HOUSTON -- Brandon Young started Sunday’s outing with a play that wouldn’t have been out of place in the World Cup final. He then put on an impressive pitching exhibition.
Young allowed six baserunners in seven efficient innings, and the Orioles ran their winning streak to seven games by completing a three-game sweep of the Astros with a 5-2 victory at Daikin Park.
Young (8-2) allowed one run, five hits and a walk while striking out seven, helping Baltimore attain its longest winning streak since a seven-game spree in September 2023. His 95-pitch outing included a balanced assortment of four-seam fastballs (30, maxing out at 96.1 mph), sinkers (28), splitters (15), sliders (14) and curveballs (eight).
“B.Y. was outstanding today,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Our pitching staff as a whole had one walk. B.Y. was real efficient, attacking the strike zone [and] had all of his pitches working. It was a really fun outing to watch him do his thing.”
It was Young’s fancy footwork, however, that stuck out. Leading off for the Astros in the first, Jose Altuve hit a shot that took one hop before striking Young’s right shoe. Maneuvering the ball behind his back, Young spun and caught it at his waist before throwing Altuve out.
“That was tight,” Albernaz said. “A little hacky-sack move right there. He wanted to show off his new cleats, too.”
Young said he hasn’t played soccer since he was 7, but frequently played hacky sack throughout his five years in the Minors. That might have factored into what he called instinct just to kick the ball up.
“I was trying to stop it, trying to just get it, and luckily it one-hopped into my foot perfectly, and I got lucky and bounced it up,” said Young, who saw video of his play after two buddies sent it to him. “It was pretty cool. Good way to start the game.”
Young hails from Lumberton, Texas, roughly 100 miles northeast of Houston, and has felt quite at home at Daikin Park. Houston was the site of his first Major League win a year ago, when he threw 7 2/3 perfect innings before surrendering an infield single. On Sunday, he said he had lots of friends and family on hand.
“Just feels comfortable, I guess. Nostalgic,” Young said. “Coming in here, indoors, A.C. No knock on Camden, but I enjoy throwing here for sure.”
Though totaling just six hits, Baltimore had 16 baserunners Sunday, thanks to seven walks and three hit batters. The Orioles, who lead the American League in walks and have drawn at least one in 91 straight games, saw their patience pay off against Astros starter Hunter Brown, who surrendered a career-high six free passes.
Jackson Holliday led off the third with a walk and, after advancing to second on a wild pitch, scored on Gunnar Henderson’s single. After Pete Alonso walked two outs later to put runners at first and third, he and Henderson executed a double steal to put Baltimore up 2-0. It was symbolic of the aggression that produced four stolen bases in five attempts Sunday.
“[We just want to] continue to put pressure on the defenses,” Henderson said. “If you do that over the course of nine innings, you’re bound to break through.”
After two walks and a plunking of Alonso loaded the bases in the fifth, Leody Taveras chased Brown with a two-run single that made it 4-1. Coby Mayo’s 13th homer gave Baltimore its final run in the sixth.
Their seven-game winning streak has pushed the Orioles within two games of the American League’s last wild card spot. Up next: an even hotter Red Sox team that has won 13 in a row entering a three-game series that begins Monday night in Boston.
“I still think we’ve got more in us,” Mayo said. “I think there’s a lot of versatility in this team, a lot of guys that can do a lot. We didn’t light up the hit column today, but we did enough.”