Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered another standout performance, smashing two home runs to power the Chicago Cubs to a thrilling 9-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Cubs launched five home runs in total and withstood a late Orioles comeback to secure their eighth win in their last 10 games while moving within one victory of a three-game series sweep.
Crow-Armstrong’s second homer of the night, his 21st of the season, broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and gave Chicago a lead it never relinquished. The young outfielder had opened his big night with a solo blast in the third inning before returning in the fifth to ignite a three-homer outburst alongside Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly, who hit consecutive solo shots.
The Cubs added even more firepower in the seventh inning when Seiya Suzuki crushed a three-run homer as part of a five-run explosion that stretched Chicago’s advantage to 9-3. Despite finishing with just eight hits, the Cubs made every opportunity count, combining patience at the plate with timely power to overwhelm Baltimore’s pitching staff.
The Orioles refused to go quietly. Tyler O’Neill sparked the comeback effort after entering as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, launching two home runs over the final three innings. Pete Alonso had earlier given Baltimore a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer in the fourth, while rookie Coby Mayo added a pinch-hit blast in the eighth. Taylor Ward also contributed an RBI single during the late rally.
Jackson Holliday enjoyed an impressive night at the plate, collecting four of Baltimore’s 14 hits, but none of his knocks translated into runs as the Orioles failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities. Baltimore stranded key runners throughout the contest and dropped its third consecutive game.
Chicago starter Colin Rea (7-5) earned his second straight victory after allowing three runs on seven hits across 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander issued two walks and struck out two before turning the game over to the bullpen. Jacob Webb closed the door in the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced to collect his fourth save of the season.
Orioles starter Dean Kremer (1-2), making his second outing since returning from the injured list, surrendered four runs on six hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked one but was unable to contain Chicago’s barrage of home runs.
The Cubs will now look to complete a sweep of the three-game series on Thursday, while Baltimore hopes to halt its losing streak and avoid being swept on home turf.
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