Home runs hurt Orioles again in 8-5 loss (with quotes)

The Orioles were playing a dangerous game tonight with the Red Sox, going toe-to-toe and trading home runs while leading the majors in the number allowed by a wide margin.

Pretty hard to win that battle.

Mitch Moreland broke the third tie of the night with a three-run shot off reliever Branden Kline in the top of the fifth inning and the Red Sox outlasted the Orioles 8-5 before an announced crowd of 10,703 at Camden Yards.

Homers accounted for the first nine runs of the night, the teams trading two-run shots in the first and solo shots in the fourth before Moreland went rogue.

The Orioles fell to 13-23 overall and 5-12 at home. They're stuck on three wins against the Red Sox to match last year's total.

Gabriel Ynoa tossed three scoreless innings and has allowed only one run in 11 1/3 since the Orioles selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk. But Evan Phillips loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth on a single, walk and hit batter, and he walked Mookie Betts on his eighth pitch to force in a run, increase the lead to 7-5 and bring Miguel Castro into the game.

J.D. Martinez lined to left field to score Christian Vázquez and leave two runs on Phillips' line. But no more. Castro didn't let the game completely unravel.

Eleven Orioles were retired in a row before Trey Mancini's one-out single off Ryan Brasier in the eighth. Mancini scored when Dwight Smith Jr.'s grounder hopped off first base and bounded down the right field line for a double, and Chris Davis dropped a two-out RBI single into left-center field to cut the lead to 6-5.

Matt Barnes replaced Brasier and struck out Stevie Wilkerson with the count full.

David Hess served up two home runs in four innings to take over the club lead, but the decision was removed from him after Hanser Alberto connected off reliever Marcus Walden with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 3-3.

Rio Ruiz clubbed a game-tying two-run homer off Hector Velázquez in the first inning while serving as the cleanup hitter for only the second time in the majors - both opportunities coming this season. He followed Smith's two-out single with a shot to right field.

Martinez's 200th career home run was a two-run shot off Hess in the top of the first inning after a one-out walk to Betts. Hess threw a 92 mph fastball that Martinez drove 416 feet to center field with an exit velocity of 106.9 mph per Statcast.

The Red Sox had a quick 2-0 lead and Martinez was 3-for-6 with three home runs lifetime against Hess.

In a race that no one wants to win, Hess pulled into a tie with Dylan Bundy and Alex Cobb for most home runs allowed on the staff with nine. The Orioles had gone back-to-back games without a longball incident.

Hess took over sole possession of first place after Xander Bogaerts launched a 91 mph fastball over the center field fence leading off the fourth inning, with Statcast measuring the tie-breaker at 425 feet.

Six runs total on the board and all of them via home runs. Moreland would make it nine.

The Red Sox worked Hess for 66 pitches after the third inning and 92 through the fourth. Bogaerts' homer was only the second hit off him, but Rafael Devers followed with a single and Michael Chavis drew the fourth walk of the night.

A sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out and Davis produced his second sensational play in two nights, again calling upon his ball-flipping skills and this time preventing any more runs from scoring.

Vázquez grounded sharply to the right side of the infield and Davis made a diving backhanded stop, scrambled to get back on his feet and deftly backhanded the ball from his knees to Alberto racing to the bag. Hess had turned spectator.

The dugout erupted with teammates applauding Davis, and the play grew in importance after Alberto homered in the bottom half of the inning. Hess might have been done if Vázquez reached. The Red Sox certainly would have padded their lead.

Hess notched his fifth strikeout to end the inning, twice getting Andrew Benintendi, who had been 3-for-8 with three home runs against him before tonight.

Kline ran into immediate trouble in the sixth by allowing a single to Mookie Betts and throwing a wild pitch. Martinez walked and Moreland jumped on the third straight four-seam fastball thrown to him - 96, 96 and 95 mph.

The bullpen hadn't surrendered a home run since Max Kepler took Jimmy Yacabonis deep in the eighth inning of an April 27 game in Minnesota.

The Orioles allowed one run over the past two games before the Red Sox teed off. They issued eight walks tonight, a recipe for disaster. And the three home runs allowed pushed their total to 78. The Brewers began the night ranked second with 59.

Note: Richard Bleier started his rehab assignment tonight at Single-A Frederick and allowed one run and two hits with a strikeout in the sixth inning. The box score says he threw 14 pitches, nine for strikes. More important is how his shoulder feels in the morning.

Manager Brandon Hyde on walks and at-bats: "They take really good at-bats, too, so give them a lot of credit. I thought both teams had great at-bats all night. And their defense, they saved a lot of runs. A bunch of great plays. So I was really happy with our at-bats. I thought we battled, grinded out at-bats against really good pitching. Just a little short."

Hyde on using Kline in fifth: "Still had five innings to fill. Kline was hot and ready to go in if Hess couldn't finish the fourth. With him already being hot, I just had to have him pitch the fifth knowing we had five innings to go.

"Give it to Ynoa for three great innings like he did in Chicago, really throwing the ball well and keeping guys off balance. Going through that whole order without giving up a run out of the 'pen is impressive."

Hyde on Ynoa giving team what it needs: "And more. He's been awesome. He was here a couple years ago, I saw him in New York. Always been kind of a swing guy. But he's throwing 95, 96 with a good slider and he's holding it through three innings. He's doing a great job. Really happy with how he's pitching."

Hyde on whether he considered giving Ynoa a fourth inning: "Yeah. Evan hadn't been on the mound in five days. So we tie it there, we're going Givens, obviously. I still feel comfortable with Evan if we were down one or down two or down three. It just wasn't Evan's night."

Hyde on whether Ynoa could be starter: "I think he would be in the mix if we went in that direction. But he's also pitching his way into higher-leverage situations and being somebody that you can trust on the mound when the game's close. I think he can probably do a variety of things for you. He kind of came here as our long guy. He's pitching his way into a different situation. So good for him."

Hyde on balancing needs in rotation and 'pen: "We're already down and I'd like to have him back, so if he goes out there and pitches that fourth and his pitch count rises and we're already losing, probably can't bring him back as soon. And so he's throwing the ball so well. Wanted to get Evan in there. Just didn't work out."

Hyde on Phillips walking leadoff guy three of last four outings: "His command's a little off right now. Evan was throwing the ball so well and his last couple of appearances have been a little rough, but even in Chicago he had that scoreless inning before he went out for the ninth and walked the leadoff guy. Walked the leadoff guy tonight. So that's where we need to get better and that's where we need to improve and be able to attack that first hitter and get the first guy out. You walk leadoff guys in close games, it's going to come back to haunt you, and that's the reason the last couple of times. But he's been really good up to this point and I'm going to continue to give him the ball. I love the stuff, I love the makeup and we believe in him. Just a couple hiccups."

Hyde on Hess: "I thought they battled him through four innings. His pitch count was obviously high most innings. Threw 80-plus pitches after four, kind of grinding through innings. Left a fastball on the wrong side of the plate to Martinez. I thought they took good ABs off him, I thought he battled and competed. Just a tough lineup to get through it the third time through. They just kind of wore him down a little bit by having really good at-bats off him."

Ruiz on why he's swinging bat better: "Kind of fine-tuning some things with Don (Long). We've been working real hard the past couple of days. The past couple of days have been good. Let's keep going."

Ynoa on his success: "I think the key has been the way I've been working. I've been studying the hitters more and I trust my pitches more this time around."

Ynoa on whether he could have continued: "I think I could, but at the same time I was told my limitations, and I respect that."