During the dark days of the Orioles’ rebuild, the potential for bright nights such as Monday offered salvation.
There was rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, long billed as Baltimore’s ace-to-be, fulfilling that promise. His six innings of dominance against the Chicago White Sox came with Adley Rutschman catching him and Gunnar Henderson backing him at shortstop, the pair of 2019 draftees each sparking an offensive rally. DL Hall — Rodriguez’s predecessor as an Orioles’ first-round pick, his successor as their top pitching prospect, and one of his closest friends in the organization — was among the three relievers who followed him to finish off a 9-0 victory against Chicago that secured Baltimore’s second straight winning season.
The quartet stewarded the Orioles’ hopes for much of a rebuild during which they finished with one of the majors’ five worst records in four straight seasons. But since the first of them arrived — Rutschman in May 2022 — Baltimore (82-49) has not been swept, a streak that extended to 82 straight multi-game series with Monday’s victory. Henderson and Hall eventually joined Rutschman as the Orioles pushed for but fell short of a playoff berth last year.
Rodriguez, too, might have factored in if not for a right lat muscle strain that cost him three months. Instead, his debut was pushed into 2023, but his career began with a string of inconsistent outings. Through 10 major league starts, the 23-year-old had a 7.35 ERA, his fastball being hit hard and often.
A return to Triple-A featured a return to form for Rodriguez, who entered this year regarded as one of the sport’s top pitching prospects. He has looked worthy of that status since returning to Baltimore. Monday’s six scoreless frames featured a hit and walk apiece from a Chicago lineup that entered the day last in the big leagues in on-base percentage. In eight starts since returning to the majors, Rodriguez owns a 2.83 ERA, and opponents are batting .199 against him.
For a time Monday, it looked as if the White Sox (52-80) might hit .000. Rodriguez’s four-seam fastball, a pitch bludgeoned in his first major league stint, averaged above 99 mph through the first three frames as he blitzed through the Chicago order the first time through. He stretched it to 11 straight outs before Luis Robert Jr.’s deep double, but only a one-out walk in the sixth prevented an otherwise perfect start.
Between scoreless outings from Jacob Webb and Shintaro Fujinami, Hall provided 1 1/3 shutout innings in his second relief appearance since being recalled. Hall lacked his typical velocity earlier in the year, requiring a strengthening period at the Orioles’ Sarasota, Florida, complex, but its return positions him to be a key reliever for Baltimore down the stretch for a second straight year.
The Orioles wasted a scoring opportunity to support Rodriguez in the second, placing runners on second and third with no outs and failing to score, but they capitalized on their next two opportunities. Rutschman singled to open the third, scoring along with Anthony Santander on Ryan O’Hearn’s bases-loaded single. The next frame, after Ryan McKenna walked and stole second, Rutschman advanced him to third with a deep flyball. With Henderson in the batter’s box, McKenna scored on a wild pitch, but Henderson started a two-out rally with a single, eventually scoring on an RBI knock from Ryan Mountcastle.
Baltimore broke the game open in the ninth on a two-run single from McKenna and a three-run blast from Santander, the latter coming on the 11th pitch of his at-bat.
This story will be updated.
White Sox at Orioles
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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