In a tough loss, Pedro Álvarez had a productive night for the O's

He was just 1-for-9 with the Orioles since they called up him up Sept. 1 from Triple-A Norfolk. But in a 10-8 loss to the Red Sox in 11 innings last night, Pedro Álvarez batted five times and reached base five times.

Batting eighth as the designated hitter, he walked in the second and third innings, homered to right in the fifth and singled in the seventh and 10th innings. That is a 3-for-3 night with a pair of bases on balls for the veteran who re-signed with the club on March 13.

Álvarez played all season for Triple-A Norfolk, batting .239/.294/.442 with 31 doubles, a triple, 26 homers and 89 RBIs in 138 games. He was a postseason International League All-Star as a DH.

Without much playing time since he joined the Orioles, it felt good to get out there and play a key role for the team last night.

"Just grateful to get the opportunity to go out there and play today," Álvarez said. "You know, it was a tough-fought game on both ends. Unfortunately, we didn't come up with a W, but you know obviously when you can have a day like that at the plate and be able to contribute somewhat, it feels good. But would have been a lot better if we got the W."

I asked Álvarez about showing the patience to take some close pitches and draw walks his first two times to bat. Considering he's had so few big league at-bats this year, he didn't go up in there in swing mode. He was ready to take a walk if it was there and it was.

"You have to stick with an approach and you have to try to work with what they give you and that has to be the approach no matter what the situation is," he said. "Whether you are at 500 at-bats or five at-bats into your season. It is easier said than done, but you try to have that mentality and try to have that approach. Just try to string some at-bats together and help build off of that."

For the 2016 Orioles, Álvarez hit .249/.322/.504 with 22 homers and 49 RBIs in 109 games. He had an .848 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. He had to wait until September to play for the Orioles this year. But it's been pretty exciting for him to be back in the Baltimore clubhouse.

"It's been a lot of fun. I missed playing alongside these guys," Álvarez said. "Obviously, the atmosphere here in Baltimore with the fans and stadium, it is pretty special. It is good to be back and it's good to be back with these guys and play this caliber-type baseball this time of year."

The Orioles have not lost a series to the Red Sox this year, but they'll need to win the next two nights to keep that alive. They have split three series and won two against Boston. In late August, the Orioles swept a three-game series at Fenway Park by a combined 25-4 score. But the Orioles allowed 10 runs last night and are 10-7 against Boston for the year. No matter what happens the next two nights, the Orioles have won the season series against Boston for the fifth time in six seasons.

The Orioles have scored 14 runs the last two games after scoring just 22 runs the previous 10 games.

When the Orioles swept that series last month in Boston, Red Sox batters went 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position. Last night, they had five hits in their first seven at-bats with RISP and went 6-for-12 for the game.

Right-hander Dylan Bundy allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings last night. Over their past 19 games, O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 7.18 with just five quality starts.

Last night was the fifth time this season that the Orioles have scored eight or more runs and lost the game.

The Red Sox and Orioles are first and second in the American League in extra-inning wins and extra-inning winning percentage for 2017. The Red Sox are 14-3 (.824) and the Orioles are 12-3 (.800).

O's outfielder Austin Hays had a two-run double and single last night. Over his past three games, he is 6-for-12 with a double, homer and five RBIs. Hays is batting .316 (6-for-19) in his first nine major league games. With Boston starting lefties Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale the next two nights, Hays figures to stay in the lineup.