– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — On one hand, tonight’s victory only tempered the somber news that broke earlier in the day around Birdland. However, the win also is a sign that the Orioles, as they have over the past couple of years, have yet to let adversity derail their path toward the top of the American League East and beyond, as well as a sign of the depth of the squad that can get winning contributions from a host of relatively unsung heroes.
On Friday, it was Jorge Mateo who delivered the big hit, a two-run double as part of a three-run sixth inning, as Baltimore came from behind to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Albert Suárez, who had not started a game in the Major Leagues since 2017 before two months ago, allowed just one run in five innings as the Orioles have now won seven of their last eight games.
Suárez, who has also come out of the bullpen this season, now looks to be a mainstay in the starting rotation for the foreseeable future after Orioles general manager Mike Elias announced earlier today that starting pitchers John Means and Tyler Wells will both miss the rest of the 2024 season due to UCL injures in their throwing arms. It is unclear at the moment if both need Tommy John surgery, which both have undergone earlier in their careers.
But whether it’s been the 2022 trade of one of the franchise’s most beloved players in recent memory, Trey Mancini, to last season’s UCL injury and eventual Tommy John operation on elite closer and legitimate Cy Young Award candidate Félix Bautista, the Orioles have continued to face adversity and shine through despite it, with no plans to do otherwise as the calendar now turns to June.
“You have to move forward. The game doesn’t stop for anybody. It doesn’t slow down for anybody,” said Orioles left fielder Austin Hays, whose RBI single in the sixth inning tied the score at 1-1. “We’re really got to rally together as a team. We have a lot of guys in this locer room that they’ve done a good job with that over the last couple of years — stepping up when guys go down, moving into different roles. … It’s a different hero every night.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Tim Rice. 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 16 pictures in total.
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