Orioles extend winning streak to 10 games and fly above .500 (updated)

CHICAGO – The Orioles didn’t just move above .500 tonight. They burst through the ceiling. Plaster flying as if doing a home renovation on the road.

Seven batters came to the plate in the first inning and three scored. A ball slammed off the leg of Cubs pitcher Justin Steele. An 11-pitch at-bat concluded with a single. A double into the gap scored two runs. A single led to an error in left field that increased the lead.

Ryan Mountcastle slid across home plate as if on ice.

Doing it for one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Spenser Watkins allowed only one run in five-plus innings, the bullpen was flawless, Austin Hays collected four hits, and the Orioles recorded their third consecutive series sweep with a 7-1 victory over the Cubs before an announced crowd of 29,529 at Wrigley Field.

The Orioles are 45-44 and above .500 for the first time since April 8, 2021. Their 45^th win last season didn’t arrive until Sept. 8 in their 138^th game.

The 10-game winning streak is the longest since September 1999. They haven’t cleared .500 this late in a season since Sept. 8, 2017.

"Honestly, I'm really happy," Anthony Santander said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "Just having the young guys around brings a lot of energy, and because of that we have great chemistry to go along with that. Pairing that with hard work, it's been a lot of success that we've been experiencing and it's helped us be aggressive throughout the stretch."

Cedric Mullins began the first inning with an infield hit on a ball that caromed off Steele’s left thigh. Mountcastle singled with one out after 11 pitches, and both runners scored on Santander’s double into left-center.

Hays singled for his fourth hit in 43 at-bats, Santander slowed as he reached third base, and he raced home when left fielder Ian Happ bobbled the ball.

Rougned Odor was hit by a pitch, the first thrown by Steele in the second inning, and he scored with one out on Trey Mancini’s double. Mullins also crossed the plate after drawing a walk, but the safe call was overturned and Mancini settled for one RBI and a 4-0 lead.

Hays also singled in the third inning, doubled in the eighth and singled in the ninth as he emerged from his slump.

"Haysie's grinding with the wrist a little bit, and some bad luck, too," said manager Brandon Hyde. "He's hitting some balls hard and just doesn't have the results. Nice to see him find some holes and swing the bat the way he did." 

The Orioles got a scare when Santander appeared to injure his left wrist in the third inning while attempting a diving catch of Nelson Velázquez’s fly ball on the left field warning track. Santander sat on the track as teammates rushed to check on him and Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel came out of the dugout.

"At first I was concerned," Santander said. "I started touching my wrist and couldn't really feel anything, but thankfully it wasn't anything major."

"I saw the wrist roll a little bit, so we ran out there hoping he was all right," Hyde said. "I'm not sure how it's going to feel tomorrow and the next day, but it was scary to watch and hopefully he's OK."

Santander stayed in the game after several minutes. Watkins walked Christopher Morel, Odor ranged far to his left to corral Rafael Ortega’s ground ball and get the out, and Watkins escaped the jam by striking out Willson Contreras and Happ – the latter on eight pitches.

Watkins stranded another runner in the fourth after a leadoff single, but Morel tripled to right field with one out in the fifth and scored on Ortega’s sacrifice fly.

Hyde let Watkins return for the sixth, Happ singled and Dillon Tate entered the game. Watkins allowed four hits with two walks and five strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 3.93. He threw a season-high 86 pitches.

Over four starts since rejoining the club, Watkins has surrendered three earned runs and four total with 16 hits and 17 strikeouts 22 2/3 innings.

The Orioles' rotation has posted a 2.33 ERA since June 19, the lowest in the majors.

"Huge," Hyde said. "Watty goes into the sixth inning, Jordan (Lyles) seven last night. I'm just so pleased with our pitching. We're pitching with confidence, we're aggressive, we're pitching with emotion. I think our pitching's really turned the corner. These guys really believe and they're trying to pick each other up and they're really supportive."

Tate stranded a runner while retiring all three batters he faced. Cionel Pérez handled the seventh with ease for his 11^th straight appearance without an earned run. He hasn’t allowed a baserunner this month in his last six.

"Not much hard contact, either," Hyde said. "He's throwing 98 with a nasty slider. And how about the emotion he shows coming off the mound? He pumps guys up. He's been unbelievable."

"It's been a great month for me," Pérez said via Quinones. "I think the biggest key to my success has been my control."

Joey Krehbiel began the eighth by striking out Ortega on the 12^th pitch of the at-bat, and he stranded a runner. Bryan Baker stranded two in the ninth.

Another shutdown performance from a bullpen that wasn't supposed to be this good.

"We have great camaraderie in the bullpen, talking before the game, during the game and after the game," Pérez said. "Talking about how we want to approach and attack hitters. And just having great conversations and helping one another out and just having a great time in the bullpen.

"Without a doubt, it's super fun. We're just a group of young kids, for the most part, and we have so much fun out there in the bullpen, and we really enjoy playing with each other."

Steele retired 11 batters in a row after Hays’ second single. Rowan Wick replaced him and Mullins singled with two outs in the seventh to end the streak at 13.

Hays doubled with two outs in the eighth and scored on Adley Rutschman’s 14^th double in 43 games to increase the lead to 5-1. Odor padded it with a single, and another run scored on Daniel Norris’ balk.

The Cubs retired 18 of 20 batters before Hays collected his third hit. The Orioles just hit the pause button. They weren’t finished.

"Just really happy with how we're playing," Hyde said. "Spenser was fantastic, set the tone, putting zeros up early. Bullpen once again does a great job, and we scored some runs for these guys early in the game, which was nice, and got some tack-ons late, which we've had a tough time doing. We're playing good baseball right now."

The Orioles have won 15 of their last 20 games, 18 of 26, 21 of 30, and 31 of 51. They hadn’t swept three consecutive series since April-May 2005 – three games in Toronto, two in Boston and three versus Tampa Bay.

The Rays are waiting for them in St. Petersburg after another off-day. A .500 ceiling now replaced by a dome.

"If you look at us, from the moment we get into the dugout, from the moment we arrive at the stadium, we're just constantly supporting each other, helping each other out in every which way," Santander said. "I think when you do things like that, it goes a long way and helps us win ballgames."

Music blared in the clubhouse after the game. After the Orioles saluted fans who chanted their name and decorated large portions of Wrigley Field in orange.

"Really cool," Hyde said. "Orioles fans travel, and they showed up here these last two games, they were loud. It was a great feeling for our guys to come off the field and have so many Orioles fans behind the dugout. They were really into it, and great energy in the ballpark. Our fans really showed up."

"We feel every bit of Birdland," Watkins said. "Especially hearing O's chants going on at Wrigley Field. That's pretty cool."

Note: High Single-A Aberdeen’s game against Jersey Shore was suspended in the top of the sixth inning due to a light failure related to last night’s storm that also knocked down a portion of the right field fence. Heston Kjerstad was 1-for-2 with a walk in his IronBirds debut.