Even though a lot went right, O's have to regroup after loss

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

June 19, 2021, 6:50pm

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The Orioles hit six home runs, three by Ryan Mountcastle and two by Cedric Mullins. DJ Stewart added another to give them six hit by homegrown players. They got a quality start for the first time since May 31, ending a run of 15 games without one. They led by four runs after the sixth and seventh innings. They led by three in the ninth and pitched two of their best relievers.

It didn't work. They didn't win.

The Orioles were a strike away from winning back-to-back games twice, but Toronto scored six runs with two outs in the ninth to beat the Orioles 10-7. In a season when they have had some gut-punch losses, this had to top them all.

Not so much because of how the game was lost, that was painful enough. But because they couldn't take advantage of what Mountcastle, Mullins, Dean Kremer and others offered and turn it into a feel-good win. They should be looking for a home series sweep today. Instead, they have to regroup again after their ninth loss in 10 games.

They sure did enough to win, but they just did not win.

No doubt the Blue Jays had some great at-bats in the ninth. Bo Bichette fouled off seven straight pitches from right-hander Tyler Wells before he flared one into right. Anthony Santander charged in and toward the line and dove, but the ball ticked off his glove. So close to a game-ending catch.

"I have not seen the replay yet, I was a little bit blocked," manager Brandon Hyde said in his postgame Zoom interview. "Looked like it was just out of his reach. Made a great effort and ticked off the end of his glove. But I haven't seen anything besides that. Just a bit unlucky there. Wells makes a good pitch. Just a really good one-on-one battle and just a little out of our reach. It's baseball. We're going to regroup (today). This one hurts right now, but come out ready to play tomorrow."

The pitchers in the ninth were Paul Fry and Wells trying to protect a 7-4 lead. Fry entered with a 1.78 ERA and had thrown 9 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Wells had thrown 11 scoreless frames this month on four hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts. Two pretty good choices to wrap up a win.

But in a span of a few pitches, a lead and a game were blown.

Hyde was asked how this could impact the Rule 5 pick Wells, who has little big league experience.

"I think you give credit to Bichette for fouling off some really, really difficult pitches. And the (Marcus) Semien at-bat with Fry. We were one strike away also. So give them credit for some at-bats there in the ninth.

"I'm not concerned about Tyler. I think Tyler Wells has been a solid guy today. It just didn't happen. He made a good pitch. The ball dropped and it hurts, but I think that he'll be fine."

Now for some of the good from the day.

Mountcastle hit homers in the second, fourth and sixth and singled in the eighth in a bid to become the first Oriole ever with four homers in a game. He went 4-for-4, the four hits tied his career high and he drove in four. He has 28 RBIs the last 27 games. Mountcastle said he has hit three home runs in a game twice in the minors.

"I've never done that before. I've never hit four in a game or anything," he said. "I got a pretty good pitch to hit there (in his last at-bat), just didn't get enough loft on it. I'll take a single any day of the week."

The last Oriole to hit three homers in a game was Pedro Severino, on June 4, 2019 at Texas. The last to do it at Camden Yards was Manny Machado, on Aug. 18, 2017. Mountcastle and Nick Markakis are the only O's rookies to hit three in a game. Markakis got that done on Aug. 22, 2006.

This was the 24th time in club history an Oriole homered three times. None has ever hit four.

Boog Powell and Eddie Murray hit three homers three different times with the Orioles. Machado and Chris Davis have a pair of three-homer games.

Here is the list of Orioles to do this once: Albert Belle, Bobby Grich, Cal Ripken Jr., Curt Blefary, Dan Ford, Don Baylor, Juan BenÃquez, Lee Lacy, Paul Blair, Randy Milligan, Roberto Alomar, Markakis and Severino.

Toronto began the day leading the majors in homers with 106 while the Orioles were 18th with 78. But in this series the O's have outhomered Toronto 8-4.

Lost in the loss was how well Kremer threw after allowing two homers in the first. He did not give up a hit after that opening inning as Toronto batters went 0-for-14 against him during a 90-pitch outing. It gives him a strong game to try to build on.

The benches and bullpens cleared in the fourth. After Toronto rookie righty Alek Manoah allowed two homers in the inning and had given up four in the game, he plunked third baseman Maikel Franco on the first pitch with a 94 mph fastball that got him up near his shoulder. Manoah walked toward Franco which seemed to ruffle some feathers in the first-base dugout.

The players jawed at each other near the mound, and so did the managers. Order was being restored when it looked like Hyde and Toronto skipper Charlie Montoyo were being held apart and were jawing.

"We were getting our team back and then there was something said that I didn't appreciate," said Hyde, who also said he believed that Manoah did intentionally hit Franco. "So, that's what happened. We got calmed down and got back in the dugout,"

It was a day of emotion swings for the Orioles and their fans. The team won't have long to regroup before playing the series finale this afternoon at 1:05 p.m.