Leandro Arias powered the Keys’ win with a 1-for-3 night that included a homerun, one run scored, two RBI and a hit by pitch, earning him ORIOLES HANGOUT MiLB Player of the Day honors.
At Norfolk, the Tides split a doubleheader with Nashville by losing both ends of a suspended game and a completed follow-up, with offense showing up in spots but not enough to change the outcome.
In Game 1, a 2-0 loss, Heston Kjerstad finished 0 for 2 and was hit by a pitch, while Rece Hinds went 0 for 2 with a walk. Cade Povich threw four pitches before the game was suspended on Saturday.
Game 2 ended in a 7-1 loss, and the Tides got a few individual bright spots despite the score. Aron Estrada went 2 for 5 with a double, a homerun, one run scored and one RBI, and Vance Honeycutt added a 2-for-3 line with a double, two runs scored, two walks and three stolen bases. Enddy Azocar also chipped in, going 3 for 5 with a double and one run scored, while Jordan Sanchez went 2 for 5 with a homerun, one run scored and one RBI.
On the mound, Felix Bautista allowed three runs on one hit and walked three in 0.1 inning. Boston Bateman gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six over 3.0 scoreless innings. Jack Crowder was the pitcher of record, improving to 1-0 after 2.0 innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts.
In Other News...
Orioles Put Samuel Basallo In A Huge Spot And He Delivered
Samuel Basallo was back from the injured list and immediately thrust into one of the biggest spots of the Orioles night, coming off the bench with Baltimore needing a spark against Tampa Bay. The rookie responded with his first career pinch-hit home run, a two-run drive that tied the game in the eighth inning and flipped the energy in a matchup the Orioles had been grinding through all night.
The swing became the setup for a 3-2 walk-off win and added another layer to Baltimores recent success against the Rays, who have now dropped eight of the last nine meetings between the teams this season. For an Orioles club looking for depth to matter down the stretch, Basallos return and his instant impact offered exactly the kind of timely boost that can change the feel of a game, even if the bigger questions around how he fits remain for another day. [Read more 🡒]
Felix Bautistas First Orioles Test Raised A Tough Bullpen Question
Felix Bautistas first game action for Double-A Chesapeake after multiple surgeries gave the Orioles a long-awaited look at where one of their biggest bullpen pieces stands. The right-hander, coming back from a rotator cuff and labrum repair, got into a brief outing that was as much about evaluation as results, and it came against the backdrop of Baltimore trying to piece together late-inning work any way it can.
Bautista showed the kind of rust you would expect after such a long layoff, with his control and velocity both in question as he walked several batters before leaving early. For the Orioles, the important part is not just that he is pitching again, but whether he can get back to a level that makes him a real option for MLB competition, which is the central bullpen question hanging over the club right now. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Waste Late Chances After Promising Start Unravels
The Orioles had enough late traffic to make Sunday feel salvageable, but the rally never quite found the final swing. Baltimore dropped the series finale to the Rays 3-1, even after sending the tying run to the plate three times in the ninth inning. Colton Cowser provided the lone burst with a solo home run in the inning, giving the club a chance to flip a game that had been tight for much of the afternoon.
Shane Baz had largely held his own through the early going, working 5.2 innings and allowing five hits, but a sixth-inning stretch unraveled the outing and gave Tampa Bay the opening it needed. From there, the Orioles spent the rest of the day trying to dig back out, only to leave the game still on the table when the final chances came and went. It was the kind of missed opportunity that lingered because Baltimore had both the momentum and the bats in reach, but not the finishing touch. [Read more 🡒]