Diamondbacks 8, Orioles 5: Rubber Match Redoubt

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 15: Adrian Del Castillo #25 of the Arizona Diamondbacks (wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson) celebrates with Corbin Carroll at home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the 10th inning during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in Baltimore, , Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images I have been very transparent in my love for these two franchises for very different reasons. For the D-Backs, their 2001 World Series win is one of my earliest and most vivid baseball memories while I got to witness the end of Cal Ripken Jr’s magical career and watch multiple waves of success and failure living in suburban Baltimore as a child and young adult.

They’re also similar franchises with young lineups anchored by veterans looking to make it past their larger and better-funded division rivals while residing in two of the most competitive divisions in the sport. Additionally, both franchises feel like they’re at tipping points: the D-Backs have only made it to the playoffs twice during the Hazen-Lovullo tenure despite significant financial commitments while the Orioles have watched their much-ballyhooed prospects stagnate in their development and fail to get over the hump of winning a single playoff game during their contention window. Those kinds of situations mean that every game matters in a way it might not for a Yankees or Dodgers team.

So this entire series felt a little like having to choose between my babies where one’s loss is the other’s gain. In fact, before the series my parents asked me who I was rooting for and I responded that I was hoping for “good games and health” both of which I got in spades – other than a broken jaw and some orbital fractures. Much like the other games in this series, this afternoon was a back-and-forth affair with Eduardo Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish combining for a single clean inning in their 11 innings pitched on the afternoon.

The Orioles struck first in the third with consecutive doubles from Coby Mayo and Sam Huff, but the D-Backs quickly responded with a pair of runs in their next half of the inning on a comically bad play by reserve outfielder Weston Wilson. On a deep drive off Adrian Del Castillo’s bat, Wilson sprinted back into the weird cutout in left field and got his glove on the ball, but failed to secure it, crashed into the wall and fell back – Looney Tunes style for a two-run “triple. ” It was the opening salvo in what was an excellent all-around effort from the backup catcher who has filled in nicely for the injured Gabriel Moreno.