Rodriguez and three relievers combine on shutout in 2-0 win (updated)

SEATTLE – No team in baseball had a lower batting average or fewer hits before tonight than the Mariners. They scored the fourth-fewest number of runs. The pitching staff held opponents to the lowest average, but the offense sputtered and stalled while a division lead shrank like cotton.

Exposure to a hot starter wasn’t going to make the situation more comfortable.

Grayson Rodriguez followed his seven-inning, two-run outing against the Guardians by tossing 6 1/3 scoreless in the Orioles’ 2-0 victory before an announced crowd of 36,173 at T-Mobile Park.

The Yankees lost to the Reds earlier today, giving the Orioles a one-game lead in the American League East.

Anthony Santander broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and the Orioles (54-31) delivered a nice bounce back after Sunday night’s 11-2 loss to the Rangers on ESPN. They’ve won five of six and posted their seventh shutout.

Craig Kimbrel registered his 20^th save and 437^th of his career after hitting two batters. He followed Cionel Pérez, who retired the side in order in the eighth.

Kimbrel struck out Julio Rodríguez with first base open to end it. Cal Raleigh came within a few feet of a game-tying home run earlier in the inning, his ball bending past the foul pole.

What was manager Brandon Hyde thinking?

"I wanted it to hook. It hooked just enough," Hyde said.

"You never want to hit two guys there in the inning to put the tying run on base, but Craig's done this a long time and he did a great job pitching out of it."

Rodriguez allowed two hits, walked four and struck out eight. His nine-pitch free pass to Dominic Canzone with one out in the seventh led to Yennier Cano’s entrance, and the right-hander killed the threat with a grounder and strikeout.

"I thought he threw the ball great," Hyde said. "Really good changeup tonight. That start in Houston didn't go well, but he's had four or five really good ones and this was right up there, also."

"Amazing," Santander said. "I always love when he attacks the hitters with his fastball. He has an electric fastball right there."

Rodriguez has faced Seattle twice this season and shut them out on three hits over 12 1/3 innings.

"I kind of think we knew what we were getting into," he said. "The again, that's a playoff team. They're loaded. And we'll probably see them in October."

"He's just got really good stuff," Hyde said, "and when he's got fastball command and that changeup going, he's going to be tough against any lineup."

Santander fell behind George Kirby 0-2 in the fourth and fouled off five pitches before bouncing a knuckle-curve into center field to score Gunnar Henderson and complete a 10-pitch at-bat. Henderson led off with a single after his 36-game on-base streak ended Sunday, and he was safe at second base on a fielder’s choice.

"Don't try to do too much right there," Santander said. "Just tried to put the ball in play and just tried to bring that run to the plate."

Santander, an outfield finalist for the All-Star Game, also singled in the second inning, and first baseman Ty France made a diving stop at the line to rob him of an extra-base hit in the sixth.

Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins strung together one-out singles in the seventh for a 2-0 lead. Kirby left with runners on the corners and Austin Voth walked Jorge Mateo, but the former Oriole struck out Henderson with the count full and retired Adley Rutschman on a fly ball with the count full again.

The Orioles were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.

"They have a pretty good pitching staff, and there are some games we don't win by a homer," Santander said.

Rodriguez retired the first eight batters and nine of 10. Josh Rojas singled with two outs in the third inning.

A pair of walks in the fourth threatened a 1-0 lead, but Jorge Polanco bounced into a first-pitch 6-3 double play and a smattering of boos rose from the stands.

Rodríguez and Mitch Haniger struck out in the fifth. More booing. Both starters were at 69 pitches but Rodriguez had a one-hit shutout, with 14 of 17 batters retired.

A 20-pitch sixth shortened Rodriguez’s outing but he stranded two runners in scoring position.

Rojas led off the inning with a single to give him both Seattle hits. France walked again with one out, Luke Raley bounced to the mound, and the Orioles settled for the force at second when Henderson couldn’t make a clean grab of Rodriguez’s low throw.

France was ruled safe, but the call was overturned. Henderson managed to pick up the ball as he was falling before France’s foot touched the bag – the product of a terrible slide. The Orioles botched the double play, but Rodriguez struck out Raleigh on a 97.4 mph fastball with the count full.

A strikeout to begin the seventh was followed by the walk on Rodriguez’s 104^th pitch. His ERA is 3.45, and his 10 wins lead the club.

Rodriguez, who spiked the rosin bag before heading to the dugout, induced a career-high 19 swings and misses.

"Really been focusing on getting the changeup back, so I think we were able to accomplish that," he said. "Sprayed a lot of heaters up and away, but at least they were up in the zone and I think that helped."

"He's going to because the fastball's got a ton of life, but then the changeup's working like a split-finger a lot of times," Hyde said. "He had two breaking balls going, also. He's just evolving as a major league pitcher."

The changeup allows Rodriguez to attack the lineup in different ways.

"That's kind of the foundation of how I pitch is off that changeup," he said, "and if I can get that working, I'm pretty confident that I can do anything I want with it."

* Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Justin Ramsey joined the Orioles in Seattle and received lots of hugs and handshakes in the clubhouse. It’s an opportunity to have him around the major league staff.

* Coby Mayo homered, singled twice, walked and drove in five runs tonight at Norfolk in a 13-12 loss to Durham. Garrett Cooper hit a pair of two-run homers. Connor Norby went 3-for-6. Jackson Holliday singled and drew three walks.

Single-A Delmarva pitcher Carter Baumler was charged with three runs and three hits, didn’t retire a batter and exited with right biceps soreness.