Baltimore Orioles: A win on the bats of Jonathan Schoop, Jones

The Baltimore Orioles got a 12th inning RBI-single from Jonathan Schoop, followed by a three-run Adam Jones homer to defeat Toronto 6-2.

A loss yesterday wouldn’t have meant game over for Jonathan Schoop and the Baltimore Orioles in terms of the grand scheme of the 2016 season. Not by a long shot. But yesterday I called the game a must win, more so for psychological reasons than anything else. A loss would have meant a winless road trip, and the Birds returning home having surrendered first place.

The O’s needed Chris Tillman to be a stopper yesterday, and for the most part he gave them the effort they wanted and needed. Tillman’s line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K. The O’s would have probably preferred Tillman to have gone deeper into the game, however he put the team in a spot to win.

Toronto led 2-0 for much of the game, a tally that included a Tulowitzki solo home run. Keep in mind that Tulowitzski has hit the Orioles hard – both in general and in this series. Later in the game he was hit by a pitch, something that forced him out of the game before the eighth inning. That meant Donaldson had to slide into his spot in the field, whereas he was previously the DH – forcing Toronto to surrender their Designated Hitter. In an extra innings game, little things like that can make a difference.

Motor City Bengals

An RBI-groundout by Alvarez, and a sac fly-RBI by Wieters in the seventh tied the game at two. And they played on – into extra innings. Toronto may have put a crooked number up against the O’s on Saturday, but if the Orioles were going to go down on this day it would be a bit tougher on the home team.

With Toronto running out of players due to the DH situation, the game went to the 12th inning. Pedro Alvarez walked to lead off the inning, and he was balked to second base. That brought Schoop up with one out and a runner in scoring position later in the inning. And Schoop didn’t disappoint – his RBI-single to left field gave the Birds a 3-2 lead, their first of the game.

But the O’s weren’t done yet. Later in the inning Adam Jones came up with two on. And he didn’t disappoint either, sending a three-run homer into the second deck at Rogers Centre. That took much of the drama out of the last of the 12th, however Toronto went down 1-2-3, and the O’s returned home to Baltimore in first place. 

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While it was a tough road trip and the Orioles are only in first by a half game, the fact is that they’re in first. That gives them some momentum going into another huge series this week with Texas. Again, a loss yesterday wouldn’t have ended their season, but psychologically it would have made things much tougher.

Next: Baltimore Orioles aquire pitcher Wade Miley

And the O’s of course got what could be thought of as a shot in the arm after the game when they trade for LHP Wade Miley. Time will tell how big a shot in the arm that ends up being, but they needed a starter and they got one. The actual trade deadline is at 4 PM this afternoon, so the O’s could still swing another deal if they wanted.