The Orioles keep stacking wins, but the roster stress is starting to show.
Baltimore stretched its winning streak to seven on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over the Astros at Daikin Park, finishing off a sweep in Houston after taking all three from the Royals to close the first half. The latest push came behind another strong start, this time from Brandon Young, and another game in which the Orioles leaned into a scrappy, small-ball style to get enough offense.
That approach has helped cover for a lineup that is still missing pieces. The club already lost Blaze Alexander to a broken hand just before the All-Star break, and now it may be dealing with issues behind the plate as well.
Adley Rutschman was unavailable Sunday because of what manager Craig Albernaz called left wrist discomfort, while Samuel Basallo exited after his first at-bat with right shoulder discomfort. Baltimore added third catcher Sam Huff, who had to enter the game after Basallo left.
"Its been a lingering thing," Albernaz said of Basallo's injury, "and obviously it was aggravated." Albernaz was much less specific about Rutschman’s situation. "We wanted to avoid him today," was about the extent of it post-game on Rutschman.
That kind of uncertainty is going to be worth watching as the Orioles head to Boston this week.
For now, though, they’re riding one of the best stretches they’ve had in years. Baltimore is 49-51 and inching back toward .500, and the biggest reason has been the rotation. With Zach Eflin and Chris Bassitt sidelined by injury, the group has kept delivering, and Young followed Trevor Rogers’ strong outing on Saturday with seven efficient innings Sunday.
Young allowed just one walk, struck out seven and gave up only an early RBI double to Yordan Alvarez. He did not miss many bats overall - eight total swings and misses - but he stayed in control, worked quickly and kept Houston from putting together much of anything. He lowered his ERA to 3.25 and picked up his eighth win of the season.
"Shoutout to the starting pitchers," third-baseman Coby Mayo said on the MASN broadcast after the game. "They've been outstanding."
Albernaz echoed that assessment: "BY was really efficient - attacking the strike zone. He had all of pitches working."
The offense did enough around that outing, even if the road numbers still look rough. Baltimore entered the day 25th in runs scored on the road and had struck out more than any other team in MLB away from home. After piling up 28 strikeouts in the first two games of the series, the Orioles were far more selective Sunday, using the other field and manufacturing runs when they had to.
Hunter Brown, making his way back from a shoulder injury, never looked fully right for Houston. He walked five and hit two in 4 2/3 innings, and Baltimore kept forcing him into trouble. With the lineup still scuffling, the small-ball game mattered, including a run that scored on a double steal with Pete Alonso just getting in safely at second.
Gunnar Henderson scored that run and later drove in the first one with a two-strike hit to the opposite field, ending a rough stretch. He entered Sunday with a July slash line of .163/.222/.224 - .447 OPS, and he went just 1-for-13 in the series with six strikeouts. With Rutschman and Basallo both in question, more pressure will fall on him.
Ledoy Taveras continued to come through in big spots. He drove in two runs with an opposite-field hit with two on and two out, sending Brown out of the game.
Mayo added the big swing later, launching his 13th homer - once again against a lefty - to push the lead to 5-1 in the sixth. He has been one of the best hitters in MLB against southpaws this season, sitting in the top five in OPS versus left-handers.
To make room for Huff, the Orioles optioned reliever Cam Sanders back to Triple-A. Sanders had been important in the wins Friday and Saturday, and Baltimore could still need more help in the bullpen, which does not have a true lefty-lefty option with Keegan Akin out for the season after needing surgery.
The Orioles have found a way to keep winning, but the next test is a big one. They go to Boston to face a Red Sox team that has won 13 straight and 18 of 20, backed by a dominant pitching staff.
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