O's seize 'beautiful opportunity' at Camden Yards, finish homestand 7-3
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BALTIMORE -- When the Orioles returned home after getting swept by the Rays during a three-game series at Tropicana Field from May 18-20, they sat a season-worst eight games below .500. Their morale could have been low. It even would have been acceptable to have flashbacks to 2025, when a mid-May collapse brought the downfall of Baltimore’s season.
Instead, the O’s used their May 21 off-day to gear up for a season-long 10-game homestand. They arrived at Camden Yards the next day refreshed and rejuvenated, with first baseman Pete Alonso declaring the final week-plus of May as a “beautiful opportunity” to turn things around.
Indeed it was.
The Orioles notched a 9-5 victory over the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon to finish off a 7-3 homestand at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish tossed seven dominant innings and Baltimore cruised after a five-run third capped by a three-run homer from the red-hot Colton Cowser.
After dropping the first two games against Toronto, the O’s won the final two contests of the series, including a 6-5 win on Saturday that featured a five-run comeback in the ninth and a walk-off RBI single by Alonso. The Orioles (28-32) previously took two of three from Detroit and swept a three-game set vs. Tampa Bay.
As the calendar now turns to June -- with the O’s preparing to embark on a six-game American League East road trip through Boston and Toronto -- the vibes are much improved in Baltimore.
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Bradish’s resurgence has helped fuel the Orioles’ recent play. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed three or fewer runs in five consecutive outings -- four of which have been quality starts -- and posted a 1.72 ERA over that span. His hot stretch came after he recorded a 5.03 ERA over his first seven starts of the season.
On Sunday, Bradish allowed only one unearned run on four hits and three walks while striking out four during a 94-pitch, 56-strike showing.
Cowser’s home run (which pushed Baltimore’s lead to 6-0) was his fourth of the year, all coming since May 17. The 26-year-old outfielder went deep three times on the homestand, hitting a walk-off three-run homer in last Sunday’s 5-3 win over Detroit (the opener of a doubleheader) and then belting a walk-off two-run home run in Monday’s 9-7, 13-inning win vs. Tampa Bay.