Let’s just say it: this is a game the Orioles had no business winning.
The O’s had a pitcher making his major league debut facing off against the best pitcher in baseball. Orioles pitchers allowed 13 hits and nine walks, with the Reds getting 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Had just one or two of the 365 pitches in this game gone differently, we could well be talking about another depressing Birds defeat.
And yet: the Orioles pulled it out. Thanks to a five-homer Birds attack and Cincinnati stranding a small army of baserunners, the O’s got back on track, winning 9-5.