McCann, Westburg, and aggressive base running lift Orioles to 10-3 win over Mets

Buck Showalter returning to Baltimore made for a nice story, but it was a player facing his former team that stole the show. James McCann drove in half the team’s runs, and the Orioles used a pair of crooked numbers to out run New York 10-3 at Camden Yards.

David Peterson started for New York and kept the Orioles off the board for the first three innings. Fortunately for Baltimore, the Mets pulled the swingman before the fourth. Peterson had not thrown more than three innings in his last six appearances.

Showalter turned to John Curtiss in the fourth, and Baltimore struck for its first two runs. Curtiss immediately walked Jordan Westburg and surrendered a single to Austin Hays to provide the Birds two on with nobody out. Hays advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and Ryan O’Hearn stole second after replacing Westburg at first.

McCann stepped up with two out and delivered for the first time. The catcher smoked a ball right up the middle for a two-run single and a two-run lead.

Dean Kremer cruised through the first five innings before finally running into trouble in the top of the sixth. Kremer struck out Mark Vientos to start the frame but followed with three straight free passes. Mike Baumann warmed in the bullpen, but Brandon Hyde allowed Kremer to face Francisco Lindor.

Kremer recovered to make a few quality pitches, but Lindor golfed a ball over the infield for a two-run single. Suddenly, the Birds had a brand new ball game on their hands.

Hyde summoned Baumann from the bullpen and the 27-year-old saved the day. Baumann forced Pete Alonso into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning with the score still even at two.

Phil Bickford entered looking for a shutdown inning that never came. Westburg worked a one-out walk, and Ryan O’Hearn followed with a single to right-center. Westburg had been running on the play and managed to motor all the way around to score. The hustle play gave Baltimore the lead and emphasized an aggressive theme on the basepaths.

Ramón Urías kept the rally going with a single and took the aggressive running to another level. McCann launched a ball high off the left-field wall to easily score a pinch-running Colton Cowser. Urías received the stop sign at third but kept on trucking. The throw appeared to beat the Gold Glover, but a solid slide yielded another run for Baltimore.

McCann seized the moment and broke for third on the very next pitch. The catcher was originally called out, but an Orioles challenge showed that McCann beat the tag and kept his body on the bag. The stolen base paid off with McCann scoring on a sacrifice fly by fellow backstop Adley Rutschman.

Baltimore took a 6-2 lead into the seventh and hung a four-spot for the second consecutive inning. Gunnar Henderson ripped a one-out double, and Austin Hays used a single to place runners on the corners for Westburg. Westburg balked at the aggressive baserunning and provided an opportunity for all three players to trot around the bases. The rookie launched a ball 424 feet to dead center to provide Baltimore a seven-run advantage.

Westburg’s second career homer essentially put the game out of reach, but the Orioles tacked on another run for good measure. McCann sliced a ball the other way to score Cowser for the tenth run. McCann finished 3-for-3 with a walk and five RBIs.

The big innings allowed the backend of the bullpen to rest. Cole Irvin allowed an unearned run in the eighth, and Shintaro Fujinami closed out the game after working around a double by Alonso.

The Orioles swiped three bags and appeared extremely confident taking the extra base. Kremer provided the club a chance to win, and Baumann generated a clutch double play that felt extremely significant in the moment. Westburg finished 2-for-3 with the dinger and a pair of walks.

The O’s moved to 68-42 on the season. The Rays bested Detroit to keep pace with Baltimore in the AL East.