Despite the heaps of talent that faced off on the mound, Saturday night’s three-hour, fifteen-minute slog was far from a pitcher’s duel. The two starters—future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and Orioles youngster Grayson Rodriguez—labored through two ugly innings on 50-plus pitches apiece, and the staffs combined to allow 18 hits, 14 walks, 3 hit-by-pitches and one balk. Texas pitching was particularly shoddy, failing to record a single three-up, three-down inning all night.
The difference was that while Grayson Rodriguez steadied himself in time to deliver six quality innings, Max Scherzer was bounced after two, his shortest outing in three years, and the Texas bullpen had no magic formula to stop Orioles bats, which scored a decisive eight runs on 12 hits (three of them homers) and nine walks to earn a convincing series win in Arlington.