Tyler Wells needed four pitches to dispose of Royals leadoff hitter Nick Pratto last night, getting a swing and miss on his fastball for the game’s first out.
Félix Bautista began his quest for a 17th save by striking out MJ Melendez and Maikel García with 101 mph heat, the latter frozen by it.
The final team tally was seven strikeouts, a decent total that fell short of the staff’s recent production.
Before last night, Orioles pitchers had struck out nine or more batters in seven consecutive games since May 31, and at least 11 batters in six of seven. The 84 total strikeouts were the most in any seven-game stretch in club history.
This sudden transformation to whiff wizards occurred after the Orioles struck out 40 over six games from May 25-30.