Taveras Drives in Three as Orioles Hold Off Athletics, 5-3

By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Athletics, 5-3, Saturday night at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., behind a breakout performance from Leody Taveras and another pressure-filled performance from the Orioles bullpen.

Taveras drove in three of Baltimore’s five runs with a pair of doubles, while Colton Cowser added a solo home run. Shane Baz delivered 5 2/3 strong innings to earn his first victory since June 12 as Baltimore improved to 67-69.

The Orioles have won the first two games of the three-game series and will have a chance to complete the sweep Sunday.

Taveras Breaks Through

Taveras entered Saturday in an 0-for-12 slump, but the Orioles right fielder quickly changed the direction of his road trip.

Coby Mayo reached in the third inning and eventually came around to score when Taveras ripped a ground-rule double to center field against Athletics starter Jack Perkins. The hit gave Baltimore a 1-0 advantage.

Cowser doubled Baltimore’s lead in the fifth.

The Orioles center fielder drove a two-strike pitch over the center-field wall for his 13th home run of the season, putting Baltimore ahead 2-0. The Orioles have now homered in 16 of their last 17 games.

Baltimore continued adding pressure in the sixth.

Dylan Beavers singled and Mayo followed with another base hit before Taveras delivered the biggest swing of the night. With two outs, Taveras doubled down the third-base line, scoring Beavers and Mayo to extend the Orioles’ lead to 4-0.

Taveras finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBIs, a walk and a stolen base.

For an Orioles lineup that did not produce a huge night statistically, Taveras made the most of his opportunities.

Baz Gives Orioles a Strong Start

Baz entered Saturday having endured a difficult stretch, but the right-hander turned in one of his most important outings of the season.

Baz kept the Athletics scoreless through the first five innings and worked with the four-run advantage Baltimore’s offense provided.

Trouble finally arrived in the sixth.

The Athletics loaded the bases before Lawrence Butler drew a walk to force home their first run. Baz then hit Donovan Walton with a pitch, cutting Baltimore’s lead to 4-2.

Manager Craig Albernaz went to the bullpen, bringing in Alex Hoppe to finish the inning and prevent the Athletics from doing further damage.

Baz finished with 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He walked three and struck out four while throwing 84 pitches.

The victory improved Baz to 5-14 and lowered his ERA to 4.01. More importantly, it snapped an eight-decision losing streak. Baz had not earned a victory since Baltimore defeated the San Diego Padres on June 12.

Bullpen Survives Repeated Athletics Threats

The final three innings became a test for Baltimore’s bullpen.

Rico Garcia entered in the seventh and allowed the Athletics to load the bases with one out. Albernaz turned to Yennier Cano, who delivered one of the biggest moments of the game.

Cano struck out Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler consecutively to escape the bases-loaded jam without allowing a run.

The Athletics came back again in the eighth.

Carlos Cortes singled home Donovan Walton against Cam Sanders, cutting Baltimore’s advantage to 4-3 and putting the pressure squarely back on the Orioles.

Sanders prevented the tying run from scoring by getting Jonah Heim to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Baltimore’s defense was also excellent throughout the night. The Orioles turned three double plays and committed no errors, an important difference in a close game.

Orioles Get Much-Needed Insurance Run

Baltimore did not record a hit in the ninth but still managed to manufacture an insurance run.

Cowser reached on a throwing error by Butler and advanced all the way to third. He eventually scored on a wild pitch to give the Orioles a 5-3 advantage.

That extra run became particularly valuable when the Athletics threatened one final time.

Andrew Kittredge allowed singles to Jeff McNeil and Butler in the bottom of the ninth, bringing the potential winning run to the plate.

Kittredge did not allow the situation to unravel.

The veteran right-hander recorded the final out and secured his eighth save of the season, completing Baltimore’s 5-3 victory.

Orioles Find a Way

Baltimore was outhit 10-7, but the Orioles made their opportunities count.

Cowser went 1-for-4 with the home run and scored twice. Mayo reached base twice and scored two runs, while Beavers collected a hit and scored.

Jackson Holliday and Christian Encarnacion-Strand each added a hit.

Pete Alonso went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, while Gunnar Henderson went hitless but reached twice on walks.

The Athletics stranded 11 runners and went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Baltimore repeatedly found ways out of trouble, particularly with Cano’s bases-loaded escape in the seventh.

The Orioles also played a clean defensive game while the Athletics committed three errors.

Those small differences mattered.

Orioles Continue Their Push

Baltimore improved to 67-69 with the victory and has now taken consecutive games from the Athletics.

Friday night’s series opener required 10 innings before the Orioles escaped with a 4-3 victory. Saturday was another tight contest, but this time Baltimore built an early lead and protected it.

It was not easy.

The Athletics brought the tying run to the plate repeatedly during the late innings, and Baltimore’s bullpen continually found an answer.

The Orioles will send right-hander Chris Bassitt to the mound Sunday as they look to finish the three-game sweep. Bassitt enters the game 5-4 with a 4.74 ERA.

MSB Take

The Orioles are finding ways to win games they probably would have lost earlier in the season.

Saturday was a perfect example.

Baltimore did not dominate offensively. The Orioles had seven hits, went through several innings without generating much offense and watched a four-run lead shrink to one. The Athletics put runners everywhere against the bullpen.

But Baltimore never gave up the lead.

Cano’s performance in the seventh was enormous. Coming into a bases-loaded, one-out situation and striking out Gelof and Butler back-to-back may have been the difference in the game.

Taveras deserves just as much credit. Baltimore needed production from the bottom of the lineup, and after entering the game hitless in his previous 12 at-bats, he delivered three RBIs.

The Orioles are still below .500 at 67-69, so there is little margin for error as September approaches. But if they are going to make things interesting down the stretch, these are exactly the games they have to win.

Two games in West Sacramento. Two Orioles victories.

Now they have an opportunity to finish the job Sunday and head to Colorado with a sweep.