McCann ties career high in RBIs and Orioles find more reasons to celebrate

The 1983 Orioles had three future Hall of Famers on their roster but also reserves who stepped up in pressure situations, contributions made from top to bottom that led to the organization’s last World Series championship.

This year’s club is reliant on 26 players, too early to know who might be ticketed for Cooperstown. And they keep finding new and creative ways to win.

It could be a starter or reliever, a regular or a backup. Many times, it’s a group effort.

In his first game against the Mets since they traded him in December, catcher James McCann had a two-run single in the fourth inning, a two-run double in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh to tie his career high. Rookie Jordan Westburg reached base four times, scoring from first base in the sixth on Ryan O’Hearn’s tie-breaking fly ball that fell in right-center field, and hammering a 424-foot, three-run homer in the seventh.

Mike Baumann got a big double play to end the top half of the inning and retired all four batters that he faced.

So typical of the 2023 Orioles. Everyone pulling on the same rope, perhaps dragging them deep into October.  

A celebration weekend at Camden Yards began with a 10-3 victory over the Mets before an announced crowd of 29,550 that moved the Orioles a season-high 26 games above .500 at 68-42.

The Rays also won to stay two games behind the Orioles, who improved to 25-11 in series openers.

The outcome guaranteed that the Orioles would go 75 consecutive series without being swept, the fifth-longest streak in major league history.

McCann hadn’t collected four RBIs since June 2, 2021 in Arizona. His only five-RBI game was Aug. 12, 2017 with the Tigers. He had one multi-hit game this season before tonight.

“I feel like over the course of the season I’ve hit a lot of balls hard that found gloves. Tonight they didn’t find gloves, so I feel really blessed,” McCann said.

“Just so happy for him,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “He’s had such tough luck this year, I feel like, and it’s never easy when you’re not playing every day, getting two or three starts a week and trying to produce. That’s a tough role. But he gives us good at-bats, and tonight it was nice to see him get some results. Hit the ball hard and drive in some big runs for us. Got a little frisky on the bases, as well.

“He was a huge part of our hitters meeting today. He’s been around the league for a while, so he’s got a lot of history with a lot of people. And I love how he’s willing to share everything and just wants to win. He’s super helpful with our hitters, he’s super helpful to our pitching staff. He’s been everything as advertised.”

The opponent mattered.

“I’d be lying if I said ‘no,’ but at the end of the day you’ve got to take it day by day, pitch by pitch, and that’s something this team’s been really good at,” McCann said.

“That’s his old team,” Westburg said. “He’s playing with a little bit of edge this week, I think, in this series. He’s a catcher, so he’s caught a lot of these arms. He knows first-hand how pitches moves, what guys’ tendencies are. He’s very helpful giving us tips here and there on certain guys. He’s playing with an edge, and tonight I felt like he was a little more fiery than usual, which was awesome to see. Usually these games go one of two ways when you have a little more energy like that. They either go really bad or really good, and to see it go really good for him was pretty cool.”

Westburg drew a one-out walk against Phil Bickford in the sixth and hustled home on O’Hearn’s single, slowly momentarily before finding another gear. Ramón Urías singled and McCann followed with a 396-foot double off the left field wall for a 5-2 lead.

McCann stole third base, former Orioles reliever Reed Garrett walked Ryan McKenna and Adley Rutschman delivered a sacrifice fly for his 51st RBI.

“Take what the defense allows, and I think if you watch us, we run the bases hard,” Hyde said. “I like us being aggressive, I like us being smart. I don’t see us making a ton of outs on the bases.”

Garrett’s reunion struck only sour notes.

Gunnar Henderson led off the seventh with a double, Austin Hays reached on an infield hit and Westburg cleared the center field fence for a 9-2 lead – only his second major league home run.

McCann singled off Trevor Gott after Colton Cowser walked and Urías reached on an infield hit. The Orioles sent nine batters to the plate. The deadline buyers were acting like bullies.

