Orioles complete sweep with 11-4 win over Phillies (updated)

The doubters keep fueling the Orioles. Haters gonna motivate.

Manager Brandon Hyde enjoys how his players carry chips on their shoulders, how they take pleasure in knocking down their critics. But he isn't obsessing over playoff positioning after 17 games, including this afternoon's 11-4 rain-delayed win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer off Thomas Eshelman in the fourth inning, but the Orioles responded with four runs in the fifth against Jake Arrieta, torched the Phillies bullpen and improved to 10-7. They also secured their first three-game sweep of the Phillies since 2009 and first three-game sweep on the road since August 2017 in Boston.

Pedro Severino had three hits, including a three-run homer in the eighth inning on Connor Brogdon's first major league pitch.

Realmuto homered again in the eighth, his two-run shot off David Hess coming in garbage time. Rio Ruiz matched it in the ninth - his fifth homer of the season and second in two nights.

Infielder Neil Walker made his pitching debut in the ninth and recorded the last two outs. The Phillies stole the 2019 Orioles' move.

Eshelman gave the Orioles five innings of two-run ball and threw 46 of 68 pitches for strikes. He didn't issue a walk and left with his ERA at 3.65.

José Iglesias had a two-run double off Vince Velasquez in the seventh and the Orioles were rolling toward their 10th win in a row. They improved to 8-1 when collecting 10 or more hits.

Left-hander Keegan Akin stayed in the bullpen, his major league debut on hold for another day with Eshelman providing some length.

Baseball-Reference.com now projects the Orioles as a wild card team in the American League, a reversal that could cause whiplash. From worst to much closer to first.

"I haven't seen it and I think we're still so early in the season," Hyde said this afternoon in his Zoom conference call. "We have a really tough schedule the rest of the way and I really want to focus on trying to win today and win as many series as we can. And whatever happens happens.

"I'm pleased with our play so far this year. I'm proud of our guys. I think we're playing hard, I think we're playing hungry. I think our guys are improving. But we're in a tough division and this is a tough league and we have a touch schedule and we're not going to back down from anybody and we're going to continue to play hard and see where we are at the end of this thing. But I'm not looking too far ahead."

Vision also is shortened in a pandemic season.

Would Hyde regard the Orioles as a contender on this date in 2021 or 2022 if they were two games out of first place, which is where they started the day?

"I'm playing just like it's Aug. 13 and we're two games out," he replied.

Eshelman retired seven of the first eight batters, with Alec Bohn turning his first major league at-bat into a double with two outs in the second inning. Eshelman stranded Roman Quinn after a one-out double in the third.

Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fourth inning with the third double off Eshelman, a shot into left-center field with an exit velocity of 108.2 mph per Statcast. Realmuto followed with a two-run homer to right-center field for a 2-0 lead.

Poorly located 85 mph fastballs tend to travel.

The Orioles wasted Hanser Alberto's leadoff single in the first, Severino's leadoff single in the third and Iglesias' two-out single in the fourth.

Singles by Renato Núñez, Severino and Austin Hays in the fifth loaded the bases with one out. Jean Segura made a diving stop up the middle and got the force at second on the ninth pitch to Pat Valaika, but Núñez scored to cut the lead to 2-1.

Alberto drew his third walk of the season to load the bases again and Anthony Santander ripped a sinker into right-center field for a three-run double and a 4-2 lead. The last pitch thrown by Arrieta, who was the Orioles' opening day starter in 2012.

Santander has RBIs in seven straight games and 12 in that span. His 19 RBIs rank second in the league behind Aaron Judge (20).

Hyde was on the Cubs coaching staff when Arrieta threw two no-hitters and won a Cy Young Award. Orioles fans know the two Jakes. It remains a sensitive subject in Baltimore.

"I'm a huge Jake Arrieta fan and a really good friend of his," Hyde said. "I got to experience some of the coolest times in Cubs history with him on the mound and I have a lot of really special moments with Jake watching him do what he did there from '14 to '18.

"He's a special, special player and a special guy. What he was like in '15 and '16, I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. That was no-hit stuff every time out. I got to be part of two of them. But you just felt like this guy was better than everybody else and I think he felt that way, too, at that time. So yeah, seeing him today is going to be fun."

It was an absolute blast in the fifth inning.

Arrieta allowed two runs in 13 2/3 innings in two career starts against the Orioles before today. They doubled the total in the fifth.

Eshelman retired the side in order in the bottom half for the all-important shutdown inning. Evan Phillips stranded two runners in the sixth and Paul Fry retired the side in order in the seventh.

The Orioles put two runners on base against Velasquez in the seventh and Iglesias collected his second hit of the day and eighth double of the season to increase the lead to 6-2. He jumped on the first pitch, just as Severino did on the three-run homer. Alberto and Núñez did it earlier.

A trend continues.

So does the winning.

Hyde on what team is doing right: "We're playing good baseball right now. Looking at the box score here, no walks tonight. And that was something we didn't do well last year. Way too many free passes. Pitched behind in the count. And quite a few games now where we haven't walked many people. That is super key against good offensive clubs. They've got seven All-Stars in their lineup and to not allow free baserunners and to attack them with the stuff that you have ...

"Tom Eshelman was fantastic. Goes five innings in a spot start type of role. Only giving up a two-run home run to Realmuto. And then the guys after him. Once again, we do a nice job in the middle part of the game to keep the score right there. ... There were a handful of guys I was not going to pitch tonight, so these three guys out of the 'pen did a really nice job for us."

Hyde on Eshelman: "Half our bullpen I was not going to pitch tonight regardless of score or anything else. Those guys really needed a break, so for him to go five innings, that was huge. Akin was teed up to go after him if the start was short, but he went five innings for us and left with a 4-2 lead. So just a great job of pitching, keeping guys off-balance, locating his fastball. You never know what he's going to throw in any count. Pitches to the scouting report.

"Severino behind the plate, it's getting unnoticed, but what he's doing following a game report, that standpoint, is next level. He's just been really, really good. Not to mention his offense. Really proud of both of our guys and how they're calling games."

Hyde on Santander: "He is taking such good at-bats. I'm looking and he's 1-for-5. I feel like he hits three balls on the nose a night. ... That's why I love Tony. He's line to line and he can stay on the ball so well."

Eshelman on offense: "I was a little upset with myself with giving Realmuto an opportunity to drive a pitch and hit it out of the ballpark. For our offense to come back and score four runs after doing that, hats off to them. It's what they've been doing this entire season. I just love being able to pitch for these guys and excited to get back out there again."

Eshelman on what he's done in emergency role: "I'm just trying to do my role, just trying to give the team a chance to win. And no matter what role I'm in, that's just kind of what I've been trying to do. Pitch for the team instead of myself. That's just kind of been my motto and it's a great team to pitch for. I'm excited we're getting this thing going and it's a fun team to play for."

Iglesias on proving doubters wrong: "It's definitely fun to win. I think this team is doing a great job battling every day and we're playing a good baseball game right now.

Iglesias on why he thinks this will continue: "We're taking good at-bats together, we're playing good fundamental baseball. We play defense, we turn double plays. Our pitching is doing a great job for us and everything is just going our way. We've just got to take it one day at a time and I think the team is doing great with that."

Iglesias on what he saw back at summer camp: "I see it from the get-go and regardless if we're winning or losing, I see potential. I see very hungry players with a lot of talent who want to get better. I see chemistry. I've been around and I see a good group that wants to compete and gets along. And that for me has a lot of value."