Orioles edge Braves, 3-2, as Charlie Morton outduels Spencer Strider

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Jul 4, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ATLANTA — Charlie Morton is no stranger to watching fireworks over the Battery skyline.

The right-hander returned to Atlanta on Friday to face the team with whom he spent the past four seasons and won a World Series in 2021, outdueling Braves ace Spencer Strider to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a July 4 win, 3-2.

Jordan Westburg, back in the lineup after missing five games with a finger sprain, and Cedric Mullins homered to give the Orioles (38-49) just enough offense to back Morton, who lowered his ERA since rejoining their rotation May 26 to 2.97 across seven starts.

Morton allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings, carrying a shutout bid into the sixth before a two-run home run by catcher Drake Baldwin spoiled an otherwise impressive pitching line. He struck out seven batters and set a new season high with 19 whiffs, looking the part of a player amped up to be facing his former club.

The 41-year-old’s velocity was up across his entire pitch mix, at one point throwing a 97 mph fastball that was clocked as his third-fastest pitch of the season. Morton’s signature curveball was also particularly nasty; one of his curves registered at 3,459 rotations per minute, the most spin he’s ever generated on the pitch in the Statcast era (2015 to present).

He had an early lead to work with thanks to Westburg, who singled in his first at-bat before hitting an opposite field home run off Strider in the third. Mullins then tacked on two more in the fifth with his team-leading 13th longball of the season, a towering 391-foot blast to right field that landed right in front of the “Chop House” mezzanine bar and restaurant.

Tyler O’Neill also made his return from injury in the contest, returning to the Orioles’ active roster after missing 43 games with a left shoulder impingement. The veteran outfielder, who started at designated hitter, went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Those were the only runs the Orioles’ offense pushed across, but their bullpen rode Morton’s momentum with 3 2/3 scoreless innings to close out the game. Andrew Kittredge needed only 12 pitches to record five outs, getting a double play to end the sixth before making quick work of the Braves in the seventh. Bryan Baker then faced the minimum in the eighth and Félix Bautista closed out the victory for his 17th save of the season.

Instant analysis

Westburg suited up Friday for the first time in a week and turned in a three-hit performance with an opposite-field homer, showing that he’s still very capable of being a productive player even as he plays through an injured finger.

The Orioles’ third baseman isn’t going to be 100% healthy for a while, but he’s pushed to stay on the field despite injuring his finger twice on separate slides into second base in the past two weeks. Westburg has dealt with several injuries this year and, after missing most of the second half last season with a broken hand, is in danger of being stuck with the injury prone label.

But Westburg also deserves credit for the toughness he’s demonstrated, playing through multiple injuries with the Orioles’ season on the line these next few weeks.

On deck

The Orioles will go for a series win Saturday when Dean Kremer takes the ball looking to build off one of his best starts of the season, seven shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s a prime opportunity for Baltimore as the Braves have toyed with the idea of a bullpen game because of the number of injuries that have hit their rotation this season.

____