O's cap Fenway sweep with MLB-high sixth comeback win

BOSTON -- With a talented, youthful lineup, it’s only fitting that in the early goings of the season, the Orioles have morphed into the comeback kids, picking up their sixth such win on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep against the division-rival Red Sox.

In the series finale, Baltimore’s bats unleashed late, as the club scored six runs in the 10th inning for a 9-4 victory to conclude a 4-2 road trip.

“I just want us to play good baseball, no matter who we’re playing,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I feel really good about a winning road trip. You definitely want to play your division well and we did that this series.”

“It’s a good start to the AL East,” said starter Grayson Rodriguez. “To be able to come in here, obviously a hostile environment in the first two games, and being able to get three wins out of this, is big.”

Things didn’t start so well for the visitors, as Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on the strength of three doubles against Rodriguez. The Baltimore hurler would settle down, finishing his night after allowing only three more hits and a walk, while striking out five.

“A little rocky first inning,” Rodriguez said. “I was able to get settled in after that, and the offense prevailed in the end.”

The Orioles pulled within a run in the top of the fifth inning when Colton Cowser connected for his first big league home run, and Anthony Santander put them ahead with a Statcast-projected 332-foot two-run homer just past Pesky’s Pole in the eighth inning. Boston responded immediately, tying the game in the bottom half of the frame and forcing extra innings after neither team scored in the ninth.

With Jackson Holliday serving as the automatic runner to start the 10th, Gunnar Henderson led things off and tilted the game back in Baltimore’s favor by slicing through the rolling fog with a 371-foot two-run blast into the Green Monster seats.

For the Baltimore shortstop, it was his third home run of the season, but the O’s weren’t done yet.

“We all buy in together, embrace it, pass the baton and try to pick up the next guy,” Henderson said.

Cedric Mullins punched another run home and put runners at the corners, leading to Cowser’s second career home run, this one a mammoth 438-foot blast over the bullpen in left field.

“We do have confidence in our offense, and we know we can do a lot of different things,” Hyde said. “So far this year, we’ve taken great at-bats over the last third of the game.”

“It’s cool to see the bats come alive at the end there, where it matters the most,” Rodriguez said.

The four home runs hit by the Orioles in the game were a season high and powered the win for the team’s first sweep at Fenway Park since April of 2021. It was also the third straight game in which the team scored seven or more runs.

“We had a couple of opportunities early and didn’t cash in,” Henderson said. “But we were able to come through late and ultimately get the sweep.”

“We had a pretty good series here,” said Cowser. “I’m looking forward to the next one.”