DYLAN BEAVERS WALKS IT OFF, ORIOLES BEAT BRAVES 3-2

Dylan Beavers was the hero in the Orioles' 3-2 walk-off win with the RBI game-winning single in the ninth! We go over Brandon Young's great start, Gunner Henderson starting to heat up, and a win that hopefully propels this O's team moving forward! #Birdland #BaltimoreOrioles #MLBonX

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Well, well, well, ladies and gentlemen, we are back on for another episode of the Charm City Sports Podcast. I'm your host, Jay Hollihan. Back-to-back nights. We're talking Orioles baseball, and for all the good reasons here this evening, as the Orioles walk it off against the Atlanta Braves by a final score of three to two. Dylan Beavers in the ninth after Jackson Holiday's one out double, and then Colton Cowser sacking them up to third. And Dylan Beavers wins it in walk-off style for the Orioles, as they now sit two and a half games back of a potential wild card spot. Um we've obviously seen the Orioles throughout this season get anywhere from being within three games, two games, a game, hold a wild card spot to then fall well out of contention, to then battle their way back into being in contention. So, you know, there has been a lot of really strong baseball naturally that the Orioles have played. Now, when it comes to this type of stretch that they've been on in their last twelve games dating back to that, come from behind win against the Cubs, the biggest thing that you can really factor in is even in the losses, you don't totally walk away. I mean, I at this point in the season, you naturally want the team to go out there and win games. But there was a difference in the way the Orioles were losing games, and I know I you're sitting there, you're evaluating what is to be considered a moral loss. But there's no doubt about it. If you were watching, if you've been watching Orioles baseball all throughout this season, there has been a difference in the way they were playing in June and in early July, and then the way they've been playing the last twelve games, that even the losses like on Monday to Bor to the Red Sox, had you going, man, that was a tough one, but let's go get them tomorrow and see what they can do because hey, that was another game of at least a team that looked like they belonged on the same field as another good team or another postseason contending team in the Boston Red Sox. Regardless, though, to tonight's game, and I think something that really doesn't get talked about enough, I mean it gets talked about, but I think it should get talked about even more, is the fact that the Orioles starting rotation this year and really since I would say around Memorial Day weekend, the rotation has really come into its own. We've seen Kyle Bradish have some moments, both good and bad, but recently it's been a majority good. Trevor Rogers has been outstanding. Brandon Young has been a godsend for this season. Shane Baz has been a reliable starter every time out. Just wish he would kind of find that form he had earlier in the season. And then Dean Kramer, you always expect kind of a similar start of what you get out of Shane Baz. Um, but maybe the upside is there with Baz more than it is Kramer, but he's still going to give you a solid start, and for a fifth starting option, that's not bad. For the Baltimore Orioles, though, tonight, after the difficult loss the night prior, losing three out of the last four, losing that tough one on Monday that I talked about against the Red Sox, having to salvage a game against Boston. And then possibly I mean, as we talked about over and over again last night, making plays in extra innings, maybe even in the nine innings prior to that, the Orioles could have won that game. And it feels like, man, they were so close if just a couple things break their way in those three out of four losses, now the first of the double header against Boston, they got killed. But Monday's loss, last night's loss, you know, there's legitimate reasons for the Orioles, or legitimate, I think, and I and I believe it's fair, reasons to say, hey, there's no reason why they couldn't have won seven out of their last eight. But that didn't happen. However, the way that they rebounded was great. And once again, it was Christian Incarnacio and Strand setting the table. Ball that deflected off a shortstop Jim Jarvis's glove that allowed Pete Alonso to score from second on a 3-1 pitch with two outs. Good job by Incarnacio and Strand. Now he goes out and gets to this baseball and pulls it, you know, off the glove of Jarvis. He doesn't necessarily go with the pitch. And I think some of the time if you try to pull it there, that doesn't help you. But in this situation, you know, he was able to uh to hit it at a hundred and seven point four miles per hour pulling that ball off the glove of a Braves defender. I think that was a big reason, obviously, why uh you know he was able to have the success he had was because he hit it so hard and then hits off the glove of Jarvis and Pete chugging around third, coming to the plate and scoring the opening run, and then in the bottom of the fifth, Gunnar Henderson, who don't look now, has uh been heating up of late. You know, I'd like to continue to see him have about two or three more games of just consistency, but he goes out well not doesn't go out, but he takes a slider and deposits it in the right center field. I mean, it wasn't a pitch that was coming in on him, but it so it was certainly one that he had to extend those arms and lift it over the right center field wall on a first pitch slider, no less, and the Orioles took an early 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, in the top of the sixth, traffic would get on for Atlanta. They'd have runners at second and third, and then DuBon RBI ground out, and then Brandon Young gets out of the inning with just giving up one run. And then we go to the top of the eighth, and Rico Garcia comes into the game. He relieves Grant Wolfram, who came in for Brandon Young in the seventh, but Garcia comes in, first batteries facing Ozzie Albis, and an 0-1 changeup that Ozzie Albis just read the whole way. And the reaction from Rico Garcia just told you everything you needed to know about it as he's hopping up and down on the pitcher's mound as Ozzie Albies is celebrating, tying the game up at two, just so similar to the night before. Uh huge bummer, and the Orioles had two, as they unfortunately don't score in the eighth. Yen Ercano gets them through the ninth with a scoreless frame, and then Jackson Holiday, who we got on last night. We got on Jackson Holiday a pretty good bit, and you know, we talked about the fact that I mean, let's face it, for a guy who was the top prospect in all baseball, had all the makeups and things of that nature that he could be one of the best players in the game, and I think that's a fair assessment to say. Certainly one of the best second basemen in the game, and someone that could turn into a pretty dynamic hitter, of course. Last night was a tough loss, and doing part to that play in extras. But tonight he makes something happen on a 2-2 pitch, 101.9 and a left. Uh DuBon he g he gets his glove on it, but because of where he's positioned, he's not able to get over in the gap and get to the ball properly as he dives and the ball nicks off his glove, and Jackson Holiday hustles it into second. Colton Kowser gets him to third, and then Dylan Beavers' first pitch swinging brings him home on a fastball at 100 miles per hour in, and Dylan Beavers deposits it into right field. Now let's hear from the skipper of the Orioles tonight, Craig Albanz, in a much better mood after the win, and here he was recapping the win tonight in walk-off fashion.

