BALTIMORE (AP) — In his 233rd big league appearance, Danny Coulombe finally earned his first save.
To do it, he needed to retire baseball’s leading hitter with the potential tying run on second base in the ninth inning.
Luis Arraez lined out to left field to end the game — and finished 0 for 5 on the day — as the Baltimore Orioles held on for their eighth straight victory, 5-4 over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.
The Orioles nearly blew a 5-0 lead in the ninth, and Coulombe had to finish because All-Star relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano had both pitched each of the previous two nights.
Arraez’s batting average dropped to .380, but he’s flirted with .400 for much of the season.
“That’s not the guy you want to see come up with a runner in scoring position,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “That was a little too dicey there at the end.”
Kyle Bradish took a shutout into the eighth, and the Orioles pulled within a game of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East. Anthony Santander hit his 100th career home run for Baltimore.
The Orioles were up 3-0 before Miami opener Steven Okert (3-1) got an out in the first inning, and Bradish (6-4) took it from there. He allowed three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in 7 1/3 scoreless innings.
Eduard Bazardo gave up a two-run double to Jean Segura with one out in the ninth, but Coulombe got the final two outs. Jon Berti managed a run-scoring single off Coulombe, and Dane Myers doubled home a run to bring up Arraez.
Bradish actually struck out Arraez to start the game, although it took 10 pitches to do it. It was the Miami infielder’s 20th strikeout of the season. Coulombe got a couple of swinging strikes on him before he hit a 2-2 pitch right at Austin Hays in left.
“I’m like, maybe just throw it right down the middle and see what he’s going to do with it, because he’s not going to swing and miss,” said Coulombe, who played with Arraez in Minnesota. “But he swung and missed twice.”
The Marlins lost two of the three games in this series by one run after going 21-6 in one-run games before the All-Star break.
Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman opened the game with consecutive doubles to make it 1-0, and Santander followed with a two-run shot, his 17th homer of the year. Okert allowed a single to Hays before finally retiring Ryan O’Hearn on a popup. The left-hander was then taken out.
The Orioles scored twice in the fourth without a hit. George Soriano loaded the bases with one out on a walk and two hit batters. Then a run came home on an error by shortstop Joey Wendle on a soft grounder by James McCann that could have been an inning-ending double play.
Henderson followed with a sacrifice fly off Huascar Brazoban.
PUT HIM ON?
Hyde said intentionally walking Arraez with first base open in the ninth was a consideration, although he did have a lefty-lefty matchup with Coulombe pitching.
“Wanted to be careful with him, and he got to two strikes,” Hyde said. “Danny’s got such good numbers this year, you kind of trusted at that point.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Johnny Cueto pitched three scoreless innings of relief in his first appearance since returning from a biceps injury. He’d been on the injured list since April.
Orioles: OF Cedric Mullins did not play after leaving Saturday’s game with quad tightness. … OF Colton Cowser and 2B Adam Frazier were hit by pitches around the left knee and right shin. Both remained in the game.
UP NEXT
The Orioles send rookie RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-2) to the mound against Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (2-0) on Monday night. Rodriguez was one of baseball’s top prospects when called up early this season, but he was sent back to the minors after posting a 7.35 ERA. This is his first start back with the Orioles.
Miami starts LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5) in the opener of its series at St. Louis.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
