Odor homers again and Reyes combines with 'pen for Game 2 win (updated)

BOSTON – Denyi Reyes went from a modest signing back in November, a minor league contract that barely drew notice, to his first major league start tonight. Against the team that let him go as a free agent.

These stories can swerve in any direction. A tale of redemption or bitter disappointment.

Reyes had some fun with it, neither vindictive nor victorious.

Jorge López had his own family story and it produced a beautiful chapter, his 9-year-old son Mikael able to watch him pitch, to record a four-out save. 

The night couldn't have gone any better.

Reyes allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings, the bullpen shut out the Red Sox over 4 1/3 before a hiccup in the ninth, and the Orioles won 4-2 to earn a split of the doubleheader.

Rougned Odor hit another home run, his three-run shot in the third inning staking Reyes to a 4-0 lead, and the Orioles improved to 20-28.

Odor has six doubles, two triples, four home runs and 17 RBIs this month. He followed Ramón Urías' two-out, run-scoring single with a 410-foot blast to right-center field against Josh Winckowski, who didn’t make it into the fourth inning in his major league debut.

"He's up there to do some damage," said manager Brandon Hyde. "These last couple weeks he's turned it up big-time offensively and driven in a lot of runs for us and gotten huge hits."

Reyes retired the side in order on six pitches in the first inning, one fewer than Alex Verdugo saw while grounding out to lead off the second. Two runners were stranded after two-out singles because Jorge Mateo has quick reflexes and snared Jackie Bradley Jr.’s line drive toward center field.  

After breezing through the third inning, Reyes gave up a leadoff double to Trevor Story in the fourth and a run-scoring single to Christian Vázquez with one out. Franchy Cordero walked, Bobby Dalbec struck out with the count full, and Reyes departed after 61 pitches.

Joey Krehbiel struck out Bradley to strand two runners. He tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings and fanned two.

Félix Bautista followed with 1 2/3 scoreless, replaced by Cionel Pérez after Kiké Hernández’s two-out, groundball single in the seventh. Pérez needed only one pitch to get a ground ball from Rafael Devers, retired the first two batters in the eighth and allowed a double to Vázquez.

López retired pinch-hitter Xander Bogaerts on a ground ball to quiet the crowd, and he notched his sixth save after Dalbec reached on Mateo’s fielding error, Bradley singled and Christian Arroyo hit into a fielder’s choice. Hernández grounded into a double play to end it.

"An incredible job by our bullpen guys," Hyde said.

"López is adapting well. He loves the role. His stuff is off the charts. You can just tell by the look in his eye when he goes out there, it's all business, and it's fun watching him right now."

Those eyes were filled with tears today.

López was able to celebrate his son Mikael's birthday in person with a trip to Fenway Park. Krehbiel carried a cake, decorated for the "Cars" movie, out of the clubhouse after Game 1 and teammates surprised Maikael by singing "Happy Birthday."

It's been a life-long battle for Mikael, who was born with two autoimmune diseases, needed an intestinal transplant before he turned 2, and underwent a bone marrow transplant last year while also undergoing chemotherapy treatments. López left the team to be at his side.

“Really emotional,” López said. “It’s been three years, it’s been really tough for him. All his life has been battling with his condition, and finally we got the decision he was going home, and we got this surprise for him. He didn’t even know he was going to be able to fly over here. Just an exciting moment.

“When I knew he was coming, I had so much beating in my heart. It’s all good, man. I don’t have words to describe how good the emotions are. Good for my wife. She’s the one who’s been with him all his life, right next to him. I have to do this for them. He loves baseball, that’s the first thing. Just being here is something that’s making it really special. He was so happy, he was so happy. He came to the ballpark, he wants to run the bases, run all over the field. I mean, just getting crazy.

“It’s a good feeling. I’m so happy for him, and hopefully it keeps going like that, keep going with us during the season and the rest of his life. God has been unbelievable with us, and it’s something, we just trust the process. All the meds they’ve been doing with him, all the doctors, we have so much to be thankful for as a family, to just have him alive here with us. Day by day and just keep strong.”

López walked Mikael around the clubhouse yesterday and players took turns bending down to speak with him, give him fist-bumps, make him smile underneath his mask. López held his arm to steady him.

"It's something, it's a gift for him," López said, "and he's not going to forget this for all his life."

Someone needed to steady López in the ninth. He admitted to being nervous since yesterday.

"My heart was beating so fast," he said. "I didn't want to (mess) it up in front of him."

Reyes has allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings in the majors. He brought a 7.58 ERA from Triple-A Norfolk and is returning there following tonight's game.

"Denyi did a nice job, keeping us in the ballgame, went through the lineup almost twice," Hyde said. "Best-case scenario for us at this point with him today."

And to do it at Fenway Park, where Reyes dreamed of pitching for the Red Sox.

"I'm sure it was a great experience for him, and he threw the ball extremely well," Hyde said. "I'm happy with what he gave us. A tough environment, tough start. To go into the fourth inning and only giving up a run, that was awesome."

"It meant a lot," Reyes said.

"Before the game started, it was raining, ... I said, 'Man, I'm here, let's do it.'"

Reyes isn’t the last adjustment to the rotation in the coming days.

Bruce Zimmermann and Tyler Wells handle the next two games to close out the road trip. Kyle Bradish is lined up for Wednesday night against the Mariners at Camden Yards. But Tuesday is a mystery.

Winckowski, the Red Sox’s No. 13 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, began his debut by loading the bases with two outs in the first inning. Austin Hays singled and Winckowski issued back-to-back walks to Ryan Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman, but Urías grounded out.

Hays led off the third with a single and stolen base. Anthony Santander drew his 24th walk, one more than his 2021 total, the next two batters were retired and Urías singled into center field.

Then, it was Odor’s turn. And the Red Sox never recovered from it.

Mateo doubled after Odor’s home run, and it was the last Orioles hit until Ryan McKenna’s leadoff single in the ninth. Cedric Mullins drew a leadoff walk in the seventh. Urías reached on an error with one out in the eighth.

Down on the farm, Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-3 with a double today in extended spring training.

Double-A Bowie’s Hudson Haskin and Joey Ortiz hit two-run homers in the first inning. Ortiz also doubled and had four RBIs.

High Single-A Aberdeen’s Houston Roth held Wilmington to one run and two hits in five innings.

Trendon Craig hit a three-run homer, his first at Single-A Delmarva.