The Baltimore Orioles are developing a knack for finding the right answers, a trend they’ll look to continue heading into the series finale with the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Orioles go for a sweep of the three-game series Sunday afternoon.
Baltimore came back from a two-run deficit to prevail 5-4 in 11 innings Saturday to win for the seventh time in their past eight games. The Orioles won the series opener 4-2 on Friday night.
Jordan Westburg had a career-high four hits, including the game-winning single in the 11th game Saturday. That marked his second walk-off hit of the season.
“This guy (is) going to be really good, and it’s his first full season in the big leagues,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s just doing a little bit of everything. He never takes a pitch off. He just battles every single pitch at the plate and he can cover and hit the ball to all fields hard.”
The outcome further zapped the Diamondbacks’ momentum from earlier in the week.
“I was proud of a lot of things that we did,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “There were some things, of course, that could be better, the situational hitting. … We got clipped late in the game with one of our backend guys and things like that happen. We got to be better, we know we’re going to be better (Sunday).”
The Orioles try to keep things rolling Sunday with right-hander Dean Kremer (3-2, 3.57 ERA), winner of his previous three starts. He allowed one hit in six shutout innings in his most recent start last Sunday at Cincinnati.
Kremer, a fifth-year big leaguer, has never faced the Diamondbacks. This year, he has worked into at least the sixth inning in six of his seven starts.
The bullpen remains a bit of a mystery for the Orioles. Craig Kimbrel, who has been the closer, worked in the seventh inning Friday night to work out some kinks and then was called upon for the 11th inning Saturday, picking up the victory.
“It wasn’t how I drew it up,” Hyde said. “I’m not exactly easing him in, but I didn’t have another right-hander down there.”
Right-hander Zac Gallen (4-2, 2.84) gets the call for the Diamondbacks. He’s coming off one of his best outings of the season. For the third time this season, he threw six shutout innings when he controlled the Cincinnati Reds on one hit and three walks Tuesday.
Gallen is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in one career start against the Orioles.
The Diamondbacks will be wrapping up a six-game road trip. They won the first three games of the trip to build a four-game win streak overall, but they’re in danger of ending up with a .500 record on the trip.
–Field Level Media
