John Means pitched for seven innings without allowing any runs in his first game of the season, helping the Baltimore Orioles win 2-1 against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.
Means had Tommy John surgery on April 27, 2022, and returned last September for four starts before being put on the injured list again at the start of this season due to a left forearm strain.
“I felt pretty good,” Means said after the Orioles secured their fifth win in six games. “The team’s playing so well, I just wanted to join them and feel that energy. I felt like the slider and changeup were working well, and I was locating my pitches. It’s good to get that first game out of the way.”
Similar to Cole Irvin the night before, Means kept the Reds’ batters guessing with no walks and eight strikeouts.
“That was unbelievable,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “To go out and do that, pitch seven shutout innings, first time off of rehab, not been on a big-league mound for a while, that was way more than we anticipated.”
Means had six rehab starts with Triple-A Norfolk before being back on the roster on May 1. Although he had an 8.68 ERA in those starts, he felt physically fine.
“There’s something about rehab that starts with me, I don’t know what it is,” Means said. “There’s something about being up here that feels comfortable. Just going to ride with that. I just want to take it day by day.” Two solo home runs off Reds starter Andrew Abbott (1-4) gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Jorge Mateo hit his second homer of the season in the fourth inning, and Adley Rutschman, who had three hits, hit his fifth home run in the next inning.
Abbott allowed seven hits in five innings, striking out eight batters with no walks. “The results will come,” Abbott said. “Stay true to yourself, stay true to what you can do. Eventually, it will turn the corner and we will be on a nice win streak and we’ll be looking back and say ‘Hey, it’s all part of the process.’”
The Reds, who hadn’t scored a run in Great American Ball Park in 26 innings, rallied in the ninth.
