Baltimore rookie Samuel Basallo hit a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Orioles beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Friday.
It was the second career homer for Basallo, who gave the Orioles a four-game winning streak. The 21-year-old catcher made his major league debut less than three weeks ago.
The blast came off Tanner Scott (1-3), the sixth reliever used by the Dodgers after spot starter Shohei Ohtani threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
Freddie Freeman homered for the Dodgers (78-63), who lost their fourth game in a row. He finished 2-for-4, the only player in the game with more than one hit.
Yennier Cano (3-6) threw a scoreless ninth as Baltimore’s sixth pitcher.
Both teams finished with five hits in the opener of a three-game series, but the Orioles (65-76) had the one that counted most.
Ohtani got the start when the Dodgers scratched Tyler Glasnow because of back tightness. Ohtani allowed three hits and one walk and tossed two wild pitches while striking out five.
Baltimore’s Dean Kremer, who was roughed up in his past two starts, threw three no-hit innings with a walk and four strikeouts. He exited due to right forearm discomfort.
Baltimore, which was coming off a 4-2 road trip, took a 1-0 lead on reliever Ben Casparius’ wild pitch with two outs in the fifth inning. Jackson Holliday, who had walked, scored the run.
Freeman answered by leading off the sixth with a homer off Dietrich Ens, his 19th long ball of the season.
Until Basallo’s homer, the Orioles had only one hit since the fourth inning.
Freeman’s fourth-inning single was the Dodgers’ only hit through five innings. The teams combined to draw nine walks, just one fewer than the total hit count.
The Orioles won for just the second time in their past nine home games.
–Field Level Media
