BALTIMORE—The forecast called for rain, but the only thing raining was the number of runs the Baltimore Orioles scored against the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles bludgeoned the Angels 11-3 on Thursday.
Taking the mound for the Orioles was the key offseason acquisition, pitcher Corbin Burnes. And what a debut in front of the fans in Charm City.
Nearly a perfect debut for Corbin Burnes
Angels outfielder Mike Trout hit his fourth career home run on Opening Day. Trout put wings on a hanging Burnes slider in the top of the first inning and launched a home run of 402 feet to the left-center.
Notwithstanding the Trout homer, Burnes said no more and shut down the Angels’ lineup. Burnes was nearly perfect over his six innings pitched, striking out every batter he faced.
“For me, it’s going out there doing what I can, knowing what my role is on the team,” said Burnes. “If we can attack our roles to the best of our ability, we’re gonna have a lot of success.
An explosive Orioles offense
The offense was explosive out of the gate, combined with Burnes’s dominance on the mound. It started with Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who led off with a walk. Then, catcher Adley Rutschman advanced Henderson to third, followed by a fielder’s choice by right fielder Anthony Santander to score Henderson.
Next, designated hitter Jordan Westburg drove in Rutschman, giving the Orioles a 2-1 lead at the end of the first.
The Orioles added more punishment in the second. Third baseman Ramon Urias reached on an error. Second baseman Jorge Mateo doubled to advance Urias to third. Then Rutschman singled to center to score Urias and Mateo to give the Orioles a 4-1 lead.
Angels starter Patrick Sandavol was chased from the game after a first baseman, Ryan Mountcastle, singled. Then Santander drove in Rutschman on a sacrifice fly, giving the Orioles a 5-1 lead at the end of the second.
The unsung hero, Anthony Santander
Again, Santander showed why he is one of the most underrated players in baseball. In the bottom of the fourth, he annihilated a Jose Suarez pitch 431 feet to left, increasing the Orioles lead to 7-1.
“We can’t get too comfortable,” said Santander. “We just come in here every day with the mentality to work hard and take care of business.”
Followed by a sacrifice fly to right by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle extended the Orioles lead to 8-1.
Up next, outfielder Cedric Mullins stepped to the plate. The Angels’ situation became worse. Mullins launched a 403-foot three-run #BroBomb to right, padding the lead to 11-3.
A returning arm to the bullpen
Two runs, one unearned in the top of the eighth off a returning Dillon Tate. Tate missed the 2023 season with a right arm strain. Luis Rengio and Nolan Schanuel scored on a Zach Neto force out to short. Unfortunately, the Halos had nothing left in the tank.
“I haven’t been away from the game that long ever in my life,” said Tate. “Today was big for me.”
A near-flawless Orioles victory
The Orioles dominated in their debut. The reigning and defending American League East Champions had this game in hand from the jump.
This will be a hard team to beat in 2024. Burnes showed in his debut why he is a favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award. Rutschman, Mullins, and Santander showed how explosive this offense can be.
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Charles Nyonga is a guy from rural Virginia who moved to the DMV and now has a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park. He is a producer on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and a content creator for MLBbro.com.
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