Orioles lose marathon to Astros, 5-4, as Ramón Urías plays spoiler again
Published in Baseball
HOUSTON — Breaking up Brandon Young’s perfect game bid Friday wasn’t enough for Ramón Urías. He needed even more revenge.
Urías, the longtime Orioles infielder who was traded to the Astros at the deadline, capped off a wild extra-inning game Saturday night with a walk-off groundout in the 12th to hand the Orioles a 5-4 loss.
With one out and the bases loaded in the 12th, Urías hit a soft grounder to third baseman Jordan Westburg, who elected to try to turn a double play instead of get the force out at home. Urías, who hustled out an infield single in Friday’s eighth inning to end Young’s perfect game bid that was just four outs away, did the same Saturday, beating Jackson Holliday’s throw to first base.
Urías was in position to win the game for his new team because Baltimore’s bats were inept in the later innings. The Orioles went 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position and 0 for 11 in such situations from the ninth inning onward.
After reliever Rico Garcia pitched a scoreless first inning as the Orioles’ opener, Cade Povich took over in the second and was immediately in trouble. He walked Cam Smith to open the inning and gave up two singles, including Mauricio Dubón’s grounder that drove in Smith and gave Houston a 1-0 lead.
The Astros rallied in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead on RBI singles from Jacob Melton and Carlos Correa. Povich stopped the bleeding, though, by escaping the bases-loaded, no-out jam by striking out Jose Altuve — Povich’s ninth of a career-high 10 punchouts — and getting Yainer Diaz to ground into a double play.
A pair of two-run homers from left-handed hitters next to each other in the lineup tied the game and brought the Orioles life. No. 9 hitter Dylan Carlson clobbered Astros starter Jason Alexander’s 2-0 sinker onto the second deck at Daikin Park. Altuve put Houston back up 4-2 with a solo shot off reliever Kade Strowd in the seventh, but Orioles leadoff hitter Holliday one-upped Altuve in the next half inning. Holliday tied the game at 4 with a left-on-left two-run blast to right field off reliever Bennett Sousa. The 21-year-old took his time to admire the long ball, his 15th of the season.
With the game tied in the ninth inning, Orioles prospect Dylan Beavers, playing in his MLB debut after being promoted Saturday morning, led off with a first-pitch double off dominant reliever Bryan Abreu for the first hit of his big league career. But the bottom of Baltimore’s batting order couldn’t bring Beavers home, as Coby Mayo, Daniel Johnson and Carlson all struck out to strand Beavers on third. Orioles reliever Yaramil Hiraldo pitched a perfect ninth inning to send the game to extra innings.
Neither team scored in the 10th or 11th innings (despite an automatic runner being placed on second base) as Orioles left-hander Dietrich Enns and the Astros’ bullpen remained stout. Holliday and Westburg struck out, while Adley Rutschman flied out to right field after Gunnar Henderson’s walk. Enns then copied Okert by striking out former Orioles Christian Walker and Ramón Urías and getting Victor Caratini to ground out.
In the 11th, Beavers nearly put the Orioles ahead, but his low line drive was caught by Urías, who then fired to third to double up automatic runner Luis Vázquez, who was running on contact to score on a potential ground ball. After Enns’ heroics in the 10th and 11th — in which Mayo saved the game by flipping the ball home with his glove on a squeeze bunt attempt by Taylor Trammell in time to get Urías out at home — Mayo, Johnson and Carlson were retired in order. Keegan Akin couldn’t mimic Enns in the bottom of the 12th as Urías came through with the winning RBI.
Instant analysis
It was no near-perfect game, but Povich’s start Saturday had its share of dominance — with a sprinkling of familiar ineffectiveness.
The 25-year-old sophomore flashed perhaps the best stuff of his young big league career. He generated a career-high 18 swings and misses — at least five on his fastball, curveball and kick-change-up — and tied his best strikeout mark of 10 in only five innings. But Povich still surrendered eight baserunners and three runs, at times losing command to issue walks or give up hits, even if some were ground balls with eyes.
In those ways, it was just another inconsistent Povich start. The left-hander has a 4.98 ERA this season after recording a 5.20 mark last year. But Saturday’s outing against a righty-heavy lineup on a first-place Astros team (69-54) could’ve gone much worse if not for Povich’s resolve. He faced self-induced jams in the second and fourth innings, didn’t panic and escaped both.
Sure, it would have been better had Povich carried a perfect game bid into the eighth inning like Brandon Young did Friday. However, if Young’s start proved anything, it’s that success is rarely linear for young starting pitchers. Where (or if) Povich fits in the Orioles’ 2026 rotation won’t be known for months, but his odds go up the more he shows the stuff and mettle that he did Saturday.
On deck
The Orioles will go for their second straight series win on Sunday afternoon. Dean Kremer (8-9, 4.17 ERA) takes the ball for Baltimore in hopes of extending his recent hot streak, while Houston right-hander Cristian Javier is scheduled to start his second game of the season.
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