For much of the Orioles’ rebuild, standing at the light at the end of the tunnel were Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez.
The two former top prospects — the former a generational catcher, the latter a fireballer — headlined a farm system that was expected to end the dark days of 100-loss seasons and lead the next great Orioles team.
They’ve helped do just that, and Wednesday night’s 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards was the latest example.
Rutschman hit a two-run homer in the third and Rodriguez pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to lead the Orioles to their fourth straight win, lowering the club’s magic number to win the American League East title to one.
“It’s pretty special,” Rodriguez said about leading the Orioles to a key victory alongside Rutschman. “But it’s not just Adley. It’s DL [Hall] and it’s Gunnar [Henderson] and it’s [Jordan] Westburg and it’s a lot of these guys that we played with for a while coming up through the system. Seeing that pan out has been a lot of fun.”
The victory is Baltimore’s 99th this season, the most for the franchise since 1980. The Orioles (99-59) are 40 games over .500 for the first time since 1979, when they went 102-60.
A win Thursday against the Boston Red Sox will deliver the Orioles their first AL East title since 2014 and just the franchise’s third in the past 40 seasons. It was possible Wednesday had Tampa Bay lost to the Red Sox, but the Rays won, 5-0. The Orioles already clinched their first postseason berth since 2016 and are one victory away from claiming the AL’s top seed and turning their focus to the AL Division Series next week. The only way the Orioles don’t win the AL East is if they are swept by the Red Sox in four games this weekend and the Rays win out.
Manager Brandon Hyde has been reticent to discuss the postseason and clinching scenarios, but even he recognized how important the next triumph would be.
“It’s very exciting,” Hyde said. “Looking forward to getting to the ballpark tomorrow and doing something special tomorrow.”
Rutschman had the weight of a rebuilding organization on his shoulders since the moment Baltimore selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. He arrived last May, and the Orioles have since been one of the sport’s best teams with a 166-114 record. Their two-game sweep of the Nationals extended the club’s AL-record streak without being swept to 90 series, the most of any MLB team since World War II.
The 25-year-old Rutschman clobbered a high fastball from Nationals starter Patrick Corbin 395 feet into the Orioles’ bullpen, his 20th home run of the season, for a 2-0 lead. He added a third RBI in the fifth with a single to score Jorge Mateo, who stole his 30th base of the season with a swipe of third. Jordan Westburg walked in a run later in the fifth, and Austin Hays, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, drove in the game’s final run with a single in the sixth.
The homer was another example of his biggest improvement in his second year. After hitting .174 with a .552 OPS against left-handed pitchers as a rookie, Rutschman is hitting .301 with an .894 OPS off them this season.
“I feel like I probably looked at it differently than other people did,” Rutschman said about his struggles against lefties in 2022. “I always thought I believed I could do it. Last year, I didn’t feel quite right right-handed, but I feel pretty good now and was able to make some good adjustments, and I feel like it’s shown pretty decently this year.”
Rodriguez, meanwhile, was the same pitcher he’s been since he rejoined the rotation after the All-Star break. He scattered six hits and didn’t issue a walk while striking out five. The only run he allowed — the only run Washington (69-90) scored in four games against Baltimore this season — was an RBI single to Jake Alu in the fifth.
The 23-year-old Rodriguez struggled with a 7.35 ERA in his first 10 starts of his rookie campaign, but after a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk during which he regained his command and confidence in his fastball, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the major leagues.
In 76 2/3 innings across 13 starts, Rodriguez (7-4) has a 2.58 ERA that ranks third in the AL behind New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (2.35) and teammate Kyle Bradish (2.40). In his past six starts, the right-hander has a 1.80 ERA.
The regular-season start is the last of Rodriguez’s rookie campaign, and he ended it with a 7-4 record, 4.35 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 122 innings. But it’s not his last start of the year. That will come in October.
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve never been to a big league postseason game before. I always just watched them on TV, so pitching in one or sitting in the dugout’s going to be pretty special.
Danny Coulombe replaced Rodriguez with runners on the corners and two outs in the sixth, escaping the jam by getting Carter Kieboom to pop out. Coulombe, Jacob Webb and Tyler Wells combined for a stellar performance from the bullpen, retiring all 10 batters they faced to secure the victory.
The win was Baltimore’s seventh straight against the Nationals dating to last season, the Orioles’ longest winning streak against their Beltway Series rival since Washington gained a team in 2005.
Baltimore’s next win will be its 100th of the season — a meaningful number in more ways than one for the post-rebuild club. The century mark isn’t just one few teams hit, as the Orioles would do so for the first time since 1980. But not too long ago, this team experienced that number on the opposite end with 100-loss seasons in 2018, 2019 and 2021 as the worst team in the major leagues during that stretch.
“It’s great to show up knowing exactly what we’re playing for every single day,” Hays said before the game. “We’re playing to win. These games are meaningful. There’s stuff on the line, for not just us, but the fans, the city, everything that comes with it to see just how amazing this season has been for us.”
Around the horn
- Dean Kremer and John Means will start the first two games against the Red Sox on Thursday and Friday. The Orioles have yet to determine their starters for Saturday and Sunday, as clinching the AL East title could alter their decisions.
- The Norfolk Tides, who lost Game 1 of the International League Championship Series on Tuesday, won Game 2, 7-2, over the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay). Cole Irvin struck out five in three innings, and Austin Voth racked up nine punchouts in four frames. Bryan Baker and Joey Krehbiel closed out the game. Jackson Holliday went 2-for-4, Coby Mayo homered, Kyle Stowers was a single short of the cycle and Joey Ortiz tallied three RBIs in his first game since Sept. 2. Game 3 of the ILCS is Thursday. The winner will play in the Triple-A Championship Game on Saturday against the champion of the Pacific Coast League.
Red Sox at Orioles
Thursday, 6:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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