O's secure series in desert to begin long road trip

PHOENIX -- While sitting in the first-base dugout at Chase Field on Friday evening -- prior to the opener of the series between the Orioles and D-backs -- Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde was asked about the similarities between his club and Arizona.

There are quite a few, beginning with the fact that both could end postseason droughts this year. The O’s haven’t reached the playoffs since 2016, while the D-backs haven’t been since ‘17.

“A young team over there also, but with some good veteran guys surrounded around some really young, athletic players, some high-upside guys that don’t have a ton of time in the big leagues,” Hyde said of Arizona. “It’s going to be a fun team to watch going forward.”

So are the Orioles, as they continued their strong push toward their return to October by getting the best of the upstart D-backs in the desert this weekend.

Baltimore secured a series win on Sunday afternoon, notching an 8-5 victory to take two of three in Arizona. The finale was tied at 4 heading to the sixth, when the O’s used a four-run rally to move ahead for good.

• Games remaining: at LAA (3), at BOS (3), vs. STL (3), vs. TB (4), at HOU (3), at CLE (4), vs. WAS (2), vs. BOS (4)

• Standings update: The Orioles (85-51) remained 2 1/2 games up in the American League East over the second-place Rays (83-54), who defeated the Guardians. Baltimore currently has the best record in the AL, meaning it would not have to play a Wild Card Series and would head to the AL Division Series as the No. 1 seed.

For the second straight game, Cedric Mullins delivered the go-ahead knock, starting the sixth-inning outburst with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Jordan Westburg came off the bench and hit a pinch-hit RBI double, while Adley Rutschman capped the rally with a two-run two-bagger.

“We have a good team,” Hyde said. “A lot of guys that are passing the baton onto the next guy. Just really good at-bats, good baserunning, putting pressure on the defense. We’ve been doing that all year.”

Added third baseman Ramón Urías: “I think we have a bunch of good players, one through nine, that compete every at-bat, and it’s just going to be a battle.”

On paper, there was the potential for the Orioles to have a quiet offensive showing. After all, they were taking on D-backs ace Zac Gallen, one of the best pitchers in MLB who entered the matchup with a 3.32 ERA over 28 starts.

However, Baltimore jumped on Gallen early, with Ryan O’Hearn knocking a two-run single in the first and Gunnar Henderson following with a two-run single in the second.

“To put up eight runs in a game when Gallen’s pitching is huge,” said O’s starter Jack Flaherty, who allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. “He’s great over there. He’s been really good all year. When you get that guy going and you end up scoring eight runs to win the game -- regardless of who it comes off of -- you did a good job.”

Arizona scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Ketel Marte RBI single and a Flaherty wild pitch that tied the game. Then, Baltimore answered right back with its go-ahead rally the next half-inning.

It’s quite similar to how the Orioles dropped Friday’s opener, before bouncing back with a pair of wins in which they scored 15 combined runs. That’s the resiliency this team has shown all season, which is why it hasn’t lost more than four straight games and hasn’t been swept in 83 consecutive multi-game series.

“You brush off the losses and you come back tomorrow with a brand-new mindset,” Westburg said. “It’s a new day. I think everybody in this clubhouse trusts the offense. I think all the hitters trust themselves and know that we’re good enough to put up 10 runs on a given night.”

Westburg is only 24. There are many fellow youngsters surrounding him in Baltimore’s clubhouse who haven’t been in such a strong position to reach the postseason before. The Orioles were in the thick of the Wild Card race last September (before falling short), but they weren’t the front-runners in the AL East, as they are now.

How is Westburg -- and the rest of the O’s youthful core -- continuing to thrive in such a high-pressure environment?

“I try to treat every game the same. I try to treat it like it’s a must-win, potentially,” Westburg said. “Whether that’s good or bad, it’s kind of up to the player, I think, of how they approach it. I’m going to do everything I can when I’m in the lineup or when my number’s called to help this team and try to win.”