BALTIMORE—There haven’t been many dramatic moments for Cedric Mullins this season. On Wednesday night, he led off the bottom of the seventh with his eighth home run, just his second since April 26th, to break a 2-2 tie and spark the Orioles to a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians before 17,965 at Camden Yards. The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Orioles.
Mullins hit a 0-1 pitch off Guardians reliever Xavion Curry (0-2) onto Eutaw Street. It was his second Eutaw Street homer.
The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for Cleveland (51-27).
Oriole starter Grayson Rodriguez (9-3) completed seven innings for the second time in his last three starts, a season high, allowing two home runs on five hits. Rodriguez didn’t walk a batter for the second time in 14 starts and his only strikeouts were to his final four batters.
Cionel Pérez pitched a spotless eighth for the Orioles (50-30). Craig Kimbrel pitched a hitless ninth for his 17th save.
Ryan O’Hearn hit his 10th home run, leading off the eighth, to put the Orioles ahead, 4-2. O’Hearn is the seventh Oriole to hit 10 or more homers, joining Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser.
Cleveland rookie Jhonkensy Noel hit a 1-1 pitch from Rodriguez to center field for a home run in his first major league at-bat in the second inning.
Henderson’s RBI single in the second against Carlos Carrasco tied it, and Gabriel Arias, who had six hits in the three games against the Orioles, hit his third home run in the top of the fifth for a 2-1 Guardians lead.
Henderson’s 26th home run, his third hit of the game, tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth. He extended his on-base streak to 33 games.