Orioles rewrite the script with walk-off 3-2 win over Braves

For a moment, this seemed as though it would be a repeat of Friday night — a late lead blown, a maddening extra-innings loss to follow.

Instead, the Orioles beat the Braves, 3-2, when Dylan Beavers drove a two-out, walk-off single to score Jackson Holliday. Baltimore benefited from poor defense from Atlanta, but the Orioles will take it. Beavers’ single against right-hander Didier Fuentes’ 100 mph fastball rendered some of the issues earlier in the game moot, at least to an extent.

“It’s definitely a big win,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “I mean, any win is a big win, but a tight game like that?”

Albernaz didn’t expound on why a close-game win right now is big, but here goes: After Saturday’s game, there are seven more before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The Orioles (51-54) are three games below .500 but 2.5 games back of the final wild-card spot, as things stood when Beavers was mobbed by teammates in shallow right field.

The Orioles still find themselves in a curious position. They do not have a traditional record for buying, but this is not a traditional American League. The trade market is slow-building because there are many teams dealing with mediocrity.

That, then, is why a win against the Braves (61-43) is important. They all are — 162 games count the same — but there’s no denying the feeling around the deadline.

“It’s time for us to bear down and win some games here,” Holliday said. “Obviously, we want to make a push for the playoffs and these games are really important, and we unfortunately got to see what the other side of everything looks like last year. I know I don’t want to experience that. I want to go, I want to have a chance to play in the playoffs and have a chance to win the World Series, and I think these games are very important.”

Baltimore almost rued another game rather than running riotously into right field.

The Orioles were handed a gift in the bottom of the seventh inning when Braves shortstop Jim Jarvis inexplicably dropped his second pop-up of the game. Baltimore didn’t cash it in for two reasons. Holliday, running from first, slowed nearing third and couldn’t score on the unexpected drop. Gunnar Henderson then struck out.

There is no guarantee Holliday would’ve scored. It could be nitpicking a play that wound up not mattering. But he owned the slow-down to his run.

“I definitely didn’t give the effort to have the chance to score,” Holliday said. “It’s something that won’t happen again.”

It loomed larger because the one-run lead immediately vanished.

Baltimore turned back to right-hander Rico Garcia after he allowed a game-tying home run in the eighth inning Friday. He allowed a game-tying home run in the eighth inning Saturday. This time it was Ozzie Albies who prodded the Braves level again.

Garcia has strong numbers against left-handed hitters this season, which reinforces Albernaz’s decision to use him in that spot. Left-hander Grant Wolfram was used in the seventh.

“He’s one of the best relievers,” Albernaz said when asked about going back to Garcia. “We’ve already used Wolfie, and Rico’s been a guy for us.”

It worked out, in the end, because of a ninth-inning rally.

On Friday, an error in extra innings from Holliday unlocked the start of a four-run frame for Atlanta. But, on Saturday, Holliday responded with a double with one out in the ninth that eluded the dive of left fielder Mauricio Dubón. He advanced to third on Colton Cowser’s deep flyout, then scored the winning win to avoid extras.

“It’s exciting to help the team win, whether it’s a walk-off or in the fifth inning,” Beavers said. “I think it’s all great. But, yeah, it’s exciting when your whole team gets behind you and everyone’s fired up.”

As has been the case since June, the starting rotation continued its roll, with right-hander Brandon Young delivering 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out six batters, and Young lowered his ERA to 3.13.

Young relied on his splitter more frequently than usual to combat a lefty-heavy Braves lineup. He threw it more than any other offering Saturday, and he used it to induce five of his 12 whiffs. Another five came from his slider.

Young said he made a “small, little tweak” to his splitter a couple of weeks ago so he could “feel more consistent with the locations on it. I felt pretty good with it tonight.”

He pitched with a lead, albeit a slim one, because of the first defensive miscue from Jarvis at shortstop. He dropped a pop-up from Pete Alonso, then Taylor Ward and Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove singles.

With Encarnacion-Strand’s knock, which tipped off the shortstop’s glove, he notched his ninth RBI in six games — becoming the first Orioles player to record that many in so few games. He has been an immediate force since arriving after the All-Star break to replace Blaze Alexander, who broke his hand.

“He’s been awesome,” said Holliday, whose uncle is the coach at Oklahoma State. That’s where Encarnacion-Strand attended his junior year.

“I always knew he was going to be a great player and a big leaguer,” Holliday continued. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch him do his thing, and I got to see him in Triple-A this year, and I knew it was only a matter of time.”

Henderson struck out three times Saturday, including with two in scoring position in the eighth. But he powered a solo home run off right-hander Bryce Elder in the fifth inning to establish a two-run lead.

Young allowed one run in the sixth when Matt Olson walked, Michael Harris II doubled and Dubón hit a run-scoring groundout. The lead evaporated when Albernaz turned to Garcia against the middle of Atlanta’s order.

But, unlike the series opener, Baltimore managed to ward off disaster in the second game. Considering the time of year, every win or loss is magnified.

“I think everyone’s aware of it,” Beavers said of the looming trade deadline. “But, typically, it’s just kind of a ‘go win the day’ mentality. Show up every day and take that game.”

This article has been updated.