Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo, left, forces San Francisco Giants' Brett Wisely out at second base during the fifth inning. (Jeff Chiu, AP)
Josh Lester waited a long time for Sunday.
Almost eight years to the day after he was drafted, Lester recorded his first major league hit, a bases-loaded single amid the Orioles’ six-run third inning that propelled them to an 8-3 victory and a road series win against the San Francisco Giants.
Taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 13th round of the 2015 draft — three picks before Baltimore selected Cedric Mullins — Lester, 28, reached the majors last September but went 0-for-5 in two games as a Tiger. Signed as a minor league free agent this offseason, he impressed the Orioles in spring training with his ability to play the corner spots in both the infield and outfield and hit the ball consistently hard. After an impressive start for Triple-A Norfolk, with 14 home runs and an .888 OPS, Lester joined the Orioles (37-22) in San Francisco on Saturday.
Manager Brandon Hyde cited the need for Lester’s left-handed bat ahead of a run of matchups with right-handed starters as the cause for his addition to both the active and 40-man rosters. Jordan Westburg, Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect according to Baseball America, was outperforming Lester in several metrics for Norfolk and was likewise not on the 40-man roster, but he bats right-handed, though he has had reverse splits for much of his professional career.
Lester didn’t appear in Saturday’s 4-0 loss, but with regular third baseman Gunnar Henderson exiting that game with back discomfort, Lester drew the start at third base Sunday. He grounded out with a runner on third in his first at-bat with Baltimore in the second inning, but came up again with the Orioles already holding a three-run lead and bases loaded. Lester lined a two-out single into center field, driving in two with a third runner scoring on a throwing error by center fielder Austin Slater.
Catcher James McCann, who started the third-inning rally with a walk, added an insurance run with a sixth-inning home run. Center fielder Aaron Hicks continued his strong first week with Baltimore with an RBI triple in the ninth.
The outburst was more than enough support for Tyler Wells, who struck out a career-best nine batters while carrying a shutout into the sixth inning. Wells’ fifth straight outing with at least seven strikeouts tied Erik Bedard for the longest streak by an Oriole since 1957.
After a one-out walk in the sixth, Blake Sabol homered on Wells’ 102nd pitch, ending the shutout and his afternoon. Wells’ changeup was his top offering, with the Giants (29-30) missing on half of their 14 swings against it.
Mike Baumann retired the next five batters before a walk opened the eighth. Yennier Cano entered and allowed a double and run-scoring fielder’s choice before Ramón Urías, a Gold Glover who pinch hit for Lester in the top of the inning and replaced him at third, started a double play. Austin Voth worked a clean ninth as the Orioles improved to 20-10 on the road, tied for the second-best start in team history.
Around the horn
- After exiting Saturday’s game with lower back discomfort, Henderson was “feeling better,” Hyde said before the game, adding he’s confident Henderson won’t require a stint on the injured list.
- Although the Orioles will skip their fifth starter’s spot to start veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson in Tuesday’s series opener against Milwaukee, they have yet to commit to whether the rotation will continue beyond that, listing their starters for Wednesday and Thursday as “to be announced.” Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish, respectively, would be on regular rest for those days.
This story will be updated.
Orioles at Brewers
Tuesday, 7:40 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Originally published at Tribune News Service