Orioles let 7-run lead slip away, rally to win
The Baltimore Orioles have come from behind for 11 of their 21 wins this season.
Their victory Thursday in Kansas City was a little unique.
The Orioles raced to a seven-run lead before watching the Royals wipe it out, then pull ahead in the seventh inning. But once more embodying poise under pressure, Ramon Urias hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning and added a two-run double in the ninth, allowing Baltimore to escape with a 13-10 victory and its seventh straight series win.
“We fight. We fight every game,” said Urias, who entered as a pinch hitter. “Every guy is involved with what we’re doing.”
That includes Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander, who hit homers, and Cedric Mullins, who had a bases-loaded double that helped the Orioles run out to an 8-1 lead by the bottom of the third inning.
The Royals fought back and pulled ahead on Bobby Witt Jr.’s single in the seventh, but Aroldis Chapman (1-2) promptly walked the first two batters in the eighth. Adam Frazier moved up on a balk and joined Jorge Mateo in stealing bases before Urias hit a single through the left side of a drawn-in infield to give the Orioles the lead again.
Yennier Cano (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for Baltimore, one of the few solid outings by a reliever. Felix Bautista coughed up a run in the ninth before striking out Bobby Witt and Hunter Dozier to end the game with runners at second and third.
“The offense did a great job, especially starting off the game,” said Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez, who allowed six runs in 3 ⅔ innings. “This team has a lot of fight in it.”
Nationals 4, Cubs 3: Alex Call hit a game-ending homer leading off the ninth inning, and Washington recovered after blowing a 3-0 lead to beat Chicago at home and take three of four from the skidding Cubs.
Call lofted the only pitch from Brad Boxberger (1-1) just inside the left-field foul pole and was greeted at the plate by exuberant teammates, who dumped a bucket of blue Gatorade on his head.
Washington led 3-0 after seven near-flawless innings by starter Patrick Corbin. The veteran lefthander had given up only one hit — a popup by Cody Bellinger that shortstop CJ Abrams lost in the sun — before allowing back-toback singles to start the eighth. Manager Dave Martinez pulled him for Hunter Harvey, who quickly allowed the Cubs to tie it.
Kyle Finnegan (1-1) gave up a walk and a double to start the ninth, but retired the next three batters.
Late Wednesday
Royals 6, Orioles 0: Former Old Dominion star Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in three runs, Zack Greinke won for the first time since last August and Kansas City snapped a 10-game home losing streak by beating Baltimore.
Nationals 2, Cubs 1: CJ Abrams had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning for the second consecutive game, and Washington beat Chicago on a damp and unseasonably chilly night.