Overview
- The Orioles beat the Angels 3-1 after Pete Alonso’s two-run single and Cade Povich’s six scoreless innings in a game that featured rookie Christian Franklin’s major-league debut and a Tyler O’Neill pinch-hit homer on Tuesday.
- Baltimore followed with a 5-2 win on Wednesday when Tyler O’Neill and Coby Mayo hit back-to-back homers and Trevor Rogers carried a two-hitter into the seventh inning.
- The wins came after the club traded away frontline contributors including Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer and move the Orioles to 56-58, bringing them within a game of .500 and tightening the AL wild-card race.
- Short-term resilience has come from a mix of returned starters, bench power and rookie play: Povich returned from a long rehab assignment since his last start on May 7, O’Neill has supplied late-game pinch-hit power, and young players like Franklin and Mayo have produced timely runs.
- Baltimore will try to complete a three-game sweep in Thursday’s series finale with playoff positioning on the line and the club’s recent run likely forcing other wild-card contenders to react to a tighter standings picture.