SPEAKER_03 10:05

Any win is a big win, but uh a tight game like that, you know, Ozzie Albis, you know, hit his hits a changeup that's up. But other than that, Rico was was outstanding and boys did a great job at rallying. I mean, Jackson Hawley's at that in the ninth was outstanding and kind of set the tone, hustling on the box to get the second. Kowser's pinch hit, great swing on that, and obviously Dylan Beavers with the clutch hit. But I mean, Brandon Young, he was outstanding tonight again.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Resiliency is a huge part for a ball club, especially when you're at this point in the season and you have a tough loss the night before, and you gotta sit there and go, you know what? That's behind us. We gotta move on. We cannot afford to go into any type of a tailspin. We can't dwell on it. It happened, it sucked. We gotta get off it and move on to tomorrow. And I think the Orioles did a great job of that. I thought Brandon Young really set the tone as well. Um, and I thought Trevor Rogers last night really set the tone too, and you saw Kyle Bradish on Wednesday do the same thing against the Red Sox. I mean, again, this Orioles rotation has really come into its own, and I know we give Michael Ias a lot of flack, and listen, there's still the jury is still out on him, very much so, but this year has been the first sign, and you know, 23 they had a s obviously a solid starting rotation, but in terms of younger guys as well in the rotation, in terms of a starting rotation that you could say, man, I could see this being together for quite some time, hopefully. Now Trevor Rogers set to become a free agent after this year, and um, you know, we'll see where things go with that, but you sit there and say, Man, if they can bring him back next year, this is a really good starting rotation to have moving forward. This is a starting rotation that you can build upon for the future. So you gotta give Michael Eyes credit where credit is due for that. Now, where you also have to give credit where gre where credit is due is Gunnar Henderson. Having the solo home run tonight, his batting average is still rough, and that's a nice way of putting it. He's hitting 223 right now, and his OPS is at 701. So there's a lot of work that needs to be done with Gunnar Henderson, but he is starting to swing a better bat here and to begin the second half of the season. There's no doubt that and I think it's again very fair to say he has left a lot uh lot to be desired upon. And I think a lot of people are really, you know, feeling like maybe we were all too early to assume that he was going to be this next great hitter. Well, maybe he's starting to show signs of coming out of the slump. Hopefully he is, and we can move forward. Now, here was Craig Albanese after the game discussing Gunner Henderson.

SPEAKER_03 13:28

The way it sets the lineup up, you know, and a big swing tonight by him. That was a great swing. He's been looking really good at the plate. He just hasn't got the results that he wanted, and obviously Gunner has a high standard for himself, and rightfully so, we all do, but you know, the way he keeps on grinding and managed the bat and still hitting the ball forward when he when he needs to with authority has been really really good.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Well, Gunnar Henderson so far in this second half, it's not great by any stretch. He is seven for thirty-four. But if you've been watching, he's seven for thirty-four, but his at bats have been much better. He's not striking out as much. He's I mean, still not necessarily hitting into you know a lot of golden opportunities, but you can certainly see that okay, his bat is starting to come around, it looks like. And if that's gonna be the case, then it makes you feel all the more excited about where he can hopefully get to as we push forward throughout the season, and maybe as we get to August, he'll really start to heat up. He's hitting 221 right now in these last eight games. So to start post-all-star break, again, it's not great. It's seven for thirty-three. I said seven for thirty-four earlier. Seven for thirty-three, my bad. But again, hopefully this is a sign of things to start to change, and as he's starting to have more success, I think it's gonna start to give him more confidence to swing at pitches and put good swings on pitches and just have more confidence within himself moving forward. But obviously, you know, until we start to see those results, it's all just complete and total speculation about what he can become. Now he's gotta go out there and do that. Alright, well, tomorrow is going to set up a rubber match for the Orioles with an opportunity to take two of three from a good Alana Braves team. A team at the top of the NL East, a team that uh, you know, has certainly surprised many this year, but a team that knows what it takes to win a rubber match. They'll send Ronaldo Lopez out there four and three with three nine five ERA. Shane Baz for the Orioles four-nine with a four-one three ERA. As the O's are tied with the Seattle Mariners at two and a half games back. The Mariners continue to struggle against the Rangers. O's win. They'll jump ahead of them. If they can get some help from the Astros, maybe they even jump ahead of them. They could get help from the Twins as well. They could be a half a game. They could be they can make up a full game tomorrow and be right at that cutoff line. Be that cutoff line will be the only team that stands between them and the Cleveland Guardians for the wildcard spot. The Guardians are now on a four-game losing streak. So let's see what the O's do. Thanks everyone for tuning in. We'll be back on tomorrow to break down the final game of this three-game series. We'll talk to you then.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

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