The benefit of playing and winning the close ones

When a team has the record the Orioles team has, it's kind of hard to take a small sample of five games and put a lot of importance on it. But, at the same time, the last five games did produce three wins in close games at both Toronto and New York.

So the Orioles have played five in a row, all on the road in the division, and all decided by two runs or by one, and they went 3-2. Small steps, and maybe some small progress was made as some players had to make clutch plays against two clubs pushing for the postseason.

Yesterday was a mixed bag of players you would hope and expect to come through for the club doing so and unexpected sources coming up big as well. You figure the team absolutely needs and expects production from Austin Hays, who hit his 15th homer to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, and Cedric Mullins, who hit No. 25. Mullins became the third Oriole to produce a season of 25 homers and 25 steals, joining Don Baylor and Reggie Jackson.

But in a game they would win by one run, 8-7, at Yankee Stadium, No. 9 hitter Kelvin Gutiérrez, batting .199 at gametime, had a key hand in three runs that scored. He hustled out an infield hit when Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres got a little too lax with his throw to first in the sixth inning. On a play that should have been the third out, he reached, and Mullins followed with a two-run homer. An inning later, Gutiérrez batted in a 7-7 tie and singled on an 0-2 pitch to give the Orioles the lead. That came during a four-run inning when the runs were driven by Jahmai Jones, Jorge Mateo (with a 12-pitch at-bat) and Gutiérrez.

Before Sunday's game manager Brandon Hyde talked about playing close games lately, and what it means for his team. And about battling within the American League East this month.

"I just think, you know, in this division in September, it's an incredible evaluation and test," said Hyde. "Because the teams you are playing, especially the last few years, they are all loaded up after the (trade) deadline. They're major-market and they are teams that are trying to get to the postseason. So, you're seeing the best of the best in September.

"So, when you evaluate your team of younger players you are evaluating them against teams that are at their best and loaded up and trying to win every single game. That's not always the case in other divisions, but this one is different in that way. The four teams we are playing, they add after the deadline, so you are getting the best of what they have.

"I hope our players relish that moment. I hope our players take it as they're competitors and they want to test themselves against the best in the game, and we see that in September here."

On Saturday before the game, Hyde talked about players trying to come through in some of those clutch runners-in-scoring-position at-bats. That followed the end of the game Friday, when the O's failed to score in the 11th inning at Yankee Stadium when they had runners at first and third with no outs. They lost in the bottom of that inning.

"I want to believe experience helps," Hyde said then. "And you know, the more times you are put in that situation, hopefully you can learn from them. Lot of times with young hitters, they almost try to do too much. And are trying to get the big hit in the big spot. That is what I see. We're a group right now that we expand the zone a little bit too much already, and we kind of, when the game is on the line or a big at-bat, we put too much pressure on ourselves instead of understanding, really, the pressure is on the mound. He has to come to you, and we tend to expand too much, just try to do too much.

"Sometimes our swing will change a little bit. Kind of come out of our swing instead of staying in the middle of the field. You know, looking more in the middle of the plate, not off the edge. Not looking for pitcher's pitches, but make him come to you. Hopefully, these experiences will help out our younger hitters down the line."

Maybe the experience was quickly gained by some.

Ironically, two players who made outs in the 11th inning Friday - Mateo and Gutiérrez - would come up big in that seventh-inning rally yesterday. As the O's came to bat in the seventh, they were to that point yesterday 0-for-7 batting with runners in scoring position, and 4-for-30 to that point in the series in the Bronx. Then they went 4-for-7 in the seventh during the winning rally.

Sunday's win gives the Orioles a 7-9 record against New York, their best versus any AL East team this year. They are 4-8 versus Toronto, 4-9 against Boston and 1-18 against Tampa Bay. So 15-26 (.366) versus the three teams that are not the Rays.

Today the O's come home for an afternoon with Kansas City that begins a long 11-game homestand that will also see Toronto and New York come to town.

Tyler Wells picked up his first big league save on Sunday when he got out the Yankees' No. 3-4-5 hitters in order on 12 pitches in the ninth. Saturday, Cole Sulser got a save, going 1-2-3 in the ninth on 17 pitches.

Judge➡️Stanton➡️Rizzo for his first MLB save.@TylerW13 was MAJOR! pic.twitter.com/UDXgsQlyQm

-- Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 5, 2021