BALTIMORE — Jordan Westburg brought in Sunday’s game-winning run with a ball into the stands. But instead of coming off his bat, it went off his left hand.
A 101 mph fastball from Minnesota Twins right-hander Jhoan Duran nailed the Orioles’ rookie infielder with the bases loaded in Sunday’s eighth inning at Camden Yards, bringing in what proved to be the game-winning run in Baltimore’s 2-1 victory. The ball ricocheted off Westburg’s hand into the seats behind home plate.
The pair of runs scored in the decisive inning was double what the Orioles (49-33) managed in their previous 27 offensive frames. With the rally, Baltimore ended its four-game losing streak and avoided what would’ve been its first sweep since May 2022.
The Orioles have not been swept in 66 series since promoting Adley Rutschman, a catcher then ranked as baseball’s top prospect, to the majors. His arrival has been transformative, with Baltimore overcoming a slow start without him to finish as the American League’s top team to miss the postseason before carrying that momentum into 2023. With a week to play before the All-Star break, the Orioles possess the AL’s third-best record.
Although Rutschman slumped offensively in June, his solo home run on the month’s final day accounted for the Orioles’ only run in the series before Sunday’s eighth-inning rally. He was unable to come through in two opportunities Sunday with two outs and multiple runners on base, striking out with two on in the third and flying out with the bases loaded in the fifth. But with Baltimore trailing 1-0 and five outs from being swept, Rutschman sparked a comeback with an infield single off Duran, among baseball’s hardest throwers.
Anthony Santander followed by winning a nine-pitch battle, ripping a single into center and moving Rutschman to third. Aaron Hicks, who replaced Austin Hays in left field after the Orioles’ cleanup man left the game with a bruised left hip suffered in a collision at first base, evened the game with a single. Dropped from leadoff to fifth in the Orioles’ lineup amid his struggles after coming off the injured list, Cedric Mullins laced a ball to first base but was retired as both runners advanced. After pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn walked, Westburg earned the game-winning RBI in painful fashion, though he remained in the game at second base as closer Félix Bautista finished off the victory by striking out the side for his 22nd save.
Orioles starter Cole Irvin allowed one run in five innings on Willi Castro’s RBI double in the fifth.
