Fast start leads to 3rd straight win
The way things have been going for the Orioles the past few weeks, you never know what is going to happen on any given night. Unless is pitching. Bundy has been the most productive, consistent Orioles starter, and he extended his season-opening string of quality starts to seven with a solid six-inning performance in a rain-delayed 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox before an announced 28,718 on Saturday night at Camden Yards.
He retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced after the start of the game was held up for 43 minutes. He then grinded out his final three innings to improve his record to 5-1 and help the Orioles (19-10) to their third straight victory. After a series opener in which starter
was knocked out of the game by two straight line drives in the first inning, the Orioles knocked around White Sox starter (0-3) in a more conventional manner. They scored three times in the first and added to their early lead with home runs by and
The White Sox didn’t put a dent in Bundy’s performance until the fifth, when a one-out walk and a well-placed fly-ball double by No. 9 hitter set up a pair of runs that scored on a sacrifice fly by and a sharp single by
But the Orioles got those two runs right back with Mancini’s two-run shot in the bottom of the inning. Bundy gave up a solo home run to
in the sixth inning before turning the game over to left-hander to start the seventh, but the White Sox were not done. They ramped up the suspense when lined a sizzling two-run shot off the left-field foul pole against
to make it a one-run game. Closer du jour came on to restore order in the ninth inning and converted his second save of the season. Quick start: The Orioles have not been a quick-starting team of late, scoring just one first-inning run in their previous 21 games. They changed that narrative Saturday night with five hits and a walk in the first against Covey, scoring three times and batting through the order.
It looked like Covey might never get out of the inning. He allowed singles to (his seventh hit in nine at-bats),
and Machado, before striking out with the bases loaded. Covey balked home a run before allowing three more batters to reach, with runscoring hits coming from and Mancini. Manny’s home cooking: Machado apparently can still hit home runs even when he’s not showing up the Boston Red Sox. He lined a pitch from Covey into the leftcenter-field seats in the second inning for his eighth home run of the season. Five of his homers have been on the road and four of them have been against Boston. Trumbo heating up: Trumbo was flirting with the Mendoza Line a few days ago, but he put together his fourth multihit performance in six games Saturday night, raising his average from .202 on April 30 to .231. Mancini’s mammoth blast: Mancini ushered Covey out of the game in the fifth with a towering blast into the left-field seats for his sixth homer of the year and his first home run since April 22 against the Red Sox.