Adley Rutschman returned to Camden Yards Thursday night and put a dent in the Orioles' postseason hopes. Rutschman, now with the Red Sox, played his first game in Baltimore as a visiting player after being traded to Boston for a hefty prospect package at the deadline last month. The O's faithful gave him a standing ovation when he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat.
"It was special to feel that kind of love. It was really cool," Rutschman said about the ovation (via MLB.com). "Emotional moment and really special."
The cheers stopped there. Rutschman hit a home run in his first at-bat Thursday, then added another later in the game. Thanks in part to Rutschman's two home runs, the Red Sox erased an early 3-1 deficit and went on to win the game 6-5 (box score). It was Baltimore's third consecutive loss.
Rutschman is only the second player in baseball's Modern Era (since 1901) to hit two home runs in his first game against his former team after changing teams in that season, joining Willis Otanez. Otanez did it for the Blue Jays against the Orioles in 1999.
"He knows the pitching staff extremely well," O's manager Craig Albernaz said (via MLB.com). "He knows our game planning and prep side extremely well. And I'm imagining that he was juiced up for today, and rightfully so. With the ovation the crowd gave him, it was awesome, and obviously, it goes without being said, rightfully so. I just wish those two balls hit off the wall."
Thursday's two home runs were Rutschman's second and third with the Red Sox, and 10th and 11th of the season. It was his second two-homer game of the year. His first was with the Orioles against the Red Sox back on April 24. That was Alex Cora's final game as Red Sox manager. Overall, Rutschman is hitting .240/.320/.421 in 83 games this season.
Rutschman returned to the lineup Thursday after missing three games with a nagging right (throwing) elbow injury suffered on a swing on Aug. 24. An MRI showed no ligament damage. Rutschman and the Red Sox are managing some swelling in the elbow and what interim manager Chad Tracy called a "little bit of bone bruising."
"It's tough dealing with an injury," Rutschman said (via MLB.com). "But like I said earlier, hopefully it is trending in the right direction and continuing to just get better, and I won't have to take time off and just be able to go out and compete."
The Orioles traded Rutschman, once their franchise player and building block behind the plate, when they were 2 ½ games behind the third wild card spot with four teams ahead of them. One month later, the O's are 1 ½ games behind the third wild card spot with three teams ahead of them. They are 15-14 since the trade and 69-72 overall this season.
As for the Red Sox, they sit comfortably in the second wild card spot with a six-game lead on a postseason berth. Rutschman started his Red Sox tenure slowly, though he is now 10 for 40 (.250) with three home runs in his last 11 games, and is beginning to resemble the player he's been most of his career. Boston controls him next season as well.
The Orioles and Red Sox have three games remaining this weekend. The O's will play a very important three-game series against the Guardians and Blue Jays next week. Along with the Rangers, those are two of the three teams Baltimore is chasing for the third wild card spot. For all intents and purposes, the Orioles are playing postseason games right now.
