What happened? Albert Suárez pitched seven strong innings, and Emmanuel Rivera homered and drove in three runs to lead the Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Suárez allowed two runs and eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks in a career-high seven innings. He retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

“I don’t think he was getting hit that hard,” manager Brandon Hyde told the media in Colorado after the game. “He’s relying on more pitches than just his four-seam. You saw that tonight, you saw him really change speeds well.”

Rivera was impressed by Suárez.

“He did a spectacular job out there,” Rivera said. “He kept attacking the strike zone, and we did our part as well, playing some really good defense and putting up runs as well.”

Cionel Pérez threw a nine-pitch scoreless eighth for the Orioles. Seranthony Domínguez allowed a home run to Brendan Rodgers and a single to Jake Cave in the ninth but managed to get his eighth save with two strikeouts.

The first-place New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2, to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead over the Orioles in the American League East.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second when a single by Rivera drove in Colton Cowser, who doubled off Rockies starter Austin Gomber. It was the first hit and first RBI for Rivera with the Orioles.

The Rockies took a 2-1 lead in the third on back-to-back RBI singles by Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle off Suárez. Jackson Holliday minimized the damage by turning an inning-ending double play.

The Orioles regained the lead, 3-2, in the fifth on a two-run homer by Rivera, who was designated for assignment by the Marlins on August 19th after batting .214 over 96 games this season.

“Since the game started, I wasn’t trying to do too much,” Rivera said. “I was just trying to put the ball in play and thankfully the results came out.”

Holliday hit a triple off the right-field wall in the ninth that scored Ryan O’Hearn for a 4-2 lead. Holliday scored the Orioles’ fifth run on a throwing error by reliever Angel Chivilli off a sharp grounder by Cedric Mullins.

“That’s something we have been talking a lot about, putting more pressure on defense and putting the ball in play and anything could happen,” Hyde said.

Suárez made his first start at Colorado since 2017 when he was with the San Francisco Giants.

Questionable baserunning: Eloy Jiménez was thrown out by Jordan Beck trying to advance from first to third on a single down the left-field line by Ramón Urías in the third. Jiménez, who has been bothered by injuries, did not have much speed rounding the bases. Then Rockies centerfielder Brenton Doyle made a diving catch on a liner by Austin Slater and threw out Jackson Holliday at third after he ill-advisedly tried to tag up in the fifth.

Lost challenge: Hyde argued that a fly ball by Tovar could have been caught by rightfielder Anthony Santander if not for fan interference in the third. The challenge was overruled and Tovar delivered a single that tied the game, 1-1.

In need of runs and hits: The Orioles had scored four runs or fewer in 10 of their last 12 games and were 9-for-62 with runners in scoring position. They scored five runs on Friday but were 4-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Rutschman gets a break: Catcher Adley Rutschman did not start the game after going 2-for-12 in the three-game series against the Dodgers. Rutschman entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and grounded out. James McCann got the start at catcher and went 0-for-4.

Eflin on the mend: Zach Eflin, who is on the injured list because of inflammation in his right shoulder, threw a bullpen session at Coors Field and could start the series finale Sunday. Eflin is 9-7 with a 3.72 ERA and has won all four of his starts for the Orioles since being acquired from the Tampa Bays Rays on July 27th.