Albert Suárez had one of his best outings of the season, striking out six batters in six innings to help the Baltimore Orioles defeat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Friday night. Suárez, who improved his record to 5-2, allowed an early home run to Miguel Andujar but then settled in nicely against an Athletics team that had shut out their previous two opponents.
After struggling earlier in the season, Suárez delivered his second consecutive solid start, giving up two runs on four hits with just one walk. The Orioles, who had endured a five-game losing streak, have now won seven of their last nine games.
Suárez, who previously played for the San Francisco Giants, expressed his enjoyment of returning to Oakland, where he had fond memories from his time with the Giants.
The game was a quick affair, lasting just 2 hours and 28 minutes, and Craig Kimbrel closed it out with a flawless ninth inning, securing his 22nd save of the season in front of a crowd of 9,654 fans.
With this win, Baltimore now boasts a record of 56-32, a mark achieved by only four previous Orioles teams in their first 88 games, the last time being in 1979.
Offensively, Austin Hays played a pivotal role with an RBI double in the second inning and drew a bases-loaded walk later in the same inning. He also had a productive day at the plate on his 29th birthday, collecting three hits, including another double in the third inning and a single in the sixth.
Manager Brandon Hyde praised Hays for his performance, noting his impact on the game with his strong hitting.
Baltimore took the lead in the first inning thanks to Gunnar Henderson’s leadoff single, followed by a stolen base and an error that allowed Henderson to score.
