Orioles news: O’s gain ground in playoff race with extra-inning win

You may not have been dreaming, but while you slept the Orioles did win their opener in Sacramento and gained a game in the AL wild card standings.

The 4-3 win on Friday night required extra innings and a pair of clutch hits from Coby Mayo and then Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the 10th. That was after Brandon Young twirled yet another gem, and Rico Garcia had his first slip up in a few weeks.

Young was great. Over seven innings he gave up just one run, which came on a solo homer in his final frame. The month of August has been something of a slog for the big right-hander. It seemed like maybe he was hitting a wall this late in the season, but then he delivers an outing like that and wipes those concerns away. When the season is all said and done, Pete Alonso is likely to be named "Most Valuable Oriole," but Young will deserve serious consideration all the same.