Adley Rutschman doesn’t miss a beat in the Orioles’ 7-5 victory over the Mariners

There was plenty to appreciate about the Orioles’ offensive outburst in the third inning of their 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

Colton Cowser’s solo, opposite-field homer was a welcome sight for the young outfielder. Pete Alonso’s two-run homer over the left-field wall at Camden Yards served as a reminder of why the Orioles signed him during the offseason.

Yet the most important at-bat in that inning wasn’t the flashiest. It was sandwiched between the homers. Adley Rutschman laced a two-run double down the right-field line, showing the vintage swing Baltimore had missed this homestand.

“I made it through today,” Rutschman said. “I’m really happy, just because you never know with injuries how they’re gonna formulate over days and stuff. So really happy to be in there.”

After missing the last three games with left hamstring tightness, Rutschman picked up where he left off. His final stat line as the team’s designated hitter: 2-for-3 with a double, single, walk and three RBIs. Catcher Samuel Basallo, who also made his first start of the homestand, finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

“There’s a long list of guys that are important, but Adley is up there for sure,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Just what he does behind the plate but also at the plate. Just his at-bat quality kind of stabilized the middle of the lineup, hitting behind Gunnar [Henderson] and in front of Pete from both sides of the plate.”

Rutschman said he suffered the hamstring injury Sunday in Toronto. In the days that followed, he attempted to check all the boxes to ensure he’d feel comfortable returning.

“Obviously, he’s just such a stellar hitter,” Alonso said. “I can’t tell you how important he is for the work he does behind the dish calling games, receiving, trying to steal strikes, holding guys on. He’s one of the big pillars that we have here and, I mean, dude’s a stud.”

Last season, Rutschman played just 90 games and finished with career lows in most statistical categories. This year, he said, his goal is to be on the field as much as possible, which means managing his body as best as he can. Before this homestand, Rutschman had played in 46 of the team’s 66 games.

“I’m hopeful that it goes away pretty quickly,” Rutschman said about his injury.

Well before Rutschman’s contributions, Seattle’s Cole Young hit a solo homer on the third pitch of the game, setting the precedent for what was to come. The teams combined to hit five home runs in the first four innings in a matchup of starting pitchers who have underperformed preseason expectations.

Bryan Woo, who finished fifth in Cy Young voting a season ago, cruised through the first two innings. Then Cowser’s homer gave the Orioles their first hit.

Two ensuing singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch allowed one run to score. Then came Rutschman’s double. His trot served as a reminder that he’ll have to be cautious as he returns from injury.

He ran hard, then slowed rounding first base once right fielder Luke Raley had trouble corralling the baseball and Rutschman realized he’d reach second safely.

Fortunately for Rutschman, before his teammates could finish their high-five line in the dugout and fans could settle back into their seats, Alonso launched a homer that left fielder Randy Arozarena didn’t even run for. Rutschman, meanwhile, leisurely jogged the bases.

“That one felt really good,” Alonso said. “I was just really happy I was able to come through right there, especially to cap off that big inning. That inning was the big blow from us.”

The Orioles batted around in the bottom of the third. The Mariners responded by doing the same in the top of the fourth.

Kyle Bradish, who had a strong May, has now allowed five runs in each of his first two starts of June. Raley hit a two-run homer, and Dominic Canzone added a solo homer in the ensuing at-bat.

Bradish’s three homers allowed were a career high and, after Julio Rodríguez hit an RBI single later in the frame, Bradish threatened to blow the cushion he’d been given.

Bradish was bullish that this was one of his better outings, even if his results didn’t match up. He said two of the homers came on curveballs near the dirt. The third was on a well-executed slider. He lamented that he walked two hitters and both scored.

With a one-run lead, Tyler Wells pitched three scoreless innings, facing one more than the minimum. Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram and Andrew Kittredge covered the final two innings.

And in the fifth Rutschman added his RBI single as cushion, taking his time reaching first as Henderson sprinted home.

“The way the ball was flying tonight, no lead felt safe,” Albernaz said. “So the extra run was very important for us.”

Note

Outfielder Tommy Pham is planning to opt out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, according to a person familiar with his decision. Pham, 38, agreed to the deal May 16, giving the Orioles outfield depth after a slew of injuries at the time. Pham hit .197 with a .696 OPS in 16 games with Triple-A Norfolk, though he had a 1.056 OPS after May 31.

This article has been updated.