Orioles score three runs in ninth on two Yankees misplays for walk-off win (updated)

Asked this morning what the Orioles must do after the break to recapture the success that defined previous months, third base coach Tony Mansolino replied, “I think just get back to being who we are.”

That would be a team producing quality at-bats, hitting in the clutch and scoring runs in bunches. That gets more out of the rotation than reasonably expected with so many injuries, as well as important outs from the bullpen.

Be the team that swept the Rays in four games and won consecutive series against the Braves, Phillies and Yankees. Be those 2024 Orioles.

They sort of got there today. They weren't going to quibble.

After imploding in gut-wrenching fashion in the ninth, the Orioles watched the Yankees misplay two balls with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Charity began at home.

Anthony Volpe bobbled Ryan Mountcastle's routine bouncer that should have produced a game-ending force play, and Alex Verdugo broke in on Cedric Mullins's liner to left. The ball cleared his head for a double and the Orioles won 6-5 before an announced crowd of 39,031 at Camden Yards.

"There's a lot to unpack there," said manager Brandon Hyde.

Gunnar Henderson hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give the Orioles their first lead since last Sunday in Oakland and Anthony Santander put a ball on Eutaw Street to break a tie in the fifth. The bullpen tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings entering the ninth, but Craig Kimbrel walked his first two batters and Ben Rice homered to right-center field to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.

A sizeable portion of the ballpark erupted. The Bronx came to Baltimore. But pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers singled off Clay Holmes to open the bottom of the ninth and Ryan O'Hearn came off the bench and walked with one out. Henderson struck out looking, Adley Rutschman walked to load the bases and Mountcastle reached on Anthony Volpe's error on a routine bouncer.

"Volpe's a really good player and you expect a ground ball hit to him, you're probably out," Hyde said.

"We'll take it."

Mullins followed with his liner that fooled Verdugo for an improbable walk-off, the fifth of his career. None more bizarre.

"It was quite an electric atmosphere," said Dean Kremer. "It was big for us, big for the city. And it's definitely more big for us than anything."

What was Mullins thinking when he made contact?

"I hit it hard enough to possibly drop," he said. "Walltimore over there, pretty tough to beat. Just needed to get over his head.

"As soon as I saw him take a step in I figured he had a bad jump on it. I had a feeling he was burned. Sure enough, he was burned and it went over his head."

The first half concludes with the Orioles at 58-38 and alone in first place in the American League East. They avoided being swept in back-to-back series. The losing streak ends at five games.

"It's just the challenges of a major league baseball season and we're going to have our ups and downs," Hyde said. "This one is especially tough because we just came off a good road trip and we didn't play well against the Cubs and wanted to play well, and there was all that stuff that happened Friday, and just felt like it would be really, really nice to get a win today and have these guys get a much-deserved four days off."

"What matters is getting hot at the end of the second half and kind of building on that for playoffs," Kremer said. "And I think we're more than capable of doing that."

Kimbrel was trying for his 24^th save and 441^st of his career in his first appearance since last Sunday in Oakland. He had allowed one earned run in his last 21 innings, but Trent Grisham and No. 9 hitter Oswaldo Cabrera walked with no outs and Rice hit his sixth home run in 24 major league games.

"I don't make excuses," Kimbrel said. "It really doesn't matter how many days in a row. I still got to go out there and do my job. You can't lead off an inning with two walks and make a miss-pitch. I didn't throw it in the location I wanted to and he hit it out. I was able to get the next three outs and the boys battled and we were able to put something special together there at the end. That was fun to watch.

"I didn't do my job today and the guys had my back and we got a W. It's huge. It's extremely lucky. I've blown (five saves) and our guys have been able to come back and capitalize and not making it hurt so bad. And I couldn't be happier."

James McCann led off the third by drawing his fifth walk in his last nine games and Henderson followed with his 28^th home run, and the last before he enters Monday’s Derby in Arlington, Texas. He fell behind 0-2 to left-hander Carlos Rodón, fouled off a slider, took a curveball in the dirt and hammered a slider 414 feet to right-center field.

The 28 homers are tied with Ernie Banks in 1960 for most by a shortstop in a team’s first 96 games, per @SlangsOnSports. Alex Rodriguez hit 31 in 2002. Henderson has matched his total from last season.

"Feel like I try to stay pretty consistent the whole first half," Henderson said. "A couple things I felt like I can do better, but we're going to take that into the break and try to have a good second half."

Santander, also an All-Star, fell behind 0-2 against reliever Tommy Kahnle with two outs in the fifth and barreled a changeup for his 24^th homer and a 3-2 lead. The ball traveled 421 feet. Right fielder Juan Soto crouched and didn’t turn around as it sailed over his head.

The 11^th Eutaw Street homer of Santander’s career, including two this season, ties him with Chris Davis for the most in Camden Yards history.

Santander tripled with one out in the eighth, his career-high second of the season, and Mullins, pinch-running, was thrown out at the plate on Jordan Westburg’s ground ball. The Orioles went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-39 on the homestand.

There's one place to point a finger, but it didn't burn them today.

Kremer failed to complete the fifth inning in back-to-back starts. He was removed after 4 2/3 and at 83 pitches with the score tied, the bullpen mostly fresh and the club having a break in the schedule. Jