BALTIMORE — The game had that late, buzzy feeling you get when you can’t tell if it’s about to flip, or just kind of… stay stuck. Then in the 10th, Adrian Del Castillo finally pulled it cleanly forward.
Del Castillo smashed a two-run home run in the 10th and drove in five total, giving the Arizona Diamondbacks an 8-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Baltimore’s Jeremiah Jackson did his part—he homered and drove in three—but it wasn’t enough. The Orioles have lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh April 3-5, and that fact landed a little harder than usual, considering how stubborn Baltimore can be.
Arizona had been rolling through a rough-ish stretch on the road, going 6-3 on its nine-game trip to the New York Mets, Philadelphia and Baltimore, winning two of three from each. Still, even with that momentum, the night didn’t feel fully controlled until the final innings. After Geraldo Perdomo moved automatic runner Corbin Carroll to third with a sacrifice to open the 10th, Del Castillo took a 2-0 fastball from Tyler Wells (0-1) and launched it into the bleachers in center for his first home run of the season. Nolan Arenado then added a single later in the inning to drive in an insurance run.
If you were watching closely, the earlier swings mattered too. With the game tied 4-4, Baltimore’s Grant Wolfram surrendered Ketel Marte’s bunt single and Carroll’s double to start the seventh. Two batters later, Del Castillo hit a chopper off Wolfram’s glove—making it a simple-looking moment that turned complicated fast. Gunnar Henderson was left with only a play at first, and Marte scored. Baltimore answered back in the bottom of the inning on Leody Taveras’ RBI pinch single against Kevin Ginkel, so yeah, it kept cycling.
Del Castillo also played the long game earlier, too. In the third, he hit a two-run triple that glanced off left fielder Weston Wilson’s glove, and it was originally scored an error. Marte—who was scratched Tuesday with back tightness—finished 1 for 5 as Arizona’s designated hitter, which is one of those details you remember later when the box score feels like a puzzle.
On the mound, Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed four runs, including Jackson’s two-run shot in the fifth, over five innings. He struck out three. Baltimore countered with Kyle Bradish, who worked a season-high six innings, gave up four runs, and struck out three. Ryan Thompson (1-0) then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for Arizona, and Juan Morillo earned his first save with a scoreless 10th.
Up next, Arizona opens a six-game homestand Friday as RHP Michael Soroka (3-0, 2.87 ERA) faces Toronto. Baltimore begins a seven-game road trip Thursday as RHP Shane Baz (0-1, 4.50) starts at Cleveland. And you could feel the Orioles wondering what changed—whether it was the chopper off the glove, or that 10th-inning fastball sitting there waiting for someone to do something with it…
Laporta vows more UEFA complaints after Barça’s UCL exit
‘I love him’: Figo backs Bayern’s Olise for Ballon d’Or
Eberechi Eze says Arsenal can block the noise as they chase history