Sanders a revelation for O's as they eke out consecutive 1-run wins vs. Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- There may not be a pitcher on the Orioles’ staff better equipped to handle stressful, high-leverage moments than Cam Sanders. Does the 29-year-old right-hander have the most big league experience? Not even close. But the Thibodaux, La., native has developed a reputation for having a “slow heartbeat” and not getting fazed by pressure-filled situations.

Sanders proved it again Saturday night.

Thrust into a one-run game in the bottom of the 10th inning at Tropicana Field, Sanders worked a scoreless frame to earn the save in Baltimore’s 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay. The O’s (60-63) have now won each of the first two contests of a four-game weekend wraparound series against the American League East-leading Rays.

This win may not have happened, however, without Sanders, once again a hero.

“That was just an awesome feeling,” Sanders said.

“It’s been unbelievable,” manager Craig Albernaz said.

To fully understand the context of what Sanders did Saturday night -- when he inherited an automatic runner and went on to record back-to-back strikeouts of Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios to seal a victory -- it’s important to know how the righty got to this point.

After struggling to an 8.44 ERA over 15 sporadic appearances for the Pirates over the past two seasons, Sanders was designated for assignment on July 11. Two days later, he was traded to the Orioles for cash considerations.

By that weekend, Sanders was already pitching in high-leverage spots for his new club.

On July 17, Sanders’ O’s debut came with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning of a game that Baltimore trailed, 2-1, in Houston. He retired each of the two batters he faced, and the Orioles came back for a 3-2 victory.

Then, on July 18, Sanders pitched a 1-2-3 11th inning to seal the O’s 4-2 win over the Astros.

“For him to navigate that out of the chute, new team and everything, that kind of just shows me he’s ready for it,” Albernaz said. “Getting DFA’d, jumping on with us and getting an opportunity, it can go one of two ways, and he’s going the way of seizing the opportunity and taking full advantage of it.”

It hasn’t been easy since then, either. Sanders was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on July 19 as part of a roster crunch and didn’t return to the Orioles until getting recalled this past Monday.

Now, Sanders is back to helping Baltimore win games. He recorded a one-pitch save in the ninth on Friday to seal a 6-5 win over the Rays, which was followed by Saturday’s showing.

“I’ve been working toward this goal since I can remember,” said Sanders, a 2018 12th-round Draft pick of the Cubs who now has a 2.84 ERA over his first six relief outings for the O’s. “It’s a very awesome feeling to be able to get out there and show the world what I’ve been working toward my whole life.”

After Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero legged out a two-out RBI infield single to tie Saturday’s game at 3 in the bottom of the ninth, Baltimore quickly responded, taking a 4-3 lead on Tyler O’Neill’s leadoff RBI single in the 10th. However, the Orioles failed to add on, leaving the bases loaded in the inning.

Sanders came in and got Chandler Simpson to line out to center field on the first pitch. But then, he issued a one-out walk to Jonny DeLuca, and the Rays had the potential tying run on second and the potential winning run on first.

In the next at-bat, Sanders fell behind, 2-0, to Mullins. He responded by throwing a slider for a called strike and then blowing two four-seam fastballs by the former Oriole, setting him down with a 97.4 mph heater high in the strike zone.

Palacios worked an impressive at-bat with the game on the line. Sanders got ahead, 0-2, but Palacios battled back and worked it to 2-2 by fouling off three pitches and taking two balls. However, Sanders won the fight, getting Palacios to swing and miss at a 98.2 mph four-seamer to end the game.

Sanders emphatically clapped his hands together in celebration. Catcher Yohel Pozo let out a huge first pump and yelled toward the O’s third-base dugout.

“We’re lucky to have him in that back end of the bullpen,” starter Kyle Bradish said.

“For him to pitch through the teeth of the lineup like that, that shows about who he is and his character,” first baseman Pete Alonso added. “That was big time for us.”

These types of moments would be enjoyable for Sanders regardless of which MLB team he was pitching for. But does it mean even more to do it for the Orioles, who are right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race and have a legitimate chance to make a postseason push down the stretch?

“It’s what you play the game for. I’m not here to just play this for fun. I’m here to win games, get to the playoffs, win a World Series,” Sanders said. “That’s been the goal since I started playing. Just being able to go out there and help the team win in a crucial moment like this, it means everything to me. And I’m going to keep doing everything I can to put us in a good position.”