​BALTIMORE (AP) — In a dramatic late-inning finish, Jeremiah Jackson lined a two-run double into the right-center field gap in the bottom of the eighth, lifting the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The game featured a solo homer by Tyler O’Neill for Baltimore in the second inning, but the Orioles would not produce another hit until Jackson’s pivotal at-bat in the eighth.
The Cubs carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth, as Tyler Ferguson (0-1) retired the Orioles’ first two batters before loading the bases with a walk and a hit batter with one out. That sequence set into motion a managerial move-filled moment: Baltimore sent left-handed hitter Dylan Beavers to pinch-hit, prompting the Cubs to summon lefty Ryan Rolison to face him. The Orioles then countered by sending Jackson to hit for Beavers, this time bringing a right-handed bat to the plate.
Jackson found the gap in right-center, driving the ball for extra bases. Gunnar Henderson scored easily, and Pete Alonso barely beat the throw home on a head-first slide, tying the game at 2-2 as the eighth inning unfolded. The rally gave the Orioles new life after a rocky stretch against Chicago’s pitching.
On the mound, Tyler Wells (2-1) earned the win in relief, even though he surrendered an RBI double to Seiya Suzuki in the top of the eighth. Suzuki had also homered for the Cubs in the sixth, contributing to Chicago’s late scoring. Andrew Kittridge closed things out in the ninth for his second save, allowing Baltimore to avert a three-game sweep.
The game took a weather-tinged turn as Henderson reached on an error at short to begin the top of the inning, and Nico Hoerner’s line drive ended with him being caught stealing at second after sliding off the base. The moment was emblematic of the Cubs’ inability to capitalize in the late frames and of Baltimore’s resilience.
Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto’s lined-out to left field with a man aboard in the eighth ended the Cubs’ threat, just as a heavy rain began to descend on Camden Yards. The contest had been moved from night to afternoon due to the threat of inclement weather.
On the mound for the Cubs, David Peterson had endured a rough start in his prior appearance against St. Louis, yielding ten runs. However, against Baltimore, he managed to keep the Orioles in check for five innings, allowing one run on two hits. Chicago benefited from some solid early offense but could not sustain it against Baltimore’s left-handed-hitting lineups. For Peterson, the line read as one run and two hits allowed through five innings.
For Baltimore, left-hander Trevor Rogers delivered six innings of one-run ball on five hits, extending his solid form. Over his last four starts, Rogers has allowed only two runs across 24 1/3 innings, a testament to his steady shift in effectiveness.
Looking ahead, the Cubs head to Cincinnati for a Friday night matchup, with Shota Imanaga (5-7) slated to start opposite Hunter Greene (0-1) for Cincinnati. The Orioles, meanwhile, host Kansas City, where Brandon Bielik? (Note: player name will be corrected to the appropriate batter if needed) Young (7-2) will take the mound for Baltimore against Luinder Avila (4-3).
Thus, Baltimore’s late-inning heroics in the eighth, anchored by Jackson’s clutch double, delivered a hard-fought win and a timely break in what looked like a potential defeat, safeguarding the Orioles from a series sweep and offering a lift as they head into a homestand.