Orioles hit three homers in eighth and rally for 5-3 win (updated)

The Orioles destroyed baseballs and an old adage tonight in the top of the eighth inning.

A team that enjoys a massive offensive explosion always seems to go into a shell the following night. Death, taxes and bats disappearing. Can always count on them.

Shut out on two hits over the first seven innings, the Orioles had fallen into that same inexplicable trap. But they rose up with three home runs, the last a three-run shot by Anthony Santander off Daniel Hudson, and reveled in the unpredictability of the 2020 season.

Cole Sulser and Miguel Castro protected an unexpected lead and the Orioles rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Nationals that guaranteed a series win after the Marlins swept them in four games at Camden Yards.

A two-on, no-out rally fizzled in the fifth, but pinch-hitters Pat Valaika and Pedro Severino went back-to-back in the eighth off Sean Doolittle to push him further into his slump. Valaika has 19 career homers and six have come off the bench.

Hudson walked Austin Hays, Hanser Alberto singled and Santander, batting from the left side, drove a 97 mph fastball to the opposite field for a 5-3 lead.

"I just wanted to get a good pitch to hit," Santander said. "I got a good swing."

Doolittle had surrendered two runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings before tonight. The Orioles did a lot against him in a short amount of time.

The Orioles were on the verge of being shut out for the third time in six games, but they improved to 7-7.

Tonight marked the third time that the Orioles hit back-to-back pinch-hit home runs, according to STATS. Wayne Gross and Larry Sheets did it on Aug. 12, 1985 against the Indians and Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell on Aug. 26, 1966 against the Red Sox.

Sulser struck out Eric Thames to strand two runners in scoring position in the eighth. Castro earned his first save of the summer and seventh of his career after issuing a one-out walk in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Sulser, due to his inactivity, was handling the eighth inning no matter the situation.

"I hadn't thrown him in five days, so he was pitching in this game regardless," Hyde said.

"I really needed him to pitch tonight. I didn't want him to sit for six, and I think it showed in his rustiness a little bit. I've got to not do that. I've got to get him out there more often, but he battled. I would have considered sending him back out for the ninth if it was a quick inning, but it was a 30-pitch inning, so then I went with Miggy."

The first inning didn't devour Thomas Eshelman. He registered a win after only 20 pitches. Never mind that it won't be an official decision.

Or the one that he really wanted.

Eshelman entered his start against the Nationals with a career 11.25 ERA in the opening frame. A small sample size with five earned runs and eight hits in four innings, but reputations are built quickly in this business.

The second inning had been treacherous territory as well, with Eshelman carrying a 10.80 ERA in five innings.

Juan Soto led off with an opposite-field home run, the Nationals scored again on a couple of singles and Kurt Suzuki's sacrifice fly, and the Orioles couldn't tap into last night's offensive flood until the eighth.

The 11 runs and 19 hits from the series opener were slow to transfer.

Eshelman worked four innings and allowed two runs and five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Evan Phillips replaced him after only 57 pitches.

The Orioles needed a starter tonight after using two to cover Wednesday's doubleheader against the Marlins. Eshelman is on the roster for these situations.

A guy who can make a spot start or work in long relief.

"Really valuable for us," Hyde said earlier in the day. "(John) Means out and then a doubleheader, your rotation, it's a little scrambled right now. So Tommy, it's so valuable to have guys like him that are able to be swing guys, that are able to give us innings out of the 'pen, but also built up as starters to give us some innings in the rotation when needed."

Getting past the early ones is the challenge.

Eshelman made the final exhibition start on March 11 before baseball's shutdown and the Blue Jays battered him in the first inning for three home runs and two doubles. They had two doubles and two singles in the second and totaled nine runs before reaching the third.

Tonight's third inning was a picnic, especially for speed eaters. Eshelman retired the side in order on six pitches after throwing 37 through the second.

"I felt good," Eshelman said. "In the first inning obviously a little longer with Trea Turner on base. I had to make sure we were controlling the running game. That's been a big key for us. But in the second, go out there and give up a homer and give up another run ... It was OK. But then I got back in and had a quick inning. Just try to keep the game moving along in a nice manner. Obviously, some things to hone in on to focus on, but other than that I felt pretty good."

The Orioles could have taken him off the hook in the fifth when Rio Ruiz walked and Renato Núñez singled. But Nationals starter Austin Voth struck out Chance Sisco, retired Dwight Smith Jr. on a popup and struck out Chris Davis after falling behind 3-0 in the count.

Ruiz was the only Orioles player in last night's lineup without a hit, but he reached in the second inning on a smash that Thames tried to backhand at first base without losing his mitt. He only held onto the leather.

Ruiz appeared to steal second base, but the call was overturned on review.

Sisco threw out his first runner of the season when he nabbed Trea Turner to end the first inning with Eshelman at 20 pitches. But Soto cleared the left field fence with his lazy fly ball leading off the second, Howie Kendrick and Asdrúbal Cabrera singled and Suzuki lifted his sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

The bullpen couldn't quite rise to the occasion in the sixth after Tanner Scott's throwing error. Scott struck out Soto and Shawn Armstrong struck out Kendrick, but Thames lined a run-scoring double into right-center field on an 0-2 pitch. Armstrong caught too much plate for that count.

Cabrera struck out, but the lead had already expanded.

And then it disappeared.

Three big swings, one old adage destroyed.

"Our pitchers did a great job of keeping us in the game and allowing us an opportunity to come back," Hyde said.

"I was fired up," Eshelman said. "For us to do that and hit back-to-back homers in that situation from two guys who came off the bench ... Like Hyder said a couple days ago, we're all in this as a team, and to see these guys come in and be clutch for us was awesome. I was ecstatic in the clubhouse."

The bullpen surrendered only one run in five innings and struck out nine batters. The four walks applied some pressure, but overall it was a success.

"Everyone's pulling for one another," Eshelman said. "It's kind of like a pass-the-baton kind of situation. We have a good culture out there in the bullpen. A good culture with us as a team in general, but out there everyone pulls for one another, everyone wants each other to succeed, and we have that mentality of going out there and pounding the strike zone and giving our team the chance to win.

"It's a great group of guys to be with and I'm glad I'm out there with them."

Said Hyde: "I just think our guys have gotten better and, knock on wood, our bullpen guys have improved. And I think you're seeing Severino, Ruiz, Alberto, Noonie, these guys have improved. And we got a couple big hits off the bench. I just think guys who were here last year, we did a nice job getting them better and our bullpen guys have improved over the course of last year."