BALTIMORE _ For all the emphasis the Orioles have placed on developing their own starting pitching, the last homegrown pitcher before David Hess to make his debut in the starting role he'd been groomed for in the minors was Mike Wright Jr. nearly three years ago.
In the interim, pitchers like Hess have watched from the minors, built fine resumes and hoped that their own debut could be as simple _ and successful _ as his proved to be Saturday. Hess debuted not in a mop-up relief cameo, and not as an emergency call-up, but with a genuine opportunity to pitch well and earn a rotation spot going forward. He got in a day ahead of time to get settled. He got praised by the manager, and not just referred to as the only available option. Then, he got on the mound and showed he could do it.
After Hess allowed four straight hits including a three-run home run in the first inning, he settled in for six sturdy innings and a quality start to help the Orioles win their fourth straight game, 6-3, in the front end of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The first inning taught Hess a valuable lesson _ pitching in the strike zone in the major leagues won't go nearly as well as it did down below. After he retired Denard Span to open the game, C.J. Cron and Joey Wendle singled in quick succession, then Matt Duffy hit a high fastball out to left-center field to make it 3-0 four batters in. Brad Miller followed with a single of his own, but Hess got out of the inning with a grounder and his first career strikeout.
He was nearly flawless from then on. Pitching before a crowd that grew as the day went on but always included three rows of family and friends behind home plate cheering his every pitch, Hess pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, stranded Wendle at third in the third inning, then had a five-pitch fourth, a 10-pitch fifth and worked around another Wendle single for a clean sixth inning to seal his line.
He fanned three, didn't issue a walk, and left after 78 pitches (56 strikes), a symptom of his starting on three days' rest. The 24-year-old pitched off his fastball plenty early, holding the 91-94 mph velocity that he's always featured, and showcased a slider that got him five of his seven swinging strikes. Six of his outs were in the air, but only Duffy's was particularly well hit and none of the others required much more than a jog from his outfielders.
It helped that the Orioles erased his deficit quickly. Jonathan Schoop hit his second home run of the season to open the second inning, and the Orioles tied it on an RBI double by Chance Sisco and a double-steal of home by their rookie catcher, who became the first Oriole since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1982 to have their first big league stolen base be of home.
Manny Machado tied for the league lead with 13 home runs with a blast to open the third, and Schoop's second of the game gave Hess an insurance run. Mark Trumbo scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a dounle in the sixth to cap the Orioles' scoring.
Tanner Scott followed Hess with 11/3 scoreless innings, retiring four of the five batters he faced. Mychal Givens then finished it off with 12/3 scoreless innings for his first career save.
