Four home runs power Orioles to 7-2 win over A’s

The Orioles came into tonight’s game having won three of Wade Miley’s last four games, but Miley wasn’t making it easy - he’d only pitched six innings in one of the four starts. Meanwhile, they were facing a starter for Oakland in Chris Smith who’d actually retired in 2012 to be a college pitching coach, and was the oldest debuting starter for Oakland in 117 years. Sounds like a recipe for the O’s to get shut out, right?

Instead, Miley pitched seven pretty good innings to lead the Orioles to a 7-2 victory. Because of course he did.

The O’s came out and immediately took the lead after leadoff batter T-Swaggy (you know him as Tim Beckham) tripled and was driven home by Manny Machado’s grounder.

The A’s answered right back in the bottom of the 1st, as Rajai Davis singled, moved to 3rd on a stolen base attempt (helped by a throwing error by first baseman Trey Mancini) and scoring on a SAC fly by Jed Lowrie.

Then, the O’s decided to hit balls that left the ballyard. Adam Jones hit a solo bomb in the 4th inning, immediately followed by Trey Mancini. Mancini decided he liked it so much he hit another in the 6th, and then Mark Trumbo decided that being 0-for-24 wasn’t cool anymore and hit his own solo home run to follow. And just like that, it was 5-1, Miley was pitching into the 7th, and the O’s offense still wasn’t done.

Liam Hendricks relieved Smith for the A’s in the 7th, and after Joey Rickard got out, Beckham doubled to right. Machado’s infield grounder couldn’t advance Beckham, but he did when Jonathan Schoop was safe at first on a throwing error by shortstop Marcus Semien. So, when Jones doubled, there were two base runners, not just one, and both crossed the plate to make the score 7-1.

Darren O’Day relieved Miley in the 8th, and it was the first time Miley had finished the 7th inning since June 1st. Miley finished with 7.0 IP, 1 run on just 3 hits and 3 walks with 7 strikeouts. So, where’s that been all year, Mr. Miley?

O’Day continued his distressing trend of looking less like the Darren O’Day of 2016 and more like, well, Jamie Walker of 2009. Semien led off with a single and immediately scored on a Lowrie double. He followed that up with a walk of Khris Davis. After a strikeout of Ryon Healy, he induced Chad Pinder into an inning-ending double play.

After a quiet 9th inning by the Orioles, manager Buck Showalter turned to Richard Bleier with that 7-2 lead and hoping to avoid using Brad Brach or Zach Britton to close out the game with a 5-run lead. So, of course, he ended up needing to use both.

Bleier struck out Matt Olson but allowed a single to Mark Canhu and a double to Dustin Garneau. That led to Brad Brach coming in, and struck out a pinch-hitting Matt Joyce. But the A’s weren’t done just yet. Seimen walked, and all of a sudden, bases are loaded, and despite two outs, that 7-2 lead wasn’t looking so safe anymore.

And that’s when you call on Zach Britton, and he recorded his 59th straight save and that’s the ballgame. Britton is now 10-for-10 in save opportunities this season. It should have taken three relievers in the 9th inning to close out 5-run lead, but it did, and the Orioles now sit 1.5 games out of the Wild Card.