O's game blog: Looking for another series win in Atlanta

The Orioles can win their 23^rd game, their 14^th road game and extend their win streak in series to eight if they beat the Atlanta Braves tonight in game two of this series at Truist Park.

Anthony Santander’s 11^th multi-homer game last night included his first grand slam in a 9-4 win. When the Orioles scored seven runs in the seventh inning, they opened a 9-1 lead. And while Atlanta got closer, the O's would not lose the lead and need to pull it out late as they had the previous day in Kansas City.

Here are the best 32-game starts in Orioles history:

.719 – 23-9 in 1970

.688 – 22-10 in 2023, 2017 and 1997

Another win would take the 2023 O's to 23-10. The only team in club history that was better through 33 games is the 1970 World Series winning Orioles at 24-9 (.727). This club, with a victory, would stand alone in second place. O’s teams in 1969, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1997, 2015 and 2017 were 22-11 (.667) at the 33-game mark.

Santander's homer off Braves starter Max Fried in the fourth inning was his fourth of the season, and he has now homered in two straight contests. He has homered in back-to-back games 12 times in his career, most recently from Sept. 26-27 last season in Boston. The longest home run streak of his career took place from Aug. 8-11, 2021, across three games. He added his first career grand slam in the seventh off Joe Jimenez for a career-best five RBI game.

Santander homered from both sides of the plate in the same game for the sixth time in his career and first since Sept. 27, 2022 at Boston off Michael Wacha and Matt Strahm. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his six games with homers from both sides of the plate rank second in O's history, trailing Orioles Hall of Famer Eddie Murray with eight.

Ryan Mountcastle doubled in the sixth inning, his eighth consecutive extra-base hit (six doubles, two home runs) dating to April 30. Also, that was his fifth consecutive game with an extra-base hit, the second-longest such streak of his career, only trailing a six-game streak from May 31-June 6, 2021. Additionally, Mountcastle extended his on-base streak to 14 games. Previously he reached in 17 consecutive games from July 28- Aug. 26, 2021, the longest on-base streak of his career.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins led off Baltimore's seven-run seventh inning with a solo shot off Fried and is batting .279/.392/.535 (12-for-43) with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight walks to six strikeouts against left-handed pitchers this season. And, his .927 OPS against southpaws ranks seventh among left-handed hitters in MLB.

Mullins is now hitting .483 (14-for-29) when batting with runners in scoring position with two doubles, triples, homers and 26 RBIs via RISP chances.

AL leaders, batting avg, RISP:

.500 – Marcus Semien, Tex, with 21 RBIs

.483 – Cedric Mullins, Orioles, with 26 RBIs

.476 – Yordan Alvarez, Houston, with 26 RBIs

.435 – Bo Bichette Toronto, with 16 RBIs.

Mullins’ 28 RBIs lead the Orioles by two over Mountcastle. He is on a pace to finish with 142 RBIs this year.

With the second-best record in MLB behind Tampa Bay, the Orioles have won 14 of their last 17 games, 16 of their last 20, and 18 of their last 23. The .783 winning percentage (18-5) since April 10 is the best in the big leagues over that stretch.

The O's have won seven straight series, the longest streak since the team won eight series in a row from July 21 to Aug. 13, 2014; the O's record for most consecutive series wins is nine in a row from July 31 to Aug. 27, 1968.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-1, 6.14 ERA) will make his fifth start. In his first two, including the game where he got injured, taking a liner off his foot, he threw 7 2/3 scoreless. In his past two - against Boston and Detroit - Bradish has allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in seven innings.

In four career starts versus National League teams, Bradish is 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA, a .217 batting average against and .667 OPS.

Right-hander Spencer Strider (4-0, 2.57 ERA), who finished second to teammate Michael Harris II for the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Award, will make his seventh start. He has allowed just 19 hits and two homers in 35 innings with 14 walks and 57 strikeouts.

Yep, he is a big strikeout pitcher with a four-seamer that averages 97.1 mph and a 51.0% whiff rate on his slider. He leads all qualified starters with a rate of 14.66 strikeouts per nine innings this season. Dating back to 1901, his 14.66 K/9 rate is the fifth highest through six starts to open a season. Only Tyler Glasnow ('20) Kerry Wood ('98), Corbin Burnes ('21), and Gerrit Cole ('21) had higher rates through their first six starts in a season dating to 1901.

Strider's 59.0% rate of pitches in the zone is the highest among qualifiers. His swing and miss rate of 38.3% is the second highest in the majors, trailing only Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan's 39.1%.