Can one swing flip the emotions of a ballclub? Can it lift a cold, nervous crowd to its feet? Can it make the Orioles look more like who they were expected to be — and who they expect themselves to be?

The latter point remains to be seen, but when Adley Rutschman throttled a pitch to deep right field, the outpouring of energy coursed through his bat to the dugout and around Camden Yards. Rutschman crushed the pitch 426 feet, then turned toward his teammates as he flipped his bat high into the air. For a self-described no-flash player, it was a rare display of showmanship.

Perhaps that’s because the Orioles needed it so badly. An inning earlier Heston Kjerstad broke up a no-hitter with his two-run blast to center field, but Baltimore still trailed. Then Rutschman came to the plate in the sixth and sent the ball flying, leveling the score and setting the stage for a two-out, two-run double from Cedric Mullins a few batters later.

The quick offensive burst in the fifth and sixth innings powered a come-from-behind 5-4 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. And the Orioles covered for a short start from right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano and kicked a stretch of 15 innings without a run, dating to Tuesday’s loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I think Adley delivered exactly what we needed there,” Mullins said. “Not only with the home run but with his attitude after suit. Someone who’s ready to get after it and someone who’s ready to get this win. That’s what it felt like.”

For much of this season, the Orioles have lacked the offensive firepower showcased on opening day against Toronto, when they clubbed six homers. They were 0-8 in games when they trailed after six innings — missing the sort of comeback mentality that embodied the 2023 team — and their offense slumbered until Kjerstad fired his first homer of the year.

“Kjerstad kind of broke the ice for us,” manager Brandon Hyde said. The hits began to string together from there.

“That’s what our offense can do,” Mullins said. “Get guys on, it puts pressure on their defense, especially their pitching, leave something over the plate, and Heston was able to handle it.”

Until Mullins walked in the fifth inning, right-hander Bowden Francis had a perfect game against a Baltimore lineup held scoreless in Wednesday’s series finale in Arizona, too. Even with two days off — one planned, one forced due to rain — Baltimore lacked life. The loudest cheers prior to Kjerstad’s long ball were for Anthony Santander, the former Orioles outfielder returning to Camden Yards for the first time since joining the Blue Jays.

Santander returned the cheers with a wave of his helmet, and in his second at-bat he clobbered his first homer with Toronto off Sugano. The 35-year-old starter’s pitch count rose as he worked around traffic and allowed two runs in the first and second innings.

The two homers — first the 409-foot blast from Kjerstad and then Rutschman’s electric swing and bat flip — brought heat to a stadium largely draped in layers against the cold.

After Kjerstad’s homer, the Orioles unveiled their new hydration station setup. Ryan O’Hearn said last year’s model grew moldy after spending the winter in a warehouse somewhere, but the team decided in spring training to bring the celebration back.

“The hydration station is a cool thing that’s become part of our identity over the last few years, and guys wanted to keep it going,” O’Hearn said. “Happy to have that back. We got a new one; it’s all doctored up; it looks great. Hopefully we get a lot of use out of it.”

Even as other facets of the Orioles have scuffled, the bullpen has started the season well. That continued Saturday. Right-hander Bryan Baker allowed a run to score for the first time this year, but the other four relievers posted scoreless outings.

And, with a one-run lead, right-hander Félix Bautista entered in the ninth inning for his first save opportunity in almost two years. Baltimore had yet to experience a save situation through 13 games, the longest run in club history without one since 1988, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Bautista, who missed 2024 due to Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, hasn’t returned to his best. His fastball velocity is below the triple-digit level it routinely reached in 2023, and the cold weather Saturday didn’t help. Bautista came through, however, and closed the narrow win for his first save since Aug. 24, 2023.

He did it even with two runners in scoring position and Bo Bichette at the plate. Bautista struck out the dangerous batter with a slider just below the strike zone.

“You could tell his demeanor and everything, he was calm, he was confident,” Rutschman said. “Even with runners on base, was still able to pitch well, and I was really proud of him today.”

So can one swing change the emotions of a club? Absolutely. Can it lead to momentum? That will only be discovered as the weeks and months continue.

“Winning close games like that, being able to come from behind, is something we’ve been able to do in the past,” Rutschman said. “We have all the makings on this team and character on this team to win close games, so it was nice to do that for the first time this year.”

This story has been updated.