Orioles Play Smallball And Longball As Bats Come Alive In Win In Detroit

The Orioles needed a game where everyone got in on the act simply put the ball in play and moving the line and the breaks went their way and they could joke about a black squirrel tearing all around the diamond as they did their damage.

After suffocatingly tepid at bats in any sort of clutch situation most of last week – and quite a bit since June 1 – this group seemed more at ease and relaxed and went about systematically dismantling quality starter Keider Montero and the Tigers bullpen for an 8-5 win at Comerica Park. They went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position Sunday in an 11-inning loss, but set about pushing the ball over the field whenever someone got on base Monday, and almost everyone got in on the act.

“Just great at bats,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It was a great plan going in and our guys were diligent and stubborn … It was a great offensive night.”

Baltimore (52-55) thrived despite a rare poor start – from Kyle Bradish in this case – because youngsters Jackson Holliday produced four hits and Coby Mayo hit a rare homer off a righty and produced three RBIs. Four other Orioles had run-scoring base hits and Tyler O’Neill offered a pinch-hit homer. That propelled the O’s to lead 3-1 after two innings and 7-3 in the fifth; they needed it with Bradish shaky.

This offense is always homer reliant and they haven’t been coming much since June 1, but the Orioles hit three homers in a six-batter span at one point (Leody Taveras, Mayo and O’Neill). A lineup that struck out 100 times in the first nine games since the All-Star break did so just three times Monday.

The O's rookie skipper took a risk playing Mayo at third with Holliday at short, giving slumping Gunnar Henderson a DH day that frankly didn’t help much. And he got away with it. Holliday couldn’t come up with one tough play in the hole but the ball didn’t find them much and they led the offensive outburst.

"I'm trying to make it as simple as possible," Holliday, who also had an expert slide into second base in this game, told the MASN broadcast of his recent resurgence at the plate.

Albernaz said of Holliday: "He's not chasing out of the strike zone."

And, after more outfield hijinks early in this game from Taveras, defensive replacement Colton Cowser tracked down a ball deep in the right-center gap to thwart a potential rally in the 8th.

The Pen Shined Again

Bradish never had his plus stuff or command, he went deep in counts and couldn’t pick up shutdown innings with the offense finally in attack mode. Bradish couldn’t complete five innings, allowing a staggering 10 hits and walking one. He avoided the longball on a night they were flying out, “limiting” the damage to five runs. But the pen is in great form and that continued in Detroit.

Yennier Cano had to put out the fire in the fifth – earlier than he is used to but smart to go to a top reliever there – and Grant Wolfram, Andrew Kittredge and Rico Garcia prevented anyone else crossing home plate.

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