No runs through nine, no problem: O's pulled it out in the tenth at Seattle Saturday night

SEATTLE – The Orioles will go sweepless in Seattle. They got hammered on Friday night but, even when shutout over nine innings Saturday night, they pulled out a 1-0 win in 10 innings.

The Orioles ended Seattle’s eight-game win streak, maintained a two-game lead atop the AL East and stretched their series run without being swept to 77.

Seattle right-hander George Kirby held Baltimore to three hits over a career-high nine innings on a season-high 103 pitches. The O’s have scored three runs in two days, yet they can win this series this afternoon.

“That was the best-pitched game against us all season. That was four pitches, elite command. They’ve got a really good rotation,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said of Kirby and the M’s staff.

The last time a Mariners pitcher threw nine or more innings in a team loss was Félix Hernández on July 26, 2013 against Minnesota in a 3-2 loss in 13 innings. And it was Hernández’s Mariners Hall of Fame Induction Night Saturday in front of a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park.

The Orioles improved to 22-11 in one-run games and won their third 1-0 game of the year. They also did that April 18 at Washington and July 28 against the Yankees.

The O’s knew lefty Cole Irvin was going to be limited with his pitch count after throwing out of the bullpen recently with several short outings his previous five games.

But he threw five scoreless with six strikeouts. His ERA is 2.20 his past six starts.

“Amazing. Five great innings,” said Hyde. “Made pitches when he needed to. A ton of strikes. That is like a best-case scenario right there was going five scoreless innings and he did it.”

Said Irvin, who has an ERA of 3.15 since rejoining the O’s from the farm on June 10: “I think everything that I’ve been doing as a reliever kind of translated into the starting role. Things that I’ve learned, things that I’ve made adjustments to, you know, kind of prepared me for today’s start.

“A lot of the bullpen work has really translated tonight into kind of a new mentality that I haven’t utilized kind of before. Inning-to-inning, pitch-to-pitch, all about execution and just staying aggressive. Adley called a great game and we had a great game plan going in. He was lights out. A great night all around.”

Irvin, Mike Baumann, Jacob Webb, Cionel Perez, Yennier Cano and Félix Bautista teamed on a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

From 2019 through 2021 the Orioles pitched 11 shutouts. Since the start of the 2022 season, they now have 22.

During his postgame interview, Irvin noted how cool it was to watch the pregame ceremony to induct Hernandez into the M’s Hall of Fame.

But this game ended with the O’s Félix throwing two scoreless and fanning the side in the last of the tenth. Another outstanding performance by the Mountain.

“Our Félix has been incredible. He’s been great for us all year and whenever it’s in his hands, there is a lot of faith from us,” said Irvin.

“It’s crazy. He’s unbelievable and he’s been our rock the whole year,” said Ryan Mountcastle who drove in the only run with a single he smoked at 108.5 mph in the tenth.

According to OptaStats via Twitter, the Mariners pitched 10 or more innings allowing fewer than five hits and zero earned runs and allowed no walks or extra-base hits, but did not win. The last MLB club to put up those numbers but still lose was the Washington Senators on Aug. 28, 1913 with Walter Johnson taking the complete-game loss.

In a season with numerous big wins to choose from, this one might have been one of the O’s best of the year.

“Yeah. It’s a big win,” said Hyde. “We had no scoring opportunities almost the entire game. So we get a runner at second base there in the tenth for free. So to be able to pull out a win when you are not swinging the bat, that’s massive."