LOS ANGELES — Ramón Urías was a little perplexed Sunday night. After hitting another home run in the Orioles’ loss to the Astros, the 30-year-old third baseman was asked when he last felt this good at bat in his five-year MLB career.
“I don’t remember it,” Urías said. “Honestly, it’s probably the best time I’ve felt in the major leagues.”
It was evident, as it was again on Tuesday, when Urías showed up in force at Dodger Stadium.
Urías hit a two-run home run off Los Angeles starter (and former O’s teammate) Jack Flaherty in the fifth inning, giving Baltimore a 3-2 series-opening victory in a battle of heavyweight teams. By beating the MLB-leading Dodgers (78-54), the Orioles (77-56) moved one game behind the Yankees (78-55) for the American League East lead.
Urías, who is hitting .300 (15 for 50) since Aug. 9, became the ninth Orioles player to hit 10-plus homers this season, the most of any MLB team. He has driven in five of Baltimore’s six runs in his last two games.
“He’s been our offense the last couple of weeks. He’s been really good at the plate,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re not doing great with the bat right now, and he’s carrying us a little bit offensively in some of these wins. And he’s playing with a lot of energy right now. He’s playing really well.”
Flaherty, who made nine appearances for Baltimore late last season, got off to a solid start in his first career start against the O’s, allowing three runs in six innings. However, the 28-year-old right-hander’s two biggest throwing errors were significant enough to earn him the loss.
Ryan O’Hearn opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, ending his 33-game home run drought with his 13th of the season — and his first since July 20. Flaherty’s 3-1 fastball came right down the middle of the plate, and O’Hearn blasted it 376 feet, according to Statcast projections, to right-center field.
Urías’ home run was the game’s most important hit. After Jackson Holliday hit a one-out single off Flaherty in the fifth inning, Urías followed with a 385-foot drive to left field. It was Urías’ 10th home run of the season, including five since August 10.
Perhaps Urías’ familiarity with Flaherty allowed him to come up with a good game plan, as he waited to pounce on a 1-2 slider that caught the bottom of the zone too much.
“I was just trying to see the ball close to me,” Urías said. “I know he likes to throw up and in, and his slider works when he’s down and out. I was just trying to keep it close to me. I had a good pitch right there that didn’t break much and I was able to get a good swing on it.”
This was not where Flaherty intended to place the breaking throw, as he later explained.
“No, no, no, I’m not trying to throw it there,” Flaherty said. “I threw him a couple good balls and he just has to get them further to the outside half and get them down. That’s where he can handle it, and he put a good swing on it.”
Baltimore needs as much offensive production as possible from Urías and O’Hearn, as both have taken on larger roles with infielder Jordan Westburg (fractured right hand) and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (sprained left wrist) on the injured list. Both proved themselves Tuesday.
There are plenty of young stars on the Orioles roster, including All-Stars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, American League Rookie of the Year favorite Colton Cowser and Holliday (MLB Pipeline’s top prospect). But Urias’ play has been key since taking over the everyday third base role after prospect Coby Mayo’s rough major league debut (1 for 17 with 10 strikeouts in seven games) earlier this month.
Urías feels no pressure to support his struggling teammates. He just wants to win.
“I feel incredibly good. I’m happy to have helped the team,” Urías said. “I think we all go through ups and downs during the season because it’s so long. I’m just happy to have won tonight.”
It was a good start to a tough series, one that could give the O’s a fresh start and a shot back into first place in their division if they come back and keep winning.
“I think we’re in a great position to get in shape. We’ve got some good teams to play to finish this month, and we’re just trying to take care of business one day at a time,” said left-hander Cole Irvin, who allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings. “I think we’re pretty excited about the group we have here and what we can bring to the table every night.”
