Baltimore Orioles’ Shortstop Jorge Mateo hit an inside-the-park homer, his seventh dinger of the season, to push the Orioles’ lead to 2-0 in the top of the 2nd inning.
Jorge Mateo hit an inside-the-park home run, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the last-place Oakland Athletics 12-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
JORGE MATEO INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/AUeM7rZRII
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 20, 2023
The 28-year-old Mateo went 2-for-5 with an inside-the-park solo home run, a double, and an additional run scored in Sunday’s 12-1 win over the Athletics.
It’s fitting that Mateo’s first homer since April 30 — snapping a 73-game power drought — would be a product of his speed, not his power.
The shortstop has seen limited opportunities in August, and he’s gone just 4-for-23 over his ten games this month.
For the season, he’s up to seven homers, 32 RBI, 46 runs scored, 25 stolen bases, and 13 doubles through 298 plate appearances.
Mateo has started three of the last four games as shortstop, and that’s likely a product of the Orioles facing four straight southpaws rather than anything done to earn an increased role.
Ryan Mountcastle extended his on-base streak to a career-high 26 games with three hits, including his 17th home run to pace the Orioles’ 17-hit attack.
Gunnar Henderson hit his 21st to go with two doubles and a triple, and Austin Hays added a two-run single as Baltimore won its sixth in eight games and improved to an AL-best 77-47.
Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde was impressed by the team’s 6-3 record on its second-longest road trip of the season.
