Means Finishes Orioles’ Road Trip with No-Hitter

The Baltimore Orioles just wanted to take the rubber game on Wednesday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners and come back to Camden Yards with a winning record on the road trip. John Means not only gave them a win but pitched the Orioles’ first no-hitter in 30 years.

Means was dominant on the mound Wednesday against the Mariners, striking out 12 while facing the minimum 27 batters, the lone of which reached base on a dropped third strike. Not only did Means give the Orioles the outing they needed, but also managed to give the entire bullpen an extra day off.

While Means was impressive on the mound, the Oriole offense managed to get behind him early in the game. DJ Stewart began the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the second to score Ryan Mountcastle. Ramon Urias followed it up with an RBI single of his own to score Stewart but was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double.

In the top of the seventh with a 2-0 lead, Pat Valaika hit his first home run of the year to extend the Orioles’ lead to 3-0. In the next inning, Trey Mancini doubled the lead with a three-run home run, his sixth of the season. The Orioles would go on to win 6-0.

Baltimore went 4-2 on their recent road trip, taking both series against Oakland and Seattle. The Orioles will enjoy an off-day on Thursday and will return to action Friday night against the Boston Red Sox for a four-game series concluding Monday.

Matt Harvey is next up in the rotation for the Orioles, who pitched 5.2 innings of four-hit baseball, allowing two runs and three walks while getting the win on May 1 against Oakland. Eduardo Rodriguez is the probable starter for the Red Sox, although nothing has been confirmed.

Game 1 will begin Friday at 7:05 p.m. EST from Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md.