Looking back at Wednesday's double play defense

Ryan Mountcastle wasn’t keeping count in his head. Jorge Mateo and Rougned Odor also didn’t know. Three infielders just living in the moment.

Double plays were turned in crisp fashion Wednesday night, but the math was fuzzy.

The Orioles tied the club record with five in a 9-4 win over the Twins. They did so within the first seven innings. It moved from convenient to comical.

Mountcastle stood at first base and waited for the throws, the first coming from Mateo in the opening inning after the shortstop made a basket catch of Carlos Correa’s popup with his back to the infield, spun and doubled off Luis Arraez.

“That play he made was pretty crazy,” said Mountcastle, who wasn’t anticipating a second out.

“Those are tough because the runner obviously has to go pretty far, because most of the time it probably drops. For him to catch that and just to be aware that’s probably what the runner was thinking was good.”

Kyle Bradish allowed a leadoff single to Gary Sánchez in the third, and Gio Urshela grounded to second baseman Rougned Odor for the 4-6-3 double play.

Arraez led off the fifth by drawing a walk against left-hander Cionel Pérez, and Correa grounded to Mateo for the 6-4-3 twin killing – aptly named for an opponent that kept beating the ball into the ground to bruise rallies.

Trevor Larnach singled off Pérez to lead off the sixth, and Mateo started another double play after snaring José Miranda’s grounder.

Dillon Tate walked Urshela with one out in the seventh and Gilberto Celestino tested Mateo, who probably could have found Odor while blindfolded.

“I just knew we got out of a lot of innings and a couple jams with those double plays,” Mountcastle said. “I knew there were a bunch, but I didn’t know, really. I didn’t keep track. It seemed like the first guy would get on and the next guy would hit into a double play, like three innings in a row, or whatever it was. And I was like, ‘OK, well, this is nice.’

“Some of them were pretty hard hit and Mateo fielded them. And if it’s hard hit and he fields it, it’s pretty much automatic.”

The Orioles have turned five double plays in 11 games in franchise history, the most recent before Wednesday occurring on July 6, 1999 against the Blue Jays in a 4-3, 10-inning loss at Camden Yards.

Cal Ripken Jr. was the third baseman, but just a mere spectator for the five. The combination of second baseman Jerry Hairston, shortstop Mike Bordick and first baseman Jeff Conine were responsible for three. Bordick, catcher Charles Johnson and Conine combined for one, as did Jeff Reboulet – Hairston’s replacement at second – and Conine.

Mateo knows nothing about that game or team records. He just felt immense satisfaction in the defense’s performance against the Twins.

“Really proud,” he said. “We’ve been practicing, and we have to keep going. That was (Wednesday), it’s a new game and we have to do the best we can do.”

So, there wasn’t a running mental tally?

“No, no, no,” he said. “I wasn’t keeping count. I’m just going to try to do it every time I have a shot.”

“No, I didn’t even know that was a record,” Odor said. “We were just playing the game, you know? I knew we turned a couple double plays, but we just wanted to keep doing it.”

Pitchers who induce ground balls present the opportunities. The fielders are entrusted with converting them.

“The pitchers have been doing a really good job,” Mateo said. “They do what they have to do for the double play, and we’re there to make it, try to make a play for those guys.”

“Our pitchers do a really good job,” Odor said, “and that’s why I believe we’re going to keep doing that.”

The Orioles played an error-free game, a stark contrast from the ugly series finale at Yankee Stadium, when they were charged with five that let six unearned runs score – until scoring changes earlier this week removed two miscues from third baseman Kelvin Gutiérrez, who was designated for assignment this week.

“That was a tough day, but everybody knows what we can do,” said Mateo, who committed two errors and failed to backhand a ground ball that settled into shallow left field for a double. “That’s going to happen because we are human, but we’re going to learn from those errors and try to do the best we can do.”

The Orioles began last night with 18 errors in 25 games, the sixth-highest total in the majors, but their 30 double plays turned led the American League and ranked second overall behind the Rockies’ 38.

Spenser Watkins got José Miranda to send a slow roller to third baseman Ramón Urías after Larnach’s leadoff single, but the throw bounced past Mountcastle. Urías tried to start a double play on Byron Buxton’s grounder, but Odor’s relay sailed past Mountcastle, who retrieved the ball and threw home to nab Miranda – the safe call overturned upon review.

Not a double play, but two outs achieved and a second error avoided.

An actual double play was turned in the eighth after Paul Fry allowed a leadoff single. Urías to Odor to Mountcastle, No. 31 on the season.

Reminded of the blunders in the Bronx, Odor said, “You know what? That’s part of the game.”

“Nobody is perfect,” he said. “We made those errors. It’s already in the past. We keep playing hard, we keep doing our work, working hard, and we keep playing. That’s part of the game. Everybody makes errors, nobody’s perfect. That’s why we play with no fear, and that’s it.”