The rookies were the story of the game tonight, with the Birds ambushing the Royals’ rookie starter and Mike Baumann looking impressive in his Orioles debut. As a result, Baltimore was able to even the series at one game apiece. But before we get into all that let’s talk defense.
Third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez flashed the leather in the first on a couple of plays. He made a stupendous over the shoulder basket catch in shallow left, and a nice diving stop and throw at the line to steal another hit. With the defensive help, starter Alexander Wells was able to work around a single for a scoreless first inning.