Holliday, Santander give O's much-needed jolt in comeback win

TORONTO -- A veteran jolt and a breath of fresh air.

After some tough injury news and bad bounces on the field, the Orioles needed life. They found it on Wednesday night in the trusted bat of Anthony Santander and the promising power of Jackson Holliday.

Santander homered twice in the O’s 7-3 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, once in the first inning and again in the eighth, but the most decisive swing of the evening belonged to Holliday, who hit a two-run blast in the seventh to flip the score and give Baltimore a one-run lead.

In doing so, the 20-year-old Holliday became the youngest player in AL history to homer in three consecutive games. He’s also just the 16th player to achieve the feat before his 21st birthday.

But Holliday was more interested in discussing what that homer meant for his club.

“Obviously, it was a pretty important moment in the game to flip the score,” said Holliday. “We kind of needed a little bit of momentum.”

The final numbers do little to convey the levels of tension in this one.

After announcing that Grayson Rodriguez, Jacob Webb and Heston Kjerstad had all landed on the injured list, the O’s were met with a tight contest nearly all the way through. Santander’s first-inning two-run homer gave Baltimore a short-lived lead, as the Blue Jays scored once in the bottom half and added two more in the second frame, aided by a throwing error from Coby Mayo.

Zeros piled up and frustration mounted in the middle innings until manager Brandon Hyde was handed his fourth ejection of the season for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the fifth. Hyde was pretty contained in his reaction, but he didn’t step off the field without saying his piece.

“We just kept getting some calls that didn't feel like it was going our way,” said Hyde. “And I probably said one too many things. I let [home plate umpire Larry Vanover] know that we needed to get the ball down in the strike zone for us to have a chance.”

Santander was set on giving the O’s that chance.

The 29-year-old rewrote his own record books by reaching a new career high with 34 home runs this season. He added a lead-saving catch to end the bottom of the seventh to cap off another all-around display in what has shaped up as a potential career year.

“That's just what he's been doing this year,” said Hyde. “He has just been playing unbelievable baseball on both sides. To make that type of play … He is just so locked in to win right now. We come to the ballpark and it's all about winning tonight's game. He’s gonna do anything he can to win tonight’s game.”

That’s the type of guy you want in your clubhouse as the rookies keep rolling in.

Now in his eighth big league season, Santander has been a staple of this O’s team for a while. As Baltimore’s core of young talent and experienced sluggers continues to go neck and neck with the Yankees for the AL East title, Santander’s value goes beyond what we’re seeing on the field.

The art of winning is usually taught by example.

“He's unbelievable,” said Holliday. “So fun to watch. He’s a great leader in the clubhouse and a great presence. It’s just awesome to be able to watch him from the dugout instead of on TV.”

It’s been fun to watch Holliday, too.

His third homer in as many games brought his slash line to .375/.444/.917 since his return to the big leagues on July 31. And what a booming way to do it.

With one out and a runner on third, Holliday hammered an 0-2 fastball up in the zone for a Statcast-projected 424 feet at 107.2 mph off the bat. He’s done plenty of damage on those pitches in the past, but you don’t swing like that without confidence.

“It's just ... Get hits to be able to help the team,” Holliday said. “But yeah, they start to pile up, I’m getting a few knocks here and there and I’ve been able to put some good swings on the ball lately.”

This always seemed like a matter of time -- as long as Holliday stays true to what’s worked in the past, he should be able to hit his stride under the lights. It doesn’t hurt to see the ball go over the fence this often.