Jack Flaherty dominates in debut, Orioles record 15 hits in 6-1 series-clinching win over Blue Jays – The Denver Post

Jack Flaherty, in Jordan Hicks’ estimation, is at his best in situations such as Thursday’s sixth inning.

Flaherty cruised for much of his Orioles debut, starting against the Toronto Blue Jays two days after Baltimore acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals for three prospects minutes before the MLB trade deadline. But the sixth inning saw his dazzling debut in peril, with Toronto plating a run and threatening for more with the bases loaded and one out.

Manager Brandon Hyde showed trust in his newest starter and Flaherty rewarded it, retiring the next two Blue Jays to propel the Orioles to a 6-1 series-clinching victory.

“They definitely got one of the most fierce competitors I’ve met,” said Hicks, a Toronto reliever who St. Louis also traded away this week. “He’s always gonna go out there every time and leave it all out there.”

Flaherty allowed one run over six innings while striking out eight, becoming only the third Orioles pitcher to record that stat line in his team debut along with Tom Phoebus (Mount Saint Joseph) in 1966 and Charlie Beamon in 1956. In an up-and-down four months with St. Louis, the 27-year-old right-hander threw eight pitches 96 mph or harder, according to Baseball Savant. He delivered seven such pitches Thursday, doing so three times in the sixth, and reached 97 mph for the first time this season in the first.

That opening inning found Flaherty in trouble, with his Orioles tenure beginning with a single and a walk. Yet he made it through the frame unscathed, sparking a run of 15 straight Blue Jays retired. Only Dave McNally, with 17, posted a longer streak of outs in his first outing for the Orioles.

Baltimore’s bats, meanwhile, built a three-run lead on RBI singles from Austin Hays (4-for-5 with a double) and Adley Rutschman in the second and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Mountcastle in the fifth. It marked the only time Mountcastle was retired Thursday as he finished 4-for-4 to go 11-for-13 in Toronto, tied for the most hits in a four-game series in franchise history.

Three of the first four Blue Jays (60-50) who faced Flaherty in the sixth singled, and a walk followed. But Flaherty struck out Matt Chapman with a nasty knuckle curve before Alejandro Kirk flew out to left-center to end the threat.

Flaherty also used his knuckle curve to strike out former teammate Paul DeJong in the second. Like Hicks, DeJong was traded from St. Louis to Toronto, with the shortstop having played behind Flaherty for the past several seasons.

“Jack works harder than anybody I’ve seen as a starting pitcher,” DeJong said. “No matter what day it is, he’s in there doing something.

“He really takes pride in what he does.”

The Orioles (67-42) scored three times across the final two innings while Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano and Mike Baumann each pitched scoreless frames behind Flaherty.

Around the horn

• Outfielder Anthony Santander was named the Orioles’ nominee for the Heart & Hustle Award, given annually to a player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.” “He just brings so much passion to our team,” Hyde said. “It’s been fun watching him develop and grow into a major league player these last four or five years, how far he’s come and the way he plays the game with joy and passion and energy and heart and hustle. That’s pretty much who he is.”
• Injured relievers Keegan Akin (lower back discomfort) and Mychal Givens (right shoulder inflammtion) had their rehabilitation assignments transferred to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. After pitching prospect Cade Povich allowed a run on one hit and one walk over six innings, Akin pitched a scoreless seventh with a walk, and Givens worked the next two frames with the only base runner being a hit batter.

This story will be updated.

Mets at Orioles

Friday, 7:05 p.m.

TV: MASN

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

()