Ramón Urías was a bit discouraged on Sunday night. After he hit another home run in the Baltimore Orioles loss to the Houston Astros, the third baseman was asked the last time he felt good at the plate during his five-year career.
“I can’t remember,” Urías said. “Honestly, this is probably the best that I’ve been feeling in the big leagues so far.”
On Tuesday again, Urías delivered a big HR at Dodger Stadium.
He hit a go-ahead two-run homer off Los Angeles starter Jack Flaherty in the fifth inning, leading the Orioles to a 3-2 win. By defeating the MLB-best Dodgers (78-54), Baltimore (77-56) were one game behind the Yankees (78-55) for the American League East lead.
Urías, who is hitting .300 (15-for-50) since August 9th became the ninth Orioles player with 10-plus home runs this campaign. He has driven in five of Baltimore’s six runs over their past two matches.
“He’s been our offense the last couple weeks. Really good at-bats,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re not swinging the bat great right now, and he’s carrying us a little bit offensively in some of these wins. And he’s playing with a lot of energy right now. He’s playing great.”
Urías’ home signified the most important hit of the game. After Jackson Holliday hit a one-out single off Flaherty in the fifth, Urías followed suit with a 385-foot blast to left field. It was his 10th homer of the campaign, hitting five since August 10th.
Maybe Urías’ familiarity with Flaherty, who is a former teammate, helped him to come up with a good strategy. He waited to pounce on a 1-2 slider that caught too much of the bottom of the zone.
“I was just trying to see the ball close to me,” Urías said. “I know that he likes to throw up and in, and his slider works when he’s down and away. Just trying to keep it close to me. Got a good pitch right there that didn’t break a lot and I could put a good swing on it.”
Urías does not feel any pressure about stepping up for slumping teammates. He just wants to win.
“I feel amazing. I feel good for helping the team,” Urías said. “I think we all go through ups and downs during the season, because it’s so long. Just happy to have the win tonight.”
