Orioles’ Povich spins gem, Alonso breaks out of slump in 6-2 win vs. Giants

(Scott Taetsch/Getty Images North America/TNS)

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles’ starting pitching depth has been tested much earlier than expected this season. Zach Eflin undergoing Tommy John surgery forced them to rely on some of their Triple-A starters to cover them until Dean Kremer could be fit into the rotation. After Brandon Young answered the call with his five shutout innings Monday in Chicago, Cade Povich got his turn Sunday.

Povich, pitching on his 26th birthday, allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants to lead the Orioles (8-7) to a 6-2 win, clinching the series and pushing them back over .500 for the first time since they took two of three games of the season. It was Povich’s first big league start of the season and his second outing overall; the left-hander owns a 2.19 ERA in 12 1/3 innings.

He had all five of his pitches working Sunday. Povich pounded the strike zone and didn’t walk a batter while inducing 17 swings and misses — tied for his career high. He retired 12 straight batters to start the afternoon, and while San Francisco did push a run across against him in the fifth on an RBI single by catcher Daniel Susac, Povich responded by retiring four of the next five batters to pitch into the seventh.

Only once in his 20 starts last season — over which he posted a 5.21 ERA — did Povich make it into the seventh inning, and he joined Trevor Rogers as the only Orioles starters to pitch that deep in a game so far this year. A double by left fielder Heliot Ramos with two outs in the frame ended his afternoon, and he left the mound to a few celebratory slaps to the chest from manager Craig Albernaz and a standing ovation from the announced Camden Yards crowd of 24,091.

Samuel Basallo hit a two-run, opposite-field, 396-foot home run in the first inning to get the day started for Baltimore, which entered the game with just one first-inning run all season. His swing was only made possible by Pete Alonso, who drew a two-out walk to extend the inning to his catcher, who was hitting cleanup with Adley Rutschman sidelined. Alonso reached base three times, including on a two-run double in the fifth, for his first multihit game since March 31.

The Orioles chased Giants starter Adrian Houser in the fifth inning and continued to rally against their bullpen. Leody Taveras doubled to lead off the sixth against left-hander Matt Gage, and Coby Mayo brought him home on an RBI single after San Francisco manager Tony Vitello brought in righty Ryan Walker.

Baltimore then loaded the bases in the seventh on a walk by pinch hitter Johnathan Rodríguez in his Orioles debut, and Colton Cowser brought another run home with an infield single to make it 6-1. Anthony Nunez entered the game for Povich and stranded the runner at second. The five-run lead held until the ninth, when Tyler Wells, who put up a zero in the eighth, gave up a solo home run off the foul pole to Schmitt.

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