Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run, go-ahead double in the sixth inning and the Baltimore Orioles went on to defeat the visiting Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Saturday night, winning for the seventh time in eight games.
It took some late-inning bullpen work to get the job done for the AL East-leading Orioles, who posted their fourth straight win.
Colorado lost its sixth game in a row. The first five in the skid included games the Rockies led or were tied in the eighth inning, but this time they never pulled even after the sixth.
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish (9-6) picked up the win, going six-plus innings and allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
With closer Felix Bautista going on the injured list earlier in the day after leaving in the ninth inning Friday, four relievers followed Bradish on the mound for the Orioles. Jacob Webb was charged with two runs in the eighth. Yennier Cano notched his fifth save by working the ninth.
Colorado starter Chris Flexen (1-6) took the loss. He gave up three runs (two earned) in five-plus innings while striking out seven.
Left-hander Evan Justice of the Rockies made his major league debut in the seventh inning. He gave up Anthony Santander’s two-out, RBI double as the Orioles stretched their lead to 5-2.
But the Rockies responded with two runs in the eighth before Cano pitched a perfect ninth.
Mountcastle and Santander both posted two hits for the Orioles.
Elias Diaz and Charlie Blackmon had two hits apiece for Colorado.
Blackmon’s run-scoring single opened the scoring in the third inning. Ezequiel Tovar made it 2-0 with an RBI groundout.
The Orioles got one run on Ramon Urias’ fielder’s choice grounder in the fifth.
After Mountcastle put Baltimore up 3-2, the Orioles tacked on another run in the sixth on Austin Hays’ groundout.
Diaz doubled in the eighth as the Rockies trimmed their hole to 5-3. They added another run on a double-play grounder.
–Field Level Media
