For as many hard-hit outs as Orioles rookie Ryan Mountcastle had early this year, perhaps Friday’s go-ahead home run was the greatest sign that his luck is turning around.
Mountcastle’s wall-scraper was more like a face-scraper as it hit a spectator after eluding the leaping Eddie Rosario and a few outstretched fans’ arms, but just as he gave it enough juice to get out of the ballpark, it gave the Orioles just enough for a 2-1 win over Cleveland Friday before a season-high 12,009 fans at Camden Yards.
That home run, which came with a runner on first base after a walk and a fielder’s choice, was just the Orioles’ second hit of the game after a DJ Stewart double in the second inning.