Suárez logs career-high seven innings and Rivera helps offense come alive in Orioles' 5-3 win (updated)

DENVER – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde broke out the right-handed lineup tonight, having learned a while ago to write with his fingers crossed.

Emmanuel Rivera would play first base and bat seventh, getting another start with Ryan Mountcastle on the injured list. Rivera responded with his first hits, home run and RBIs with the Orioles to prove that he can do more than draw walks.

They’ll take anything from their offense, of course. This isn’t a team that can afford to be picky.

Albert Suárez navigated some early trouble to complete a career-high seven innings, Jackson Holliday had an RBI triple and run scored in the ninth, and the Orioles defeated the Rockies 5-3 before an announced crowd of 30,444 at Coors Field.

The Orioles went 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position but improved their record to 78-58. The Yankees defeated the Cardinals earlier today to maintain their 1 ½-game lead in the division.

Súarez allowed two runs and eight hits, with no walks and four strikeouts, to lower his ERA to 3.14. His previous career high in innings was 6 2/3 on Aug. 11 at Tropicana Field.

They're aggressive," he said. "They’re swinging almost every pitch. So, I just tried to stay out of the barrel.

"Like I said before, every time I'm out there helping the team to win, I feel proud. For me, it’s just a positive thing that I can do that."

The Orioles were down 2-1 in the fourth when Eloy Jiménez and Ramón Urías singled. Jiménez hesitated as he rounded second, tried for third and was out. Urías hustled to second and came home with two outs on Rivera’s 432-foot shot to center field off Austin Gomber.

Rivera was a waiver claim from the Marlins on Aug. 21 who appeared in his fourth game.

"Good defense both corners. I like the way he plays defensively," said manager Brandon Hyde.

"He was on a really good Diamondbacks team last year and got quite a bit of playing time. I thought the at-bats tonight were really good. He hit a huge homer for us there early.”

Rivera is 14-for-39 (.359) with three doubles and four home runs lifetime at Coors Field.

"Thank God every time I come here I play really well," he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I just feel really comfortable, my confidence is at a high level so I think that all helps."

Urías stayed hot with a bloop single in the sixth after Jiménez’s one-out double. He was 15-for-41 (.366) going back to Aug. 16, but the Orioles couldn’t pad their lead.

Anthony Santander doubled off the right field wall in the first inning and was stranded. Gomber surrendered three fly balls to center field, two reaching the warning track. The Orioles tested the thin air early.

Colton Cowser doubled in the second inning and scored on Rivera’s single, his first hit and RBI with the Orioles after going 0-for-1 with three walks.

"It’s really important to me (to contribute) because in doing so I was able to help the team win and you know that’s what I expect out of myself," Rivera said. "To be able to do that tonight was great.

"We know it’s a business, we have to be prepared for absolutely anything that can happen. For now I’m just really happy to be here with these guys right now."

Back-to-back 12-pitch innings got Suárez through the fifth at 75. He retired seven in a row and 13 of his last 14 after Brenton Doyle’s tie-breaking RBI single in the third.

A strikeout/caught stealing got Suárez back in the dugout in the first inning. He allowed two singles in the second, with Michael Toglia breaking his bat on a two-out bloop into left, but Jacob Stallings struck out on an 80 mph curveball.

Jordan Beck led off the third with a single on a 103.4 mph liner that Holliday could only deflect. Beck stole second base on a close play, moved to third when Holliday made a sliding stop and throw to deny Charlie Blackmon, and Ezequiel Tovar hit a fly ball down the right field line that Anthony Santander attempted to catch near the stands before a young male fan reached above his glove to snare it.

The Orioles argued fan interference, which would have resulted in an out with the runner holding, but a challenge didn’t reverse the call. Tovar stayed in the box and singled to tie the game, Ryan McMahon and Doyle also singled, and the Orioles trailed 2-1.

Holliday produced another fine play to end the inning, fielding Rodgers’ sinking liner, racing to second base for the force and making the jump-throw to first to complete the double play.

Suárez already allowed seven hits after Doyle’s single, but he had another lead by the fourth.

"Jackson made a really nice play for a double play to get out of that one inning," Hyde said. "That was a really, really big play to keep the score there. He’s relying on more pitches than just his four-seam and you saw that tonight. You saw him really change speeds well. That was a start we needed, seven great innings.”

Did Suárez imagine becoming the stopper on a team in a pennant race back when he signed after detouring through Japan and Korea?

“Well, my vision was to get a call-up first and then whatever they need me, I’ll be ready for it," he said, smiling. "So, right now for me, everything is just positive.”

Holliday led off the fifth with a walk and stole second base. He tagged and tried for third base after Doyle made a diving catch in center to rob Austin Slater, but he was thrown out.

An offense stuck in neutral couldn’t afford to run into multiple outs tonight. Or put runners on the corners with one out in the sixth and not score. Or put runners on first and second base with one out in the seventh against reliever Jeff Criswell, on an error and bunt single by pinch-hitter Cedric Mullins, and also not score.

Holliday reached on the error with his family in attendance, including father Matt, who played for the Rockies from 2004-08 and again in 2018. The large contingent of Orioles fans behind the dugout erupted in the ninth after Holliday’s triple off the right field wall that scored Ryan O’Hearn.

The kid has impeccable timing, too.

Holliday was safe at home on Mullins’ bouncer to the mound. Five runs scored tonight by a team that tallied only three in eight of its past 12 games.

"That’s something we’ve been talking a lot about," Hyde said. "We’ve got to put more pressure on defenses, and when you put the ball in play anything can happen.”

Rivera had one final contribution tonight, leaping to catch Gunnar Henderson’s throw in the eighth and making the tag to prevent an error. Cionel Pérez retired the side in order, and Seranthony Domínguez registered his seventh save despite serving up Rogers' solo home run in the ninth. Domínguez has allowed five runs with the Orioles, all of them on homers.

* Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Bruce Zimmermann tossed four scoreless innings with two hits, no walks and three strikeouts. As I wrote earlier, Brandon Young was scratched from the assignment and watched the game from the dugout in street clothes.

Nick Maton hit his 16^th homer, a three-run shot in the first, and added a sacrifice fly. Forrest Wall was 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI.

High-A Aberdeen’s Trey Gibson allowed an unearned run and one hit in five innings.

First-round draft pick Vance Honeycutt had a single, walk and two RBIs for Single-A Delmarva. Reliever Yeiber Cartaya allowed only an unearned run in 4 2/3 innings.