Urías hits big homer, 'pen comes up huge as O's take series opener (updated)

LOS ANGELES – Beginning a series against the team with the best record in Major League Baseball on the road was going to be a real challenge for the Orioles.

They had just completed a 2-2 series with the Astros but had lost three of five and six of their last 10. Now they faced Shoehei Ohtani and the Dodgers at a time when they had won six of seven and 15 of their last 21. They were 43-23 this year at home and 9-3 against American League East teams.

A sellout crowd of 52,382 came to see two of baseball’s best match up.

On a night when they got another big home run from Ramón Urías and some heavy lifting from their beleaguered bullpen, the Orioles won the series opener 3-2 to move to within a game of the Yankees, who lost earlier in Washington.

The Orioles (77-56) have gone 3-2 against two hot clubs in the Astros and Dodgers.

Holding a late 3-2 lead late, the O's got through the Dodgers top of the order in the last of eighth. Cionel Pérez, who had pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, fanned leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani and turned it over to Yennier Cano. He allowed a Mookie Betts single and stolen base, but then fanned Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith to take the O's into the ninth up one run.

Seranthony Domínguez gave up a single and a walk in the ninth, but got Chris Taylor to line out to deep left to close out the win.

The O's bullpen threw 4 2/3 scoreless tonight on two hits. 

Domingues is now 6-for-6 in save chances as an Oriole with an ERA of 2.57 and WHIP of 0.86 in 15 games. 

After a scoreless first where Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty threw nine pitches and O’s lefty Cole Irvin needed just eight, each team scored once in the second inning.

Ryan O’Hearn ended a 33-game homerless drought with a blast to right-center for a 1-0 Baltimore lead. O’Hearn hit a 3-1 fastball with 102.5 mph exit velocity that went 376 feet for his first homer since July 20. It was No. 13 on the year.

That was also the O’s 200^th homer for the season as they reached the 200-homer mark for the first time since 2019.

But Tommy Edman tripled and scored in the Los Angeles second for the 1-1 tie. He drove a ball into the left-field corner that was bobbled by Colton Cowser. But no error was charged on the play and Edman would score as shortstop Miguel Rojas lifted a sac fly to left.

An inning later, the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead on a RBI single by Hernández. It scored Ohtani, who had singled with two outs and moved up on a walk.

The O’s trailed until Urías hit another homer, this one a two-run shot in the Baltimore fifth for a 3-2 lead. It scored Jackson Holliday, who singled. Holliday began tonight 1-for-23 his past eight games.

Urías drilled a 1-2 slider out to left for his 10^th homer and the Orioles' 201^st. That homer makes the O’s the first major league team to have nine players with 10 or more homers. As play began tonight, the Orioles, Astros and Twins all had eight players with 10-plus.

That lead survived a real test in the last of the fifth against the top of the Los Angeles order. The bottom of the order set them up to do damage as No. 8 hitter Kiké Hernández doubled and No. 9 batter Taylor walked. But Irvin got Ohtani, who was 2-for-2, to pop out and manager Brandon Hyde went to Matt Bowman for a right-on-right matchup with Betts. Bowman got him and Teoscar Hernández to fly out to strand those runners.

For good measure, Bowman pitched a 1-2-3 last of the sixth, holding the lead further into the game for the Orioles in middle relief. 

Since joining the Orioles, Bowman has thrown four scoreless innings in four appearances, retiring all 12 batters he faced and stranding three inherited runners as well.

O’s add pitcher: According to a report out of Minnesota, the Orioles are adding right-handed reliever Nick Anderson, who pitched earlier this year with the Royals and was mostly recently in the minors with the Dodgers. He just recently chose to opt out of a minor league deal with the Dodgers.

Anderson went 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA for Kansas City over 35 2/3 innings with 15 walks and 29 strikeouts. Last year for Atlanta, he was 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA.

It’s not clear whether he is expected to join the O’s roster or has signed a minor league deal.

A few quotes from the win ...

Hyde on the bullpen work: “I thought Bowman honestly got the biggest outs of the game there, coming in in that spot. Middle of the order, right-handed bats with traffic. Just a heckuva job by him. And then the guys behind him. Cionel threw the ball great. Nice to see Cano really throw the ball well and Seranthony dodged some trouble there in the ninth inning with really good stuff. That last ball, wasn’t sure if that was going to be in the gap or not, you can never tell with Dodger Stadium. Nice job holding on for the win."

Irvin on an impressive win: “It was awesome. Some big hits. O’Hearn, Uri, awesome nights. Bowman coming in picking up my mess. It was a good team win tonight. Been playing some good team baseball recently, so lot of good things we’re doing right now and just have to keep it up.”

Urías on his approach when he homered: “I was just was trying to see a ball close to me. I know that he likes to throw up and in and his slider works down and away. Just trying to keep it close to me. Got a good pitch right there and it didn’t break a lot and I put a good swing on it."