BALTIMORE -- As nearby thunderstorms approached Camden Yards late Thursday afternoon, a chess match broke out between Orioles manager Craig Albernaz and Cubs manager Craig Counsell amid a tight game in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With a sequence that featured two pinch-hitters in the same plate appearance, Albernaz made all the right moves to get Baltimore a 3-2 victory in the series finale against Chicago.
Trailing 2-1, the O’s had runners on first and second with one out in the eighth after Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso were hit by consecutive pitches from right-hander Tyler Ferguson. Although Ferguson was struggling with command, the Orioles wanted a better matchup, so they sent the left-handed-hitting Dylan Beavers to the plate in place of Tyler O’Neill.
Counsell countered by bringing in lefty Ryan Rolison. But Albernaz had one final move up his sleeve -- sending right-handed-hitting Jeremiah Jackson to the plate to pinch-hit for Beavers. Sure, Baltimore would lose Beavers. But Jackson had the potential to swing the game.
That’s exactly what happened. Jackson promptly smacked a double to right-center field, and both Henderson and Alonso scored on the play to give the O’s a one-run lead. Alonso, who came all the way around from first, was visibly amped as he slid into home plate and then celebrated with his teammates. (The safe call at the plate was reviewed by replay after the Cubs challenged, but it stood.)
It was Jackson’s first hit since returning from a brief demotion to Triple-A Norfolk. The 26-year-old infielder/outfielder was optioned on June 28, then got recalled five days later.
The Orioles (43-51) needed a win to avoid falling a season-worst 10 games below .500. They also denied the Cubs of a three-game sweep with the matinee victory.
Baltimore will look to carry the positive momentum into this weekend’s three-game home set vs. Kansas City, its final series before the All-Star break.