Cade Povich doesn’t remember the last time he pitched this long. He lasted into the eighth inning Tuesday, a feat he guesses he hasn’t done since college.
A one-out single finally chased the rookie with his team holding a commanding lead at Camden Yards. But before the left-hander departed the mound to a standing ovation, Brandon Hyde held him back to ask a question he didn’t have a response to.
“He asked me if I’ve ever gone eight,” Povich recalled Hyde saying.
He was stumped. For the first time all night, Povich didn’t have an answer.
“I didn’t really know what to say,” he said. “I honestly don’t even know.”
The lowly Chicago White Sox couldn’t solve Povich in a 9-0 Orioles victory, their second consecutive win against a team on pace to finish with the most losses since 1900. With Povich’s brilliance and another overpowering offensive performance, Baltimore has won consecutive series for the first time since early July and is unbeaten in September.
“To see everything come together and execute as one, it was really good,” Povich said. “As pitchers, we wish we could go nine every single game. I guess that’s more of an old-school kind of mindset nowadays.”
Povich pitched Tuesday for the first time since giving up five earned runs and failing to complete the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star-studded lineup on Thursday. The White Sox, now losers of 12 straight and owners of an MLB-worst 31-109 season record, represented a chance at a rebound.
He took advantage.
The left-hander’s 7 1/3 innings and 10 strikeouts marked career highs. He didn’t walk a batter for the fourth time of his 12 starts this season. And he tossed a career-high 71.4% of his 98 pitches for strikes.
Povich might not remember exactly the last time he pitched that deep into a game. But it was no doubt the most impressive outing of his major league career, one that can inspire confidence in a young hurler still searching for how to pitch at the highest level.
The rookie worked a quick first frame then picked off a runner who reached on a Gunnar Henderson error and capped the second with his third strikeout. In the third, Povich needed just nine pitches to complete a perfect inning.
He allowed just two hits through four, then benefitted from a wide strike zone — White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore and outfielder Andrew Benintendi were ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt — to push his strikeout total to eight after six innings.
“Pretty much the best command we’ve seen him have since he’s been with us this year,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Totally in control.”
Povich’s ninth punchout ended the seventh inning and brought the Camden Yards crowd to its feet. He returned for the eighth, reached 10 strikeouts — the most by an Orioles rookie since Kyle Bradish in 2022 — then allowed a single that forced Hyde from the dugout.
Again, the 15,108 in attendance stood to applaud while Povich’s “Piano Man” warmup tunes blared.
His third stint in the majors has been uneven. He pitched into the seventh inning in his first game back, then surrendered 10 runs across his next two outings. Tuesday, like Corbin Burnes the day before, was a positive step for the left-hander whose role won’t shrink with performances like these.
Baltimore (81-59) pounced on Chicago starter Nick Nastrini early. The right-hander, who entered Tuesday with a 7.04 ERA and 0-6 record, allowed four hits in the first inning to give the Orioles a quick 3-0 lead, highlighted by a trio of doubles from Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn and Anthony Santander.
They added four more in the second, all without a hit, on Colton Cowser’s bases-loaded walk followed by an error on an Eloy Jiménez pop-up that cleared the bases. That chased Nastrini before he closed the second inning.
Cedric Mullins joined the onslaught and added his team’s eighth run in the fourth. Santander tacked on his second RBI with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly to push Baltimore’s lead to 9-0. The nine-run margin of victory is the Orioles’ fourth largest of 2024.
Baltimore is capitalizing on a lull in its schedule with a second straight series win. That’ll continue into the final week of the season. None of the Orioles’ next five opponents are currently in the playoff picture.
Unfortunately for them, only one of the division-leading New York Yankees’ next six opponents is a current postseason team. The distance between the rivals — a half-game entering Tuesday — hasn’t changed dramatically in months.
They’ll meet in a few weeks. Until then, the Orioles have plenty of opportunities to erase their July and August shortcomings.
“Every win matters at this point,” O’Hearn said. “We’re chasing down the [American League] East.”
Around the horn
• Infielder Jordan Westburg and right-hander Dean Kremer played catch Tuesday. Westburg also fielded ground balls and threw without a cast on his fractured right hand. Kremer is hoping to make his next start and avoid an injured list stint but is still dealing with swelling in his throwing arm and hand after being struck by a line drive on Saturday, Hyde said.
• Right-hander Jacob Webb will make a second rehab appearance Wednesday and said he feels good after pitching a scoreless inning for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. Danny Coulombe threw a live bullpen session Tuesday, and Hyde said the team will see how the left-hander feels Wednesday before determining the next step.
• Outfielder Forrest Wall cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Coby Mayo was out of the lineup for the second straight game Tuesday, and Hyde said he could get creative with the infielder moving forward. Mayo fielded grounders at first base Tuesday and could be an option there over the season’s final weeks.
White Sox at Orioles
Wednesday, 6:35 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
