The Baltimore Orioles haven’t gotten off to a great start this season, but on Saturday they reminded everyone why they can be such a good team.
The Orioles defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 9-5. It was a game marked by home runs. Baltimore slammed five of them off Reds pitching. It’s the kind of power this lineup has and the kind of offense it can create when it has everything working in the right direction.
But it was how Baltimore did it that was so interesting.
For instance, in the first inning led off with his sixth home run of the season. That gave the O’s a 1-0 lead. Right after him, Gunnar Henderson slammed his own solo home run to give Baltimore a 2-0 lead.
But that wasn’t all. The Orioles hit back-to-back home runs later in the game. In the seventh inning outfielder Ramon Laureano slammed a home run out of the sixth spot in the order in place of Heston Kjerstad. After that, Jordan Westburg, the designated hitter, hit his own home run.
These sets of back-to-back home runs came off different pitchers. Mullins and Henderson hit their home runs off Cincinnati starter Hunter Greene, while reliever Carson Spiers was responsible for Laureano and Westburg.
Earlier in the game, Laureano hit a home run off Greene, which came in the third inning. The crazy part is that he didn’t even start the game. He entered the contest early after Kjerstad was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game.
If it all sounds just a little unique, well, it is. OptaStats did the research and found that the Orioles did something that no team has ever done in a game, much less an entire Major League season.
No team has ever had back-to-back home runs to lead off the game, two sets of back-to-back home runs off two different pitchers and a player with multiple home runs off the bench in that combination in a game? Incredible stuff for Baltimore.
It chased off the boo birds for one night as the Orioles prepare for Sunday’s finale with the Reds.
While the Reds haven’t set a starter, the Orioles will start left-handed Charlie Morton (0-4, 8.84), who could use the run support as he’s had a tough go this season. The 41-year-old is coming off giving up seven hits and five earned runs in a start earlier this week.
