So MLB Advanced Media, for as awesome as they are (and they really are – it’s downright impossible for me to create a post like this on Russell Street Report with Ravens highlights) they still have some quirks that make things a bit more difficult than they should be. For instance, a lot of their highlight clips won’t become “embeddable” until 48 hours or so after that game ends. So if I want to create a post that pulls together highlights from their win in Cleveland on Sunday, I can’t do it until Tuesday, when everybody has already moved on and wants Monday night’s highlights instead.
So, instead of making separate posts on the win in Cleveland and then the win last night, let’s instead treat the two wins as back-to-back links in a chain of good times, and put them both here in the same post. Especially since they served to completely reverse the misfortunes of Friday and Saturday, when the O’s lost consecutive games for the first time since June, to return the team to the season’s high-water mark of 19 games over .500.
Sunday
After scoring just a single run in 20 innings over the first couple games in Cleveland, the Birds sent Kevin Gausman to the hill to try to play the role of stopper. The kid did his part, allowing just a single run on two hits over 6.0 strong innings of work.
However, the Birds’ bats were again shut down for the early part of the game, and fans were worried for a minute that one run might be enough for Cleveland to pull off the sweep.
In the 6th though, they finally got on the board, as J.J. Hardy delivered his second clutch two-out RBI of the series.
The next batter, Chris Davis, went the other way (!!) for an RBI double to score Adam Jones and give the O’s their first lead of the series.
In the 7th, Steve Pearce, who scored the go-ahead run on Hardy’s single, gave the Birds a bit of a cushion with a homer to left, the O’s first of the series (after having what seemed like a hundred sure-thing dingers die at the wall).
In the 9th, Jonathan Schoop launched one as well to put the good guys up 4-1.
Zach Britton nailed down the win in the 9th.
Monday
(note: check back for more highlights as they become available. Same explanation as above.)
The O’s traveled to The Windy City for the first of six against the White Sox and Cubs, and sent Bud Norris to the bump hoping for back-to-back quality starts. Bud gave them just that and more, as he allowed just a single hit and faced the minimum through six innings, before the Sox finally got to him for two runs in the seventh.
The White Sox countered with ace Chris Sale, but the O’s, who found the boom sticks late in Sunday’s game, were undeterred. Hardy opened the scoring with a solo shot in the 2nd:
With the Birds up 1-0 in the 5th, Steve Pearce laced a two-rbi double.
Nelson Cruz added HR number 32 in the 6th.
After the Sox had pulled to within 3-2 in the 7th, it looked as if Connor Gillaspie had given them the lead. Nick Markakis, though, was having none of it, making a highlight-reel catch.
The very next inning, Markakis showed Gillaspie how it’s done.
Before that though, Jonathan Schoop had come through in the clutch, smacking a bases-clearing double with the sacks full.
In the 8th, Cruz showed off his glove a bit.
After the game, Norris, Buck, and Nick talked about the outfielder’s catch.
