The Baltimore Orioles won their second game in a row on Tuesday, against the Chicago White Sox, and took their record to an incredibly impressive 64-58.
The victory was especially satisfying because they managed to beat Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease in the process, and not many teams can brag about that this year.
Ryan Mountcastle hit a crucial three-run homer and Jorge Mateo and Anthony Santander contributed RBI singles.
Austin Voth held on for 5.2 innings while allowing three runs, and earned the hard-fought victory.
Everything is happiness in the Orioles clubhouse: they are actually fighting for a place in the postseason.
Closer Felix Bautista, who took over the role after the O’s traded Jorge Lopez to the Minnesota Twins, got a five-out save on Tuesday.
He was the star of the game, and has been an incredibly reliable fireman in the late innings for the surging Orioles.
The Player Of The Game Belt Belonged To Bautista
Zachary Silver, MLB.com’s beat reporter covering the Orioles, described the scene at the clubhouse after the game.
“The scene at Félix Bautista‘s locker postgame: a signed hat from a Little Leaguer over the weekend still present and a bright orange “Player of the Game” belt up top,” he tweeted.
Of course, we needed a good picture as proof, and he provided it, courtesy of Bautista’s Instagram account.
From Félix:https://t.co/XeMHYWCaR5 pic.twitter.com/CqrV7B32Vg
— Zachary Silver (@zachsilver) August 24, 2022
The budding relief star has an incredible 1.68 ERA in 53.2 frames this season, with 71 strikeouts for good measure.
This is his debut year in MLB, after spending the rest of his career as a reliever in Baltimore’s system.
Bautista is actually the poster boy for the Orioles’ gains in player development this year.
He is 27 years old and never got too much attention until this season, and he is performing like one of the best relievers in the league.
Kudos to him and the team for unearthing such an exciting, reliable bullpen arm.
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