It was a rare game for the Orioles — especially the post-trade deadline Orioles — in which everything seemed to go right.
They pitched well. They hit and ran in different situations. The defense, even with a hodgepodge center field, managed all the plays it needed to.
And even a two-hour, 18-minute delay forcing them to go to their bullpen for the last 3 2/3 innings didn’t ruin it as the Orioles beat the Mariners 5-3 Thursday to win the series at Camden Yards.
It doesn’t change much for an Orioles team that’s 55-66. But beating a playoff contender like the Mariners is one of the few accomplishments this team has left to celebrate this year.
The Orioles’ runs came off fundamental plays. Jordan Westburg took advantage of a wild pitch to score the first run. Then Ryan Mountcastle and Daniel Johnson executed a double steal for the second. A single from Jeremiah Jackson — who also had a great throw in the first inning from right field to get the runner out at second — brought in the third.
Two more runs scored in the fifth, off a double from Gunnar Henderson and a sacrifice fly from Mountcastle. All the while, Tomoyuki Sugano held the Mariners to just two hits in five shutout innings.
Then the rain started. By the time Sugano came out for the top of the six, it was nearly a downpour.
He got one out, but then Josh Naylor singled. Facing Julio Rodriguez, Sugano stepped off multiple times. He was assessed an automatic ball as he tried to dry his hand, then Rodriguez asked for time. Both players started looking into their dugouts, arms raised, confused that play was continuing.
Eventually, the call was made and the tarp was brought out, but by this point the infield had been flooded. A hurried attempt to put the tarp out didn’t do much to stop the deluge.
Over two hours later — after multiple attempts to clean up the infield — Rodriguez finally stepped back into the box with the count 1-1, except it was against Rico García because Sugano’s day was long done.
Four pitches after play resumed, Rodriguez took García’s high fastball to right-center field for a two-run homer. The hundred or so remaining Seattle fans, who had taken advantage of the now open seating policy to move behind the Mariners’ dugout, chanted his name.
A 5-0 lead was down to 5-2.
But Keegan Akin and Kade Strowd got through the seventh and eighth. Dietrich Enns allowed traffic, including loading the bases with just one out, but did enough to secure the win. It was Enns’ first save since Sept. 20, 2021.