Orioles rally with four runs in seventh to top Phillies

BALTIMORE (Interstat) — Gunnar Henderson’s two-run triple capped a four-run seventh inning that carried the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The win improved Baltimore to 54-56 and gave the Orioles a second consecutive victory after they took two of three from Detroit earlier in the week. The Phillies fell to 57-53 and lost their fourth straight game.

Philadelphia struck first, manufacturing two runs in the opening inning. Trea Turner singled with one out, Kyle Schwarber walked, and Bryce Harper followed with a line-drive single to left that scored Turner and moved Schwarber to second. After Alec Bohm flied out, Brandon Marsh grounded out to second base, allowing Schwarber to score and giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

Baltimore answered in the bottom of the first. Dylan Beavers doubled on a sharp line drive to right, and Pete Alonso followed by homering to right center for his 23rd home run of the season. The two-run shot tied the game at 2.

The Phillies regained the lead in the third when Turner connected on his 16th homer of the season, a fly ball to left center. They extended the lead in the sixth when J.T. Realmuto hit a solo homer to left, making it 4-2.

Andrew Painter started for Philadelphia and kept the Orioles in check for six innings. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out six. He left with the lead, but the Phillies bullpen could not hold it.

The Orioles’ decisive rally began in the seventh against Orion Kerkering. Jackson Holliday singled on a sharp line drive to right, and Colton Cowser walked to put two runners on. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, pinch hitting for Coby Mayo, then doubled to center, scoring both Holliday and Cowser and tying the game at 4. Dylan Beavers struck out, but Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch. Henderson followed with a triple to center, driving in Encarnacion-Strand and Alonso to give Baltimore a 6-4 lead.

Henderson finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs. Encarnacion-Strand went 1 for 1 with two RBIs in his pinch-hit appearance. Alonso was 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs.

Baltimore’s bullpen took over from there. Anthony Nunez entered after Henderson’s triple and struck out Taylor Ward? Actually, the play sequence shows Tim Mayza intentionally walked Taylor Ward after Henderson’s triple, then Leody Taveras grounded out to end the inning. Nunez, according to the key performances, recorded 0.2 innings with no hits and no earned runs, and one strikeout. He was credited with the win, improving to 3-2. Yennier Cano pitched a scoreless inning earlier, and Tyler Wells worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

Kerkering was charged with the loss, falling to 6-1. Chase Shugart also pitched a scoreless inning for Philadelphia in the eighth, striking out one.

The Phillies had six hits, and the Orioles also had six. Turner led Philadelphia with a 3-for-4 night, including a homer and an RBI. Justin Crawford also had a single.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young allowed four earned runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two. The Orioles’ defense turned two double plays, including one in the bottom of the sixth when Leody Taveras grounded into a fielder’s choice with a runner on first, and another in the eighth when Jake Rogers grounded into a double play to erase a Jackson Holliday walk.

The game took 2:37 and drew an announced crowd of 31,857.

Philadelphia entered the game reeling from a three-game sweep at Miami in which the Phillies lost by scores of 8-6, 1-0 and 8-7. The Phillies have now dropped six of their last seven. Baltimore, meanwhile, has won two straight after a 10-9 victory at Detroit in 12 innings and a 14-0 loss in the middle game of that series.

The teams will continue their three-game series Saturday and Sunday at Camden Yards before Philadelphia returns home to face Washington on Monday. Baltimore will host the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Baltimore 5, Philadelphia 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave Philadelphia a 52.40 percent probability to win, and the Phillies were installed as a 1.5-run favorite. The total score of 10 went under the over/under line of 9.