– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — Sunday’s game proved once more that, in many an instance, quality is much more important than quantity, and Gunnar Henderson’s timely hit — combined with another Albert Suárez quality start — allowed the Baltimore Orioles a crucial split in a series with a bitter division rival.
Henderson’s two-run homer was the highlight of a three-run sixth inning for the Orioles, who defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-2 in the final game of a four-game set inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The blast was just one of only three hits for Baltimore on the afternoon, as Adley Rutschman’s solo shot in the fifth provided the game’s first run and the first hit of the game for Baltimore and the Orioles won despite being outhit 11-3 by Boston.
Baltimore’s offense has Suárez to thank, as he produced his third consecutive scoreless outing while getting into and out of jams against Boston’s high-powered offense. Going back to August 6, when he threw five scoreless innings in an emergency start in Toronto after scheduled starter Grayson Rodriguez was scratched just minutes before the game, Suárez has delivered 17 2/3 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball, continuing one of the best comeback stories in Major League Baseball in 2024.
Suarez, who did not pitch in the Majors since 2017 and had stops in Korea and Japan before this year, now has eight scoreless outings in his 17 starts this season, the most in the league.
“That’s an amazing stat. I heard about that before his last one,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought the fastball once again got better as the game went on. His pitch mix has really improved over the course of this year. A lot more confidence in his changeup.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Rodney Pierce. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 35 pictures in total.
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