Pitching Dominance Defines Outcome
Brandon Young anchored the Baltimore Orioles' victory with a seven-inning performance that stifled the Houston Astros' offense. Young allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out seven batters and walking only one. His efficiency was critical in keeping the game within reach early, setting the stage for the bullpen to secure the final outs.
Rico Garcia followed with a scoreless inning, allowing two hits and recording one strikeout. Grant Wolfram closed the game with a perfect ninth, earning his first save of the season.
Early Scoring Sets Tone
The Orioles took an early lead in the third inning. Henderson singled to left field, bringing Holliday home to make it 1-0. Henderson then stole home, extending the advantage to 2-0, though the scoring summary lists this play again without additional runs. The Astros responded later in the inning when Alvarez doubled to right field, scoring Altuve to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Baltimore regained momentum in the fifth inning. Taveras singled to left field, driving in both Alonso and Ward to push the lead to 4-1. The Orioles added another run in the sixth when Mayo homered to right center, a 384-foot shot that made it 5-1.
