OAKLAND, Calif. — Friday marked Albert Suárez’s first MLB start in the Bay Area since September 2016.
Suárez started 12 games that season for the Giants, including five across the bay at Oracle Park in San Francisco. His baseball career has since taken him on an odyssey — from Japan to Korea to Baltimore — and it led him back to the area it all started.
It had been 2,847 days since Suárez last started a game in the Bay Area when he took the mound Friday for the Orioles at Oakland Coliseum. He achieved something he never did as a starter with the Giants all those years ago: A win.
Suárez delivered once again with six innings of two-run ball to lead the Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Athletics. The quality start is the 34-year-old’s eighth in 11 outings as he’s emerged as a key member of Baltimore’s rotation and one of the best stories in baseball.
“So good,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Suárez. “The fastball had a bunch of life. We talked about it his last start. Just an outstanding six full innings and great job by our bullpen after.”
Suárez said the Orioles drove by Oracle Park on Thursday after landing in San Francisco from Seattle, allowing the journeyman to reminisce about his time there.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that was like my last home,'” he said. “Being back here is something that brings a lot of memories, a lot of good memories. So I’m just happy for it.”
Austin Hays led the offense on his 29th birthday with three hits — an RBI double in the second, another two-bagger in the third and a bloop single in the sixth. Setup man Yennier Cano stranded the tying run on third in the eighth, and closer Craig Kimbrel kept up his recent run of dominance with a three-up, three-down ninth — the 439th save of his distinguished career.
“That’s a good birthday present to myself right there,” Hays said. “A couple doubles and a nice lucky knock and a win.”
The win maintains the Orioles’ standing as the best team in the American League with a 56-32 record. Baltimore is a season-high three games ahead of New York (54-36) atop the AL East as the Yankees lost again Friday, their 14th defeat in 18 games.
Suárez, who won two home games in relief in 2016 but none of his five as a starter, followed up his bounce-back start last week — six scoreless innings after two rough starts — with another solid one Friday, pitching into the seventh for the first time this year. The right-hander allowed a solo homer in his first and last innings but was rarely hit hard in between.
“Definitely more experienced,” Suárez said when asked how he’s changed since his days with the Giants. “A lot of experience. And I think that helped me with all the metrics and everything. Right now, yeah, I feel like I’m a better pitcher than I was before.”
After going six years without appearing in the major leagues, Suárez (5-2) has 2.48 ERA this season that ranks sixth among MLB starters with at least 65 innings pitched.
In mid-June, it seemed as if his magic had run out when he surrendered 24 base runners and eight runs in 8 2/3 innings across two starts. But he’s allowed only seven hits and two runs over his past two outings.
“You’re going to have one or two starts here or there where it just doesn’t go your way,” Hays said of Suárez. “He’s been so consistent for us this year going deep in games. He did it again tonight. We love playing defense behind him. He throws strikes, he knows how to pitch and use all his pitches in all counts. It’s fun to watch.”
Baltimore’s bats continued their recent cold stretch, but they provided just enough offense for Suárez and his bullpen. Gunnar Henderson generated a run on his own in the first, smacking a leadoff single, advancing to second on an Adley Rutschman groundout, stealing third and scoring on a throwing error by Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers.
After Miguel Andujar tied the game for Oakland (33-57) with a solo homer in the second, Hays put Baltimore on top with his RBI double down the left field line to score Jordan Westburg. Athletics starter Hogan Harris later walked Rutschman with the bases loaded for Baltimore’s third and final run.
The Orioles, who possess the most powerful offense in baseball, have scored only 14 runs over their past five games, although they’re 3-2 in them. Friday, they went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base, including the bases loaded in the second and ninth innings.
“That game should have been blown open early in the game, unfortunately,” Hyde said. “Then we squandered that situation there in the top of the ninth. We’re getting guys on, we’re just not getting the big hits right now to break games open.”
Hays went 3-for-4 for his second three-hit game of the season. The 2023 All-Star began his season in a brutal slump but has since emerged as a reliable contributor, especially against left-handed pitchers. After doubling twice off Harris, Hays is hitting .365 with a .949 OPS versus southpaws compared with a .190 average and .590 OPS against righties.
“Being a pro right now,” Hyde said of Hays. “He wants to play, and he’s doing a great job of staying ready. He’s a really good player. Started the All-Star Game last year. I appreciate his patience and I appreciate how he’s handled everything this season. He’s playing his butt off every time he gets the opportunity, and he showed it today.”
Oakland cut its deficit in half when Langeliers blasted a solo homer off Suárez to lead off the seventh. Hyde pulled Suárez for Jacob Webb, who pitched a clean inning to bridge the game to Cano, who was in trouble early in the eighth.Max Schuemann reached on an infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout, bringing the tying run 90 feet away from scoring.
But the Orioles’ sinkerballer buckled down to escape his own jam, striking out Andujar and inducing an inning-ending groundout of Brent Rooker on a slick play from Westburg at third base.
“[Cano] goes right through the heart of the order with Andujar and Rooker with a big punchout and Westy makes a great play — a game-saving type of play,” Hyde said. “So we did a lot of really good things that inning.”
A few months ago, a one-run save with Kimbrel on the mound would’ve been anxiety-inducing, as the 36-year-old failed to convert on each of his first such opportunities. But he’s come through in three straight one-run situations, including Friday when he sat down the Athletics with no cause for concern.
“He’s Craig Kimbrel,” Hays said. “He’s doing what he’s done for 14 years in the big leagues, and it’s still lightning, electric stuff. I’m glad I’m not in the box.”
Originally Published:
