Morton Comes Up Big Again and Small-Ball Orioles Complete Sweep with 3-2 Win
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In a game where every pitch, bunt, and base-running decision mattered, veteran right-hander Charlie Morton delivered another clutch performance, helping the Baltimore Orioles complete a hard-fought sweep with a 3-2 win Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards. While Morton’s excellence on the mound laid the foundation, it was the Orioles’ commitment to small-ball fundamentals that ultimately pushed them over the edge against a resilient Tampa Bay Rays squad.
Morton, who signed with the Orioles in the offseason on a one-year deal to provide stability and veteran leadership to a young rotation, once again proved his worth. The 40-year-old allowed just two runs over seven gritty innings, striking out six and walking only one. It marked his third consecutive quality start and his second win in that stretch.
“This guy just knows how to pitch,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. “He’s never rattled. He doesn’t get overwhelmed. He’s just calm, and that kind of presence has such a big impact on our clubhouse. He’s been everything we hoped for.”
Morton was locked in a tight duel with Rays starter Zach Eflin, who matched him pitch for pitch until the Orioles broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. After trailing 2-1 for most of the game, the Orioles capitalized on a throwing error, a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt, and a squeeze play to push ahead.
“That’s Orioles baseball,” said shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “We find ways to manufacture runs. Everyone’s buying into it. It’s not always about the long ball—sometimes it’s about doing the little things right.”
The Orioles, who have now won five straight and improved to 38-21 on the season, showcased their brand of baseball in the most timely fashion. Down 2-1 after five innings, they tied the game in the sixth when Cedric Mullins reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Austin Hays laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt to move Mullins to third, and Adam Frazier followed with a squeeze bunt that Mullins read perfectly, sliding in under the tag at home.
“That was one of the best executed sequences I’ve seen this year,” said Hyde. “It was clean, it was smart, and it’s exactly how we’ve been talking about playing: situational baseball. That’s what wins tight games.”
The go-ahead run came an inning later, thanks again to heads-up base running and contact hitting. After Ryan Mountcastle led off the seventh with a bloop single, Jorge Mateo pinch-ran and promptly stole second. James McCann advanced him with a slow grounder to the right side, and Henderson knocked him in with a sharp single to left.
Morton took the mound in the top of the eighth but was lifted after allowing a leadoff single. Setup man Yennier Cano and closer Craig Kimbrel combined to shut the door, with Kimbrel picking up his 14th save of the season. The Rays made it interesting in the ninth, getting a runner to third with two outs, but Kimbrel induced a fly ball to shallow center to end it.
“I knew if we could get it to the bullpen, we’d be in good shape,” Morton said postgame. “That’s a great team over there. Tampa Bay doesn’t give anything away. You’ve got to earn every out, and today we did just that.”
For Morton, the performance was more than just a win—it was a milestone. The outing marked his 250th career start, and it was yet another example of how he’s adapted and evolved as a pitcher. Once known primarily for his curveball, Morton has fine-tuned his cutter and uses a deeper pitch mix now to keep hitters off balance.
“He’s like a professor out there,” said Cano. “Every inning he’s teaching you something about how to pitch smart.”
For the Orioles, this game capped a crucial early-season sweep of a division rival. With the win, Baltimore moved three games ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East standings and continued to assert themselves as legitimate contenders.
“We’re not sneaking up on anyone anymore,” Henderson said. “We’ve got the pitching, we’ve got the defense, and we’ve got a team that buys into playing the right way.”
That “right way” was on full display throughout the series. While the Orioles only hit one home run in the three-game set—a solo shot by Mountcastle on Friday—they outscored the Rays 11-5 and out-executed them in key moments.
As for the Rays, the loss dropped them to 35-24 and marked their first sweep of the season. Manager Kevin Cash was candid afterward.
“They beat us playing fundamental baseball,” Cash said. “They executed better. We’ll regroup.”
The Orioles will enjoy an off-day Monday before beginning a six-game road trip starting in Houston. Morton is expected to take the mound again next weekend, and the Orioles will look to continue riding the wave of a team that knows exactly how it wants to win.
And as long as Morton keeps delivering and the lineup stays committed to grinding out runs, the Orioles may just keep flying high.
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