Good news, bad news.
With an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon, the Orioles finally won four games in a row for the first time this season, and they swept the Royals at Camden Yards to head into the All-Star break with some needed good vibes.
But it seems even when things are going well, this Baltimore team can’t catch a break – or the wrong one.
Blaze Alexander, one of the Orioles’ bright spots this year in a so far underwhelming campaign, broke his left hand late in Baltimore’s win Sunday when he was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning by reliever Lucas Erceg, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said after the game.
Alexander will have more tests during the All-Star break and it’s undetermined how long he’ll be out, but a “non-displaced fracture,” which is the nature of the injury, Albernaz said, can typically keep players sidelined for at least a month, and likely longer.
Alexander’s hit .306 this season – tops on the team – and has been versatile in the field, playing third, second, and occasionally in the outfield. "With the way Blaze has been playing on both sides of the ball... Yeah, definitely a gut punch," Albernaz said.
His absence will be a big blow for the Orioles (46-51), who otherwise head into the break for the Midsummer Classic on one of their best runs of the season, even if this sweep came against a Royals team at the bottom of the American League Central. They fell to 38-59.
A five-run, five-hit sixth inning in which Baltimore batted around was the difference-maker in the series finale. Leody Taveras, who busted out of a 2-for-34 slump in the second with a two-run homer, jumpstarted the key rally with an RBI single, scoring Alexander, who reached base twice and scored twice.
Jeremiah Jackson, entering as a pinch hitter, went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI in the inning.
A day after hitting his first homer in three weeks, Gunnar Henderson added three hits and an RBI, and Samuel Basallo contributed a solo home run.
Orioles starter Shane Baz had nine strikeouts and no walks with only one earned run, a line typically reflective of a dominant performance, but he lasted only 4 2/3 innings as his pitch count grew (eventually to 104) while the Royals’ hitters fouled off 34 pitches.
Strahm (3-3), the goat in the big sixth inning, took the loss. Royals right-handed starter Seth Lugo went four innings, allowed four hits and two earned runs.
A five-pitcher Baltimore bullpen — Grant Wolfram (2-2), Anthony Nunez, Rico Garcia, Yennier Cano, and Andrew Kittredge — combined to hold Kansas City scoreless over the final 4.1 innings to close out the win and deliver what's been an elusive four-game win streak. This was the Orioles' eighth attempt, and it began with salvaging the final game of a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs to begin the homestand.
"It was a good four-game stretch," Albernaz said. "Our guys did a great job this whole series. Pitching was outstanding, Defense was good overall, some hiccups, but good when it needed to be, and the at-bats were strong all these four games which is awesome to see."
Ouch
When Alexander was hit in the eighth inning, it was third time Kansas City hit a Baltimore player and the benches and bullpens cleared but an all-out brawl did not commence. Hard-throwing Royals reliever Steven Cruz hit Taylor Ward hit in ribs with 100 mph pitch in the fifth. As for Alexnader's reaction to the injury, "It hurts, but he has a good attitude about it," Albernaz said.