The Baltimore Orioles had an eventful Sunday afternoon, defeating the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in extra innings (box score) to claim their sixth consecutive victory. They're now 14-7 on the season after starting with a 6-6 record.
The journey is often more important than the destination, and that was true of Baltimore's latest win. Not only were they held without a baserunner until Ryan Mountcastle singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Adam Frazier scored the winning run in unconventional fashion: scampering across the plate in the 10th inning on a wild pitch. Observe:
The Orioles mustered just three hits and a walk on the afternoon. Anthony Santander notched a pinch-hit double in the eighth that tied the game at 1-1. Frazier started off the 10th as the zombie runner on second base, and advanced to third base on a Terrin Vavra bunt. The next pitch from Mason Engelbert, to Jorge Mateo, was the wild pitch above that ended the contest.
The Orioles can credit their pitching staff for keeping them in the game -- and that effort did entail nearly the entire staff. Manager Brandon Hyde deployed seven pitchers, including three who gave him fewer than inning of work. Rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez, in his fourth career outing, threw five shutout frames, working around the five hits and three walks he surrendered. Rodriguez also struck out six batters.
It should be noted that a different Rodriguez technically had the best showing of the day. Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (of no relation) threw a gem. He was working on a perfect game until the Mountcastle single in seven shutout innings, striking out six batters and improving his seasonal ERA to 2.32. Rodriguez entered Sunday with a 3.00 ERA and a 3.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first four starts.
The Orioles will now host the Boston Red Sox for three games beginning on Monday. They'll then meet back up with these Tigers in Detroit next weekend for a four-game set to kick off a 10-game road trip.
