Orioles give a glimpse of what they can do in 12-1 win over Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — It’s not outlandish to write that the Orioles could’ve — probably should’ve — swept this series at Dodger Stadium.

They blew the first game. They nearly blew the second game. But there was no blowing this comfortable lead Sunday, not with the way Colton Cowser, Pete Alonso and the rest of Baltimore’s offense performed in this 12-1 win.

As the dust settles on the Orioles’ matchup with the best team in baseball, there is no forgetting the ninth-inning issues of Friday and Saturday. But overshadowing those blips were two good outings and one great one from starting pitchers and a series of strong offensive showings.

“It’s what our offense is capable of,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It was great to see these guys show up, especially after a tough Game 1 here, and how they bounced back. Even yesterday, it got a little gnarly in the ninth, but the guys came out ready to play.”

Alonso’s three-run home run in the seventh inning Sunday put the finishing touches on an impressive series win, but Cowser’s four-RBI game established the lead earlier.

In all, when weighing the good and bad of this weekend, the good outweighed it fairly easily.

“Game 1, where if we played cleaner baseball that ninth inning, we could be walking out of here with a sweep,” Alonso said. “It’s one of the better teams in the world, and to play that well, that should give us a lot of confidence and knowing what our potential can be, I feel like, for us, because we were able to play with them.”

The Orioles (37-42) have this way about them. They can make fans scratch their heads (or rip out their hair) with thoroughly uneven play that transfers from one area to the next quickly — be it offensive slumps, pitching slipups or defensive gaffes.

But the Orioles have this in them, too. They haven’t shown it as much as they’d like. But it’s in there. Given the nature of the American League, performances such as these give credence to the idea that the Orioles aren’t out of it. Even five games below .500, they are well within reach of a wild-card spot.

“We’re kind of creeping up on the halfway point here. We’re probably a couple games out of the halfway point,” Alonso said. “And, for us, now’s the time. This has to be the time.”

Against right-hander Emmet Sheehan, Baltimore established its healthy margin early. The Orioles scored six runs off him in 3 1/3 innings, and they added another six against right-handers Jonathan Hernández and Chayce McDermott.

It started immediately, with Samuel Basallo and Cowser driving RBI singles in the first inning to give right-hander Brandon Young the start of a large cushion. Cowser followed with a solo homer and chipped in a two-run single later, bringing his on-base-plus-slugging percentage since May 19 to .974.

Before this series, Cowser had 15 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this year. He had one hit to show for it. But on Friday he faced left-hander Jack Dreyer and recorded a base knock. He walked against left-hander Alex Vesia on Saturday. And his two-run single in the fourth came against Dreyer again.

“I think just trying to be slow,” Cowser said. “With his arsenal, just a two-pitch guy, just hunting a lane I feel like I’m comfortable with and a lane I feel like I can handle both pitches. And, like I said, just trying to stay through the middle and put the ball in play, and good things happen.”

The Orioles continued their onslaught in the seventh, when Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson hit consecutive doubles for another run. Baltimore reached double digits when Alonso lifted the three-run homer later in the frame, and Alexander wound up notching his seventh three-hit game with a blast in the eighth.

Alexander, a revelation since president of baseball operations Mike Elias traded for him last winter, lifted a cutter from McDermott on the inner half of the plate for a two-run homer. He is hitting .312 with an .809 OPS. His numbers since May 25 are even more outlandish: a .446 average and 1.194 OPS.

“Is that good? That’s good?” Alonso quipped.

Yes.

“He’s just locked in,” Alonso said. “You just enjoy the show when he goes out there and plays, because it seems every day he’s just getting two hits. He’s ready to go.”

Young entered on a run of five straight quality starts. He didn’t record one Sunday because his day concluded after five innings, but he produced a strong showing anyway. He allowed one run and lowered his ERA to 3.07.

All weekend, Baltimore’s starters impressed. Right-hander Trey Gibson held the Dodgers to three runs in five innings Friday. Left-hander Trevor Rogers dominated with seven scoreless innings.

And Young, who is becoming Baltimore’s most consistent starter over the last two months, finished the series on another high note.

“It’s nice to beat some ass sometimes, honestly,” Young said. “Hopefully we can keep it going.”

The nature of baseball is such that each series counts the same technically, and yet a series win at Dodger Stadium may carry more weight than most. Both are true. This series win is an encouraging sign for an Orioles team aiming to make a run.

But the never-ending grind continues this week with a series against the Los Angeles Angels, and those results count the same, even if the wins against the Dodgers feel that much more meaningful.

“It’s tough to play in Dodger Stadium,” Albernaz said. “Our boys did a great job of coming out and competing. That’s what we can show. We can show that we can play with anyone. Now the real task is being consistent.”

This article has been updated.