The Baltimore Orioles don’t have to hit their way to victories. They’re showing a willingness to try other things.
They’ll go into Saturday’s game against the visiting Chicago White Sox with some good energy after pulling out a 2-1 victory in Friday’s series opener. That included a double steal that put the crucial second run on the board.
With two outs in the sixth, the Orioles had runners on first and third when Ryan O’Hearn ran two-thirds of the way to second to draw a throw from Sox catcher Edgar Quero. When Ryan Mountcastle saw the throw went through to second baseman Lenyn Sosa, he bolted for home and made it well ahead of Sosa’s wild return throw.
“We do our homework, obviously,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “We try to pick our spots and be smart as you can to watch the game unfold and realize that sometimes you’ve got to take some smart risks.”
It was the first swipe of home since 2021 for the Orioles, who have won four of their last six games.
Gunnar Henderson’s sixth-inning double Friday gave him 400 career hits. He’s one of six Orioles to reach that mark before turning 24 years old despite struggles this season.
“It has been a grind,” Henderson said. “I’ve been searching for stuff.”
The Orioles could have lineup concerns in advance of Saturday’s game after Mountcastle exited in the eighth inning because of discomfort in his right hamstring.
“They’ll evaluate it,” Mansolino said. “They’ll check him out (Saturday). We’ll go from there.”
Right-hander Davis Martin (2-5, 3.45 ERA) is pegged as Chicago’s starting pitcher Saturday. He’s coming off Sunday’s six-inning effort against Texas when he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks — the only game this season when his walks have outnumbered his strikeouts (two).
The White Sox have won only two of the 11 games in which Martin has pitched this year. He has pitched in the major leagues for parts of three seasons, but this will be the first time he faces Baltimore.
The White Sox made a roster move Friday, adding veteran right-hander Dan Altavilla and putting right-hander Miguel Castro on the 15-day injured list. Castro will need knee surgery following an injury covering first base on Wednesday in New York against the Mets.
“A great guy, works extremely hard and to have this season end on a play like that is really tough,” White Sox manager Will Venable said.
The 32-year-old Altavilla, who threw just 3 2/3 major league innings from 2022-24, had been with Triple-A Charlotte waiting for another chance in the bigs.
“Even as we get older, you just can’t ever give up because there’s always opportunity out there,” Altavilla said. “Especially in baseball, injuries happen all the time. You don’t ever pray for that, but it’s just the reality of the game.”
Dean Kremer (4-5, 5.02 ERA) will head to the mound for Baltimore. He has won two of his three decisions in May, including Sunday when he threw 5 1/3 shutout innings at Boston. That was his second start of the month when he didn’t give up a run.
“Getting out of innings with runners on has been a struggle for me throughout the year,” Kremer said. “Being able to pitch with guys on and still getting bad contact, I’ll take it any day of the week.”
Kremer has been stellar against the White Sox in the past. His two career starts resulted in 11 2/3 innings with only one run allowed. He picked one up victory in those matchups.
Chicago has lost seven of its last eight road games.
–Field Level Media
