Even the hottest of fires eventually have to be extinguished.
The Orioles bats have had no problem producing lately. They’d had double-digit hits for three straight games, even stacking up 17 on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays in an 11-6 win.
A night later against the same team, the Orioles managed only six hits as José Berríos iced the Baltimore lineup. Toronto won 3-1, setting up a rubber match Thursday afternoon in a game that could impact playoff standings down the line.
The Orioles didn’t crack Berríos until the seventh, as the Blue Jays starter chased a no-hitter. Adley Rutschman crushed that dream by hitting a single.
“We had a tough time with Berríos. I thought he was absolutely excellent,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He was making quick outs, and he was filling up the strike zone with all his pitches and moving the ball in and out. Fastball had a ton of life. He was tough to hit.”
The Orioles finally found some momentum in the eighth, with Adam Frazier and Ramón Urias singling to get two on base with two outs for Gunnar Henderson. With Berríos already over 90 pitches, the Blue Jays opted to send out Tim Mayza to face the potential tying run.
If anyone was going to change the course of the game, it would have been Henderson, who was 11-for-18 in his last four games. But even Henderson — the hottest of the scorching bunch — couldn’t get it done. He took Mayza to a full count before grounding out. Henderson threw his helmet down, visibly frustrated he couldn’t come through for his team.
The Orioles had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth. Ryan O’Hearn, Austin Hays and Aaron Hicks hit consecutive two-out singles to give them life. Frazier struck out, though, ending the game.
“We definitely showed heart in the ninth inning,” Hicks said. “We were still out there fighting. The pitching tonight was tough. He was pinpointing his spots. You are just going to have games like that. The fact that we kept fighting means a lot.”
On the other side, Orioles starter Kyle Bradish held his own. He had a no-hit bid of his own going, but Bo Bichette ended that attempt by hitting a single to open the fourth. Bradish allowed just one run — a home run by George Springer in the sixth — as he pitched a season-high seven innings.
“Berríos threw the ball really well,” Bradish said. “It’s a tough one, but you have to keep it close.”
