Coming out of the All-Star break following a lackluster first half, the Baltimore Orioles were headed to Houston for a three-game set with the Astros, two teams looking to make progress in the American League Wild Card race with a little over 60 games to go. A sweep made it a seven-game Orioles winning streak.
Orioles Winning Streak Hits Seven After Sweeping Astros
Similar scores in all three games gave a cumulative 12-6 total advantage in the three-game sweep by Baltimore.
Pitching Matchup
Baltimore would line up with Dean Kremer on Friday, Trevor Rogers on Saturday, and then finish the set with surprise ace Brandon Young pitching in his hometown on Sunday. The Astros would throw Peter Lambert, Spencer Arrighetti, and Hunter Brown in consecutive order at Daikin Park.
Friday’s Matchup
The Astros got things going early after a leadoff walk to Jeremy Peña, MVP frontrunner Yordan Alvarez doubled him in to give Houston an early 1-0 advantage. A couple of innings later, a base hit from Coby Mayo and three straight walks tied the game up for Baltimore. The Astros would have an answer in the bottom of the frame after back-to-back base knocks for Peña and Alvarez gave Isaac Paredes the opportunity to drive in the leadoff hitter on a sacrifice fly.
Both pitching staffs would settle in as Lambert lasted six innings, giving up just the one run, while Kremer made it through four before the O’s bullpen came in and did their job. The turning point came in the top of the eighth, when All-Star Adley Rutschman ripped an RBI double to lead things off, before Taylor Ward‘s seventh homer of the season flipped the scoreboard and gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead. Andrew Kittredge shut things down in the bottom half before Tyler Wells walked the tightrope to seal the deal and give Baltimore their fifth consecutive win.
Taylor Ward flips this game upside down with a go-ahead 2-run shot ☄️ pic.twitter.com/7MokjoygiK
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026
Saturday’s Contest
The drama came on Saturday in a game that saw the win probability swing back and forth to the extreme. Things were quiet early on as Rogers continued his impressive run, giving up just three earned runs combined in his last five starts, spanning 30 2/3 innings. Arrighetti was quite impressive himself, but a Dylan Beavers RBI double in the fourth tagged him for his only earned run and put the O’s out in front by a run. The lead would hold until the seventh, when Houston went small ball, and Nick Allen sacrificed a bunt back to the pitcher to score Zach Dezenzo and even the score.
This is when things would get interesting, as chaos would ensue beginning in the 10th. An infield single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand to put runners on the corners set the table for a safety squeeze by utility man Jeremiah Jackson, but that was all Baltimore would get in the first extra frame.
It looked all but certain that the Astros would walk things off in the bottom of the inning. After another bunt from Allen, this one for a hit, Alvarez barreled up another double to score a run and put runners on second and third with nobody out. A throwing error one batter later by Gunnar Henderson loaded the bases for Houston, still nobody out.
A Jose Altuve flyout to center in the ensuing at-bat led to the most important Orioles play of the season, as Tyler O’Neill caught the fly ball and came up throwing like not many have before. A flipping, side-turning throw from the man known as Biceps came on a dime to double up the runner at home and keep the O’s in it. With a bunt back to the pitcher for the third out, the 11th inning was in sight.
Tyler O’Neill nabs the potential winning run at the plate! 😱 pic.twitter.com/4pFUFJVSVT
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026
O’Neill kept the momentum going with an infield single that caught the Astros off guard, enough to allow a hustle play by Henderson to score him from second. Leody Taveras got in on the RBI action with a base hit to right field, giving the O’s a two-run cushion. Cam Sanders finished things off in just his second game in an Orioles uniform, retiring the side in order, including a backwards K to finish the game.
Sweeping Sunday
The series finale was all about the homecoming of newly found stud Brandon Young, who dished out seven innings of one-run ball on just five hits while striking out seven. The lone run was Alvarez’s third RBI double of the series. The scoring for Baltimore began a few innings in, from a struggling Henderson, who singled in a run before stealing home in the third inning.
What a play by Brandon Young!
He kicks the comebacker right up to himself to get the out 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VjzQQI10dg
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 19, 2026
A couple of innings later, Taveras drove in two on a single to left, followed by an opposite-field shot by Mayo in the sixth inning to cap the five runs Baltimore would score Sunday. Altuve added a solo shot in the eighth inning for Houston, but it was too little too late, as the O’s rode hot pitching to seven straight.
What’s Ahead
With their second straight series sweep following a 3-0 broom job of the Kansas City Royals before the break, the Orioles have now won seven games in a row for the first time since September 2-9, 2023, when Baltimore won the AL East.
They will test that streak against an even better one going on in Boston, as the two hottest teams in the majors meet for a three-game clash in Fenway Park starting on Monday. The Red Sox have won 13 games in a row on their way to claiming the last Wild Card spot for now.
Main Photo Credit: © Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
