Orioles Outslug MLB’s Top Offense, Sweep Series in Houston

Behind some outstanding hitting of their own, the Baltimore Orioles dwarfed MLB’s top offense, taking a series sweep on the road against the Houston Astros

Following last week’s three-game series at home when the Houston Astros outscored the Baltimore Orioles 26-3 en route to a series sweep, the Orioles took to Houston to play the back half of the season series between these two teams. And, while odds heavily favored the Astros winning the series, the Orioles came out this week looking for revenge, which is exactly what they got in Houston.

So far this season, the Astros’ offense has led Major League Baseball in wOBA, knocking in the most hits of any team and scoring the most runs. Leading this offensive charge for Houston has been shortstop Carlos Correa, who is in the midst of somewhat of a resurgence after struggling at the plate in 2020. Behind him, the Astros have gotten some major contributions from Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Yordan Alvarez, and Michael Brantley, each of which has a wRC+ north of 140 to this point in the season.

On Monday, the Orioles defeated the Astros, 9-7, sealing the win with a massive five-run ninth inning. Eight of the team’s nine batters recorded a hit, combining for 15 hits in the game. Each of the Orioles’ top four hitters had a multi-hit game as well, led by a night from Ryan Mountcastle in which he recorded an RBI single, a two-run home run, and a pair of walks.

In game two on Tuesday, the Orioles routed the Astros in a blowout 13-3 victory, backed by a four-hit performance from the team’s lone all-star finalist, Cedric Mullins. As a unit, the offense exploded for 16 hits and five walks, scoring nine runs in the final two innings of the game. With two outs in the ninth inning, back-up catcher Austin Wynns launched a two-run home run to cap off the offensive output and balloon the O’s lead to 10 runs.

With the series win already intact entering Wednesday’s series finale, the bats weren’t quite as electric as they had been in the previous two games. However, behind four and one-third innings of two-run ball from Matt Harvey, the offense was able to pull away and secure a 5-2 win to complete the sweep. Third baseman Maikel Franco showed out with his second three-hit game of the series, including an RBI single in the first inning to extend the Orioles’ lead.

Despite the overshadowing effect Cedric Mullins’ outstanding series may have, coming at a perfect time with phase two All-Star ballots live this week, it should not be understated how impactful Austin Hays was during this series. Across the three games, Hays recorded six total hits, including a pair of home runs, and six RBIs.

These three wins to close on the month of June make up just the second sweep of the season for the Orioles, joining the team’s three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox to open the season. Beyond the off-day on Thursday, the Orioles will return to action on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.