Ramón Urías will find it harder to get into the Orioles’ lineup as more healthy players filter back from the injured list. Jordan Westburg probably will start at third base on most nights. Jackson Holliday is practically locked into second base.
There will be exceptions, of course, like Westburg serving as the designated hitter tonight and Urías occupying the bottom of the order. Interim manager Tony Mansolino won’t bury him.
“Urie will get plenty of time and at-bats,” Mansolino said Tuesday afternoon, “and it will be a really good role for him going forward, too.”
Zach Eflin doesn’t know if he’ll be with the club past the trade deadline. Pending free agents are likely on the table if the Orioles are defined sellers. But Urías and Eflin are living in the present and they were major contributors to a 10-1 win over the Tigers at Camden Yards.
Eflin held the Tigers to one run in 6 2/3 innings, and Urías gave him a lead in the third with a two-run homer. The Orioles put the game out of reach with a seven-run eighth that included Westburg’s second homer in two nights, a three-run shot off Beau Briske.
Bryan Baker retired the side in order in the eighth, the Orioles sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom half, and their record improved to 27-39 with their first victory over the Tigers in the last seven tries dating back to September.
Cedric Mullins had an RBI double in the eighth and scored on a wild pitch, Ryan O’Hearn plated two runs with a bases-loaded single before Westburg’s blast, and the Orioles won for the eighth time in 11 games. Going 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position didn’t deter them. They were clutch enough.
Eflin left to a standing ovation after carrying a two-hit shutout into the seventh, where two singles with one out and Colt Keith’s double high off the out-of-town scoreboard reduced the lead to 2-1. Pinch-hitter Dillon Dingler grounded to Urías, who threw home for the out, and Keegan Akin entered the game and stranded runners on the corners.
Eflin didn’t surrender a hit until Riley Greene singled with two outs in the fourth. He retired the first eight batters, Zach McKinstry walked and Parker Meadows bunted back to the mound.
Strikes came in abundance – eight out of 11 pitches in the first, 15 out of 20 through the second, 22 out of 33 through the third and 33 out of 49 through the fourth after Spencer Torkelson froze on a sinker in the middle of the zone to strand Greene.
Only eight pitches were needed to retire the side in order in the fifth, and Keith produced the first fly ball out in fair territory. Gleyber Torres singled with two outs in the sixth for Detroit’s second hit, making him 3-for-21 lifetime against Eflin, but Kerry Carpenter grounded out.
Eflin lowered his ERA to 4.08. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five. He threw 86 pitches, 61 for strikes.
Westburg homered last night in his return from the injured list and he led off the second inning tonight with a fly ball double to right field. Colton Cowser struck out and Ramón Laureano lined into a 1-4 double play.
Mullins, who also returned last night, led off the third with a double and Urías followed with his first homer since April 30 – on a first-pitch sinker from Casey Mize that cleared the left field wall. The Orioles were 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position in the first four games against the Tigers and 1-for-6 after the third inning, but they led 2-0.
They were 1-for-9 after Westburg led off the fourth with a walk, Cowser singled and the next three batters were retired. They were 1-for-11 after Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson singled with one out in the fifth and were stranded. They were 1-for-12 after Laureano and Urías singled in the sixth, the latter against reliever Tyler Holton with two outs.
Rutschman opened the seventh with a double and scored on Henderson’s left-on-left RBI single off Holton for a 3-1 lead.
Félix Bautista was warming for a save situation that never arrived to him. Gregory Soto handled the ninth with ease.
* Double-A Chesapeake pitcher Trace Bright came out of tonight’s game with right elbow discomfort.
Bright allowed one hit in 3 2/3 scoreless innings to leave his ERA at 5.17. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the organization’s No. 25 prospect.
Triple-A Norfolk’s Hudson Haskin was removed after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning.