HR robbery karma: Santander pulls a J-Rod ... on J-Rod!

BALTIMORE -- Anthony Santander got some revenge for one of his Orioles teammates early in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Mariners at Camden Yards by making a fantastic jumping catch. Then, the 28-year-old outfielder impressed all of them with the continuation of his recent home run surge.

Let’s start with Santander’s defensive gem, though, because it was a remarkable play that provided Baltimore with an early jolt of energy.

On Saturday, Ryan O’Hearn nearly hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Baltimore’s 6-4, 10-inning win over Seattle. However, he got robbed via a sensational catch by Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who took back the homer by reaching over the left-center-field wall, just in front of the Orioles’ bullpen.

The first time Rodríguez stepped to the plate in the first inning on Sunday, the 22-year-old rising star thought he had a homer of his own, which would have been his second in as many days. But on this day, he was on the wrong end of a home run theft.

Rodríguez blasted a 1-2 slider from Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish the opposite way to right-center field at an exit velocity of 104.9 mph and a launch angle of 33 degrees, per Statcast. The ball traveled 377 feet and would have been a homer at 13 of the 30 MLB ballparks -- but not at Camden Yards, thanks to Santander.

A 2020 American League Gold Glove finalist, Santander again flashed the leather by leaping at the wall -- directly in front of the grounds crew shed -- and taking away a homer for Rodríguez with a terrific grab.

“I thought I had a chance,” Santander said of his initial read. “It was a high fly ball, so I was making sure to run all the way back to the fence and make good timing.”

After throwing the ball back into the infield, Santander raised his right arm in the air and then received a high-five from center fielder Cedric Mullins. Meanwhile, all Rodríguez could do was smile, as he flashed a wide grin and clapped his hands together on his way back to Seattle’s dugout.

After all, Rodríguez knew how great Santander must have been feeling at that moment. Both Bradish and O’s catcher Anthony Bemboom were feeling pretty good, too.

“That was almost the highlight of my game right there,” said Bradish, who allowed only two runs and struck out seven over a season-high-tying seven innings. “To have that in the first inning kind of fired me up.”

Added Bemboom: “Off the bat, I thought it was a home run. But that was a really awesome play. And then, he came up with a huge home run.”

No surprise there. A lot of balls that have made contact with Santander’s bat have left the yard this week.

In the third inning on Sunday, Santander blasted a game-tying two-run homer to right field off a 2-2 curveball from Mariners starter George Kirby. It was Santander’s team-leading 14th home run of the season, with five of them coming in the past six games. He became the first Oriole to go deep in three straight contests this year, a feat he achieved for the second time in his seven-year big league career (also Aug. 8-11, 2021).

Santander's homer tear is coming after he didn't go deep in any of his first 14 games of June. Manager Brandon Hyde believes Santander is heating up because he’s had better timing on his swings against fastballs, which then gives him a better opportunity to see more breaking pitches -- like the one he crushed 390 feet Sunday.

“He’s staying on the ball so well,” Hyde said. “He’s got a ton of confidence right now, like he should.”

Santander is always having fun. He’s consistently flashing smiles -- in the clubhouse, in the dugout and on the field -- on a daily basis.

But what’s more fun? Robbing a homer or hitting a clutch one?

“The first one is good because I’m able to keep the score at zero for my pitcher,” Santander said, sporting a grin. “And a homer to tie the game, or give the lead to the team, is also fun. It all depends on the situation.”

Here’s something else that’s fun: Series wins.

In Friday’s opener vs. Seattle, Baltimore took a 13-1 loss, its most lopsided defeat of the season thus far. The club bounced back by winning in 10 innings on Saturday and then recording a one-run victory on Sunday, when it also earned its 27th comeback win of 2023, tied with Cincinnati for the most in MLB.

It was a strong response by the Orioles (47-29), who still have not been swept in a series or lost more than three consecutive games this season.

“Whatever happened that first game, we just leave it in the past,” Santander said. “We came the next two days with the right mentality, with good energy, and we were able to win those games.”