If not for an errant fastball that whizzed out of Hunter Greene’s hand and thudded into Heston Kjerstad’s elbow at 99.5 mph in the first inning, Ramón Laureano wouldn’t have even been in the lineup.

He wasn’t originally. Kjerstad, who suffered a bruise — X-rays were negative — departed for Laureano in the third inning. It was the second time this week Laureano was inserted into the lineup in the place of someone else, and for the second time this week Laureano made the most of that surprise insertion.

The result? Three home runs in three games, including two in the Orioles’ 9-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

“Always stay ready,” Laureano said, “and just wait for the chance.”

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Laureano became the fifth Orioles player to club two homers off the bench, and he’s the first to do so since Trey Mancini in 2017. And it was the first time Laureano, signed this winter as outfield depth, produced a multihomer game since 2022.

Thinking he had the day off, Laureano said he was doing bicep curls before the game, taking inspiration from a workout he saw on Instagram. He laughed when asked if that would become a new routine.

“I doubt it,” he said. But the unusual nature of it worked.

That’s baseball, after all. Expect the unexpected — and the same can be said of Baltimore’s strong showing against Greene, the right-hander who had been in dominant form over his first four starts.

The Orioles entered Saturday having produced four hits the night before. They stepped into the box against Greene, the fireballer who had an 0.98 ERA in 27 2/3 innings this season. And yet Baltimore manufactured a high-powered offensive display to take pressure off right-hander Brandon Young, who was making his major league debut.

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No matter what happens next for Young, the standing ovation he received as he left the mound in the fifth inning was confirmation of an indisputable fact. He was a major leaguer. He had completed his first start for the Orioles, and although it was shaky to begin with, Young settled in well.

“Wasn’t too nervous until I heard the ‘O’s’ during the anthem, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people,’” Young said. “Most people I’ve ever played in front of. Step on the mound, after the first inning, kind of settled down a little bit and could feel my legs again.”

Young made his debut with his family in attendance, and they jumped to their feet for each out he recorded. Those outs were tough to come by at first — at one point, seven straight Reds hitters reached safely, although a pickoff and an outfield assist notched two outs — but then Young turned in a performance that was worthy of the sendoff he received.

After all, Young outdueled Greene. There’s no taking that away from him.

Young received plenty of assistance from his new teammates during his debut; they came out slugging against Greene, one of the most dominant arms this season until Saturday. With three home runs off Greene for the first time since Sept. 26, 2023, the Orioles wiped Young’s slate clean after two troublesome innings.

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“I’m in the dugout and I’m still trying to catch my breath and they hit back to back in the first inning,” Young said. “That was freaking awesome.”

And, with a level score, Young locked in. He retired seven of eight batters from the second to the fourth innings before a leadoff walk in the fifth ended his outing and prompted the standing ovation.

“First start in the big leagues, that’s never easy,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he controlled his emotions well.”

Making his major league debut, Brandon Young allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

It wasn’t a perfect debut. Young was blitzed at the start, with four singles against him in the first. He avoided more damage on the scoreboard because of Tyler O’Neill’s assist from right field that nabbed former Orioles outfielder Austin Hays trying to score. And, in the second, Jake Fraley homered and TJ Friedl plated another with a double.

But the run support got Young off the hook immediately, despite a difficult matchup in Greene. The 6-foot-5 right-hander hadn’t allowed multiple home runs in a game since June 6, 2024. He had allowed one all year.

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Then Cedric Mullins and Gunnar Henderson opened the game with back-to-back homers. Henderson doubled home another run in the second before Laureano checked in with the first of his two long balls.

“The at-bats off Greene the first few innings, with the stuff that he has, that’s electric,” Hyde said.

That two-run shot provided a lead for the bullpen to hold, although the Orioles’ relievers walked a tightrope. Right-hander Bryan Baker replaced Young in the fifth and loaded the bases with two walks. But he escaped the jam with help from O’Neill in right field. He caught a hard-hit ball, allowing Baker to strand all eight of his inherited runners this year.

Right-hander Seranthony Domínguez replaced left-hander Keegan Akin in the sixth with one out and runners on the corners, and he induced an inning-ending double play that required an impressive pick by Ramón Urías at third to complete.

And in the seventh left-hander Gregory Soto walked two more batters to load the bases. But he, too, found a way out of it when he forced Jeimer Candelario into a groundout that ended the frame. In all, Orioles relievers walked six batters.

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“Our bullpen’s had a pretty heavy load so far. When we’re getting four-inning starts, it’s gonna take its toll,” Hyde said, before pulling for the Orioles’ Sunday starter. “Come on, Charlie Morton, need you. That’s the bottom line. We need to give some of these guys a break.”

The Reds didn’t take advantage of all those baserunners. They left 13 runners on base, including two when right-hander Félix Bautista entered mid-inning to secure his second save of the year.

Although Cincinnati got as close as one run, Laureano’s second blast — this one to straightaway center field — coupled with Jordan Westburg’s much-needed solo shot one batter later. Westburg entered that plate appearance in an 0-for-30 rut. He reached home with a round-tripper that gave Baltimore a three-run edge. The Orioles added on from there to create a lopsided win.

Baseball is full of unexpected heroes. Laureano cast himself into that role off the bench, and he may find himself in the initial lineup a little more frequently as a result.

“Just show up, be ready, load early and don’t think about that you’re not getting a chance or timing or none of that stuff,” Laureano said. “Think about none of that. Just think about how I can play the game and swing the bat. Trust your instincts, your eyes, your swing and that’s it.”

This story has been updated.