Slump buster: Jackson Holliday's pinch-hit double leads O's over Houston (updated)

For the second game in a row, the contest was moving to the later innings. The O’s offense had been very quiet but the Orioles loaded the bases in the sixth down 2-0 looking for that one big swing.

They got it again today.

Jackson Holliday’s pinch-hit, bases-clearing double turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead today in the last of the sixth. Another big Camden Yards crowd was roaring as the kid ended an 0-for-20 slump in a huge way.

Holliday attacked the first pitch from reliever Tayler Scott, who entered the game with a 1.92 ERA, an OPS against of .543 and a batting average against of .196 when pitching with runners in scoring position.

But Holliday lined Scott's splitter into the gap in right-center at 105.9 mph off the bat to score three for the lead.

Just as Anthony Santander's grand slam pushed the O's to a win last night, Holliday's clutch double did the same today. The Orioles beat Houston 3-2 in front of a loud crowd of 35,302 at Oriole Park.

Holliday's 0-fer is over.

"Well, I’ve been here before," he said in the Baltimore clubhouse. "Obviously, it’s not great, but that experience the first time is helpful. Not thinking too much about it. I’ve hit some balls hard, just haven’t had great luck. So just sticking to my approach and just tinkering with little things but not overthinking it. The game is really hard, guys are really good and that happens. Going out there each night and competing."

And now maybe the O's will build momentum after these-back-to-back wins.

“Absolutely," added Holliday. "This is testament to the kind of team we have in here, that battles and competes and are never out of it. It’s really good momentum going into these next few weeks."

Said manager Brandon Hyde: “Well, we have been missing the big hit. When you are not getting the big hit you are continually asked 'What is wrong that you can’t get a hit with runners in scoring position? Is there a drill you can do?' There’s not a drill. It’s slowing the game down, honestly. Getting some confidence and not trying to do too much.

“Hopefully, Santander’s hit last night, Jackson’s hit today, that keep the line moving, both were those types of innings. We’ve been missing that."   

Houston lefty Framber Valdez, who was ninth in the American League Cy Young voting last season, began today 8-0 with a 2.39 ERA over his past 10 starts.

He sailed into the sixth inning with a two-run lead and three-hitter with seven strikeouts. But with one out, Gunnar Henderson singled. With two down, Eloy Jiménez singled to right. Colton Cowser then hit a grounder to first base that should have ended the inning. But Valdez was late covering first base and Cowser dove safely into the bag.

That mistake would prove very big just one pitch later.

The O's bullpen put up 3 1/3 scoreless innings to make the one-run lead stand up today in relief of starter Albert Suárez. Keegan Akin got three outs and Yennier Cano got four, including big work against the top of the order in the eighth.

Right-hander Seranthony Domínguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to record his second save in a two days. This comes after he gave up walk-off homers Monday and Wednesday in New York against the Mets. He has six saves this season, five for the Orioles.

“You know Akin has been throwing the ball good," said Hyde. "We missed him for a few days, congratulations to him and his wife on the baby. But great to see him back out there. He threw really, really well. Yenny has been throwing the ball good all year, a groundball machine and really tough on righties. And Seranthony with that great stuff in the ninth inning. They all did fantastic."

Back in the first inning, the impressive pitching run by right-hander Suárez – he’d thrown 17 2/3 scoreless innings his last three starts – ended early today at the Yard.

For the second time this year, Houston’s Jose Altuve got him for a leadoff homer. It was on the first pitch June 23 at Minute Maid Park and on the second pitch today.

Altuve took a cutter for ball one, then hammered a 93 mph fastball over the big wall in left for his 18^th homer and a 1-0 lead. He produced an exit velocity of 106.1 mph in hitting that ball 408 feet.

It was his fifth leadoff homer of the year and 40^th of his career, second-most in Astros history. Today he moved past George Springer at 39 and still trails Craig Biggio with 53.

The Astros got four first-inning runs against Suárez in the earlier game at Houston, which ended in an 8-1 Astros win and series sweep on a Sunday afternoon.

Today Altuve hit his second homer in two games this series and third in six games this season off Baltimore pitching.

Suárez would not give up another run until the last batter he faced with two outs in the sixth.

He allowed a leadoff walk with no damage done in the second and pitched out of a first-and-third, one-out jam an inning later when he got Yainer Diaz to bounce into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. He gave up a double in the fifth but stranded the runner.

But shortstop Jeremy Peña homered for the second day in a row – a solo shot to left-center – to double the lead in the sixth. He hit an 0-1 curveball 416 feet for his 14^th homer of the season.

Suárez however, produced another very solid outing. He allowed the two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings with two walks and three strikeouts. His ERA, 3.18 to begin the day, was the same when it ended.

His ERA is now 0.77 his past four starts. In that span, he’s allowed just two runs and 17 hits over 23 1/3 innings.

“Feels good. Feels good," said Suárez. "Because I am helping the team win and that is the main goal right now."

After breaking a five-game losing streak to Houston last night, now the O's have two wins in a row versus the AL West leader.

The Orioles are now 76-55 with the win and moved to within ½ game of the Yankees, who lost 9-2 to Colorado. Sunday the O’s shoot for a series win and their first three-game win streak since July 14-20.

Final note: At 20 years, 264 days old, Holliday is the youngest player in Orioles history to drive in 3 or more runs as a pinch-hitter since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920. And he's the youngest in the major leagues since Jeff Burroughs on Aug. 2, 1971 at Detroit (20y, 148d), per MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

Holliday is the second youngest player in the big leagues to pinch-hit this season (behind Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio) and the youngest with a pinch-hit extra-base hit since Juan Soto on May 15, 2018.