Dean Kremer carried a one-hit shutout into the sixth inning, retired 13 of 14 batters and lost the strike zone. He issued three consecutive walks, beginning with No. 9 hitter Rafael Ortega, who was 0-for-11 this season, and Francisco Lindor lined a two-run, game-tying single into right-center field.

Hyde removed Kremer at 87 pitches. He allowed two hits in 5 1/3 innings but walked four.

“Lost command. I don’t know. He was pitching so well,” Hyde said.

“Just kind of lost feel for stuff there in the sixth,” Kremer said. “Really glad Mike got out of it.”

Baumann replaced Kremer, and Pete Alonso grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Baumann became the pitcher of record after O’Hearn’s run-scoring single and improved to 9-0, breaking Grant Jackson’s 1973 club record for most wins by a reliever without a loss to begin a season.

“For me, he got the two biggest outs of the game and gets a win for it,” Hyde said. “Getting Alonso to hit into a double play there, that was the turning point of the game.”

“He’s 9-0,” Kremer said, “so he’s been pretty important. He’s kind of been that fireman all year. Early in the game and late in the game, he comes in and closes the door.”

The Orioles played a video tribute to Mets manager Buck Showalter before he brought the lineup card to home plate. Fans stood to applaud Showalter, who leaned on the dugout railing and touched the bill of his cap twice. Stoic on the outside, at least.

Showalter was drumming his fingers on that same railing after Lindor doubled with two outs in the first inning, broke early for third base and was picked off by Kremer.

The Mets didn’t get another hit until Lindor’s two-run single.

Rutchman drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Mountcastle, who went 11-for-13 in Toronto, lined a single into left field at 112 mph. But the Orioles couldn’t score against left-hander David Peterson.

Back in the rotation after six straight relief appearances, Peterson shut out the Orioles on one hit and three walks in three innings. He was gone after 52 pitches.

The Mets looked like sellers after Peterson left.

John Curtiss entered in the fourth and the Orioles led 2-0 after a leadoff walk to Hays, Westburg’s single and stolen base, and McCann’s one-out single. McCann was batting .197 with 10 RBIs. He collected half that total tonight.

“He does wonders behind the dish,” Kremer said. “Even when he’s not playing, he’s still involved with Adley and the pitching staff and the analytics guy and kind of giving a game plan for us as a pitching staff. To see him crush some balls today was really fun.”

Back-to-back four-run innings gave the Orioles a rare breather. They’ve won five of six, nine of 13 and 19 of 26.

“Our offense has been pretty explosive the past week or so,” Westburg said. “One through nine in Toronto, did a great job of contributing, and that’s just what we did tonight.”

Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray have World Series rings and are in the Hall of Fame. The 2023 Orioles will settle for the ring.

“It’s a really good group of guys, obviously a very talented group of guys,” McCann said. “I’ve said this really since spring training, the talent’s easy to see. It’s the stuff that happens in the clubhouse, it’s the stuff that happens on road trips. Just to see guys truly love each other, guys truly pull for each other, and that’s part of why you see the guys having success that they are. It’s just a great place to show up every day to work. It’s not work when you love everything you’re doing.

“Obviously when I got traded here, I knew the hot stretch that they had down the stretch last year and I knew it was going to be building off that. But the more I was around guys during spring training, the beginning of the season, you see how guys operate, you start to realize there’s something special here.”

* Billy Cook hit his 17th home run with Double-A Bowie and Joseph Rosa hit his fourth – both two-run shots. Kyle Brnovich allowed two runs and three hits with five strikeouts in four innings.

Logan Rinehart, acquired from the Mariners for relieved Eduard Bazardo, tossed three scoreless innings with one hit allowed with High-A Aberdeen. Maxwell Costes had two hits and two runs scored.

Carter Young drove in three runs for Single-A Delmarva. Noelberth Romero hit his fifth home run. Randy Florentino had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Reliever Joe Kemlage didn’t allow a run or hit and didn’t walk a batter in three innings.