SEATTLE (AP) - There aren’t many similarities between this year’s Orioles and the most successful regular-season team in club history, but for one day, Baltimore did a reasonably good impersonation of that 1969 squad.
Donning the uniforms worn by the team that won 109 games and the AL pennant half a century ago, the major league-worst Orioles ended a 10-game skid by beating the Seattle Mariners 8-4 on Saturday.
“Maybe we’ll wear them tomorrow, too,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Whatever uniform allows us to win, I’ll put it on.”
Jonathan Villar hit a three-run homer - the favorite offensive weapon of Earl Weaver, who managed the 1969 club - and Anthony Santander had a two-run shot. Andrew Cashner worked six strong innings for the Orioles, who snapped the eighth-longest losing streak in club history. Baltimore will have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since May 6 in Sunday’s series finale.
Cashner (7-3) allowed two runs while scattering five hits and striking out three. He has gone at least six innings in six of his last eight outings and earned his team-leading eighth quality start.
“Cash set the tone, did a great job,” Hyde said. “Didn’t have his best stuff, but grinded through six innings. “
Cashner got plenty of help from his defense, including center fielder Keon Broxton, who took away a pair of hits by running down flyballs to left-center and right-center in the fourth inning.
Omar Narvaez followed Broxton’s grabs with a single, but was stranded when third baseman Hansen Alberto ran down Kyle Seager’s popup in foul territory with a sliding catch.
“Keon definitely changed the game with those two plays out in the outfield,” Cashner said.
Tommy Milone held the Orioles without a hit for the first three innings. In the fourth, Pedro Severino singled and Renato Núñez doubled before Villar took Milone (1-2) deep to left for his ninth homer of the season.
“Just a couple pitches left over the plate,” Millone said. “The home run ball I thought I hit my spot, Villar just went up and got it. Just got to tip your cap to that.”
Santander extended Baltimore’s lead to 5-1 in the sixth, sending Gerson Bautista’s 0-2 pitch into the stands in right for his second home run of the season.
The Mariners, whose three-game winning streak ended, took an early lead off Cashner. Domingo Santana walked with one out in the first and scored on Daniel Vogelbach’s double to right-center.
But Seattle didn’t threaten again until the sixth. Santana led off the inning with a double and scored on a groundout by Narvaez, who reached first on a throwing error from Alberto.
Alberto bounced back by adding to Baltimore’s lead with two outs in the eighth, driving in two with a bases-loaded single against Jesse Biddle.
“I just liked that we tacked on runs,” Hyde said. “We have not done that at all this year. … We always make it tougher on ourselves, so today, it was nice.”
Santana finished 2-for-3 and scored three runs, including his 19th homer of the year, a solo shot off Josh Rogers in the eighth. Santana has hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games.
“Domingo is swinging the bat outstanding,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
TURN BACK THE CLOCK
The Mariners also wore 1969 throwback uniforms, celebrating the Seattle Pilots’ lone season in the Pacific Northwest. The Pilots went 64-98 in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee to become the Brewers.
MEET THE ROOKIE
RHP George Kirby, Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft, toured T-Mobile Park and met with Servais and the media. Kirby, the 20th overall pick, has reported to Class A Everett and said he will throw about 20 to 30 innings with the AquaSox this season, with plans to make his first start in July.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Baltimore: LHP John Means (6-4, 2.67 ERA) will throw a side session Sunday to gauge the status of a shoulder strain that placed him on the 10-day disabled list Thursday. Means is expected to return to the rotation for Baltimore’s three-game series against the Indians beginning June 28.
Seattle: OF Mitch Haniger has been cleared for light baseball activity. Haniger has been out since June 6 after suffering a ruptured testicle, and is expected to be out through the All-Star break. … RHP Sam Tuivailala was scheduled to make a rehab appearance with Class A Everett on Friday but was held out after concerns arose about the condition of the mound. Tuivailala, who warmed up in the bullpen before having his outing halted, had season-ending surgery last August to repair an injured Achilles tendon.
UP NEXT
Baltimore: RHP Gabriel Ynoa (0-4, 5.65 ERA) has yet to win since being converted to a starter at the end of May.
Seattle: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (3-5, 5.15) has given up five or more runs in four of his last five starts, and will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak on Sunday.
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