if Sugano was long for the game, but he got the next three batters in the inning, thanks in part to a nice play from Gunnar Henderson. It kicked off a run of seven in a row retired before Schneemann singled in the fifth. Schneemann!

Luckily for our mental health, the Orioles stormed back to retake the lead in the bottom half of the third. They did so despite the first of several baserunning shenanigans by the Orioles in the game. Ramón Urías walked, and with one out Henderson got his second opposite field hit of the game. This one sliced away from Kwan in left field. Urías got a bad read and held up a bit; he should have scored. He did not.

In an even more embarrassing turn of events, Urías then got himself picked off of third base! What are you doing, dude? Thankfully, that blunder is just a footnote in this win. Because after Adley Rutschman walked to again to put runners on, Ryan O’Hearn picked a good time for his third home run of the year. The ball bounced off the wall just behind the green padding and into the crowd. The umpires had a quick review to confirm the Earl Weaver Special and the Orioles were back on top, 4-2.

Sugano kept rolling. After a 1-2-3 fourth, the Guardians tried to rally with two singles in fifth. But with two outs, Sugano got a fly out from Kwan to end the inning. He sailed through the sixth with another perfect inning, then entered new territory for an Orioles’ starter this year. He started the seventh inning.

At first, it looked like maybe it wasn’t a great idea. Nolan Jones reached on a leadoff single that could have been a double if a diving Ryan Mountcastle didn’t get a glove on it. But he recovered with a double play ball, then struck out his nemesis Schneeman to end his night. Ha!

It was a great game for Sugano and just what the Orioles needed from their starter. His final pitching line: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K. He threw 87 pitches, 55 for strikes. If this were later in the season, he might have gone back out for the eighth.

The Orioles added two more run in the sixth on Heston Kjerstad’s second home run of the year. It was a beaut for Kjerstad, a 400-footer into the Eutaw Street seats. Westburg, who had walked, scored on the hit.

Keegan Akin took over for Sugano in the eighth inning. He got the first two batters, but was pulled after a single from Kwan. Seranthony Domínguez took over to face the dangerous José Ramírez. Domínguez has looked great so far this season and that continued tonight. He went 2-2 on Ramírez before dropping a splitter low and outside that Ramírez flailed wildly on. It was incredible.

Despite it not being a save situation, the Orioles called on Félix Bautista in the ninth inning. Getting Bautista work this year has been tricky. He isn’t pitching back-to-back games and he hasn’t been as sharp as he was pre-TJ surgery. That’s not to say he won’t be, but he’s not there. So you have this combined issue of not always being able to hold him for a save situation and also maybe not wanting him in the closest of games anyway.

Bautista is clearly a work in progress. His control was off in this game and he allowed two baserunners with a single and a walk. But he didn’t allow a run and he struck out Schneemann to end the game. He also topped 98 mph a few times, which is the hardest he’s thrown yet this year.

Orioles win, 6-2! They’re back in action tomorrow at 7 p.m. when the Cincinnati Reds come to town. Cade Povich is scheduled to pitch. Let’s make it three in a row!

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