Orioles pitching keeps the American League’s best offense in check in defeat of Astros

As poorly as the Astros have begun this season, they still boast an offense capable of cracking most pitching staffs. Houston entered this series opener at Camden Yards leading the American Leagues in runs and on-base-slugging percentage.

That only made the Orioles’ performance more impressive. It began with the best start of right-hander Shane Baz’s limited time in Baltimore and continued with 3 1/3 innings of high-leverage relief appearances, including when right-hander Andrew Kittredge worked his way out of a mess of his own creation by stranding the bases loaded in the seventh.

The prevailing characteristic of this Orioles season — which is only a month old — is inconsistency, so no sweeping observations will be made about a 5-3 victory against an Astros team that has sputtered out of the gates.

“They’re a deep-lineup team and battle tested, and a lot of accolades on that side,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “So, always great to see our guys step up to the challenge and just compete. That’s the biggest thing. They didn’t shy away from it. They competed in zone, and that was the biggest thing for me.”

At the very least, this one-game sample in a 162-game slog showcased a more aspirational Orioles (14-15) performance, even if there were still shortcomings.

For instance, in the second inning, Jeremiah Jackson was picked off first base with Gunnar Henderson at the plate to end the frame. That marked Baltimore’s seventh picked-off runner this year, which is tied for the most in the majors.

And twice right fielder Dylan Beavers didn’t get to balls that may have been catchable. Neither hurt — apart from rising Baz’s pitch count — but the Yainer Diaz second-inning double and Christian Walker’s sixth-inning bloop single created higher-stress situations than may have been necessary.

“It’s little things like that that we have to button up. We can’t give away free outs, especially outs on the bases,” Albernaz said. “That’s something that we’re going to continue to address, continue to work on so we improve and get better.”

Houston (11-19) failed to cash in on either, although the Astros plated two against right-hander Anthony Nunez in the eighth, in which the rookie allowed uncharacteristically loud contact. Christian Walker doubled, Dustin Harris tripled and Brice Matthews recorded his second RBI of the night with a single.

The Astros could’ve chipped further into the lead an inning earlier against Kittredge, who allowed two hits to begin his outing. And after a strikeout, the Orioles intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to avoid a matchup with one of the league’s best hitters.

With bases loaded and one out, Kittredge said he reminded himself the runner on third would probably score “one way or another.” That allowed him to settle down and attack the zone “and make them earn it.”

He struck out the next two, and as he walked off the mound, he laughed with catcher Adley Rutschman. The final pitch Jose Altuve swung through? A hanging breaking ball.

“More so laughed that I got away with that last pitch,” Kittredge said. “That last pitch was nowhere near where I wanted to throw it. I like to think I threw it with conviction, and that’s what I got by on, but more so just laughing at that with Rutsch because it was more like, ‘Man, I got away with that one.’”

The Astros’ lone run against Baz came in the fifth, when Matthews lashed a solo homer to right field. And in the sixth, once two runners reached base and Baz’s pitch count rose to 98, right-hander Rico Garcia stranded the pair with a strikeout.

During the winter and into spring training, Baz developed a sinker that he hoped would help against right-handed batters. He used it sparingly to this point of the year, but against the Astros’ high-powered lineup, Baz broke out his sinker more frequently. He threw it 11 times, and while it didn’t generate whiffs, it may have helped Baz set up his knucklecurve and four-seam fastball.

“He had all three fastball shapes going — the cutter, the sinker and the four-seam,“ Albernaz said. ”The four-seam had great life in the strike zone, and then when he’s doing that, it just sets up the curveball. And the curveball had really good bite to it, started just on the same plane as the heater and it just disappeared."

The sinker, and its down-and-in movement to right-handed hitters, opens the top of the strike zone for Baz’s four-seam fastball, he said.

“Kind of get them looking down a little more,” Baz added. “Fastball command was good. I felt like I could throw anything in any count. Just one of those outings where I felt like I could mix really well.”

The early offense from the Orioles also helped Baz. Twice, Gunnar Henderson got on base ahead of Rutschman, and both times Rutschman drove him home. Henderson’s hustle double in the first resulted in a run off Rutschman’s first single, and Samuel Basallo plated Rutschman with a double.

In the seventh, Henderson singled, stole second and scored again when Rutschman singled. The hot start to Rutschman’s season shows no signs of ending; he’s hitting .345 with a 1.018 OPS.

“Get to watch these guys every day, watch them work, and yeah, I’d definitely say we have the best catching tandem,” Albernaz said of Rutschman and Basallo. “I’m biased.”

And although Pete Alonso’s start has been anything but hot, his deep fly ball in the fifth against right-hander Ryan Weiss was a much-needed two-run home run — for his own confidence as much as it helped the Orioles build a lead.

“Everyone knows how good Pete is,” Rutschman said. “The guy is all-time. I think, just for him, it was nice to see him get rewarded for his good swing decisions, and hit the ball hard. That’s the guy he is, and he’s a leader in this clubhouse and a leader on the field. Love to see him hit a nice homer today.”

Alonso, who’s still hitting .198 with a .659 OPS, said before the game he was waiting for his luck to turn.

“Just need to get a ball or two to find some grass, or maybe a seat,” Alonso said.

He found that seat, and in doing so, Baltimore handed a two-run lead for Ryan Helsley to save. Nunez allowed two runs, but beyond that, Baz and the bullpen produced one of their best pitching performances of the season against the American League’s most dangerous offense.