During their 14-1 victory over the Braves on Monday, the Orioles made a spectacular defensive play that would make Brooks Robinson proud.
In the sixth inning, Atlanta's Dansby Swanson hit a hard grounder that deflected off the glove of shortstop Andrew Velasquez, but third baseman Rio Ruiz quickly grabbed the ball barehanded and threw out Swanson at first to end the inning.
The Orioles had a comfortable 13-1 lead when the play was made.
“That’s a great heads-up play by Rio. He didn’t give up on the play. That’s what it’s all about. Just focus on 27 outs,” said José Iglesias, who was taken out of the game after five innings.
Said starter Jorge López: “Big play. The Orioles have really good defense. The whole team has been great on defense. … They will do whatever it takes to make those plays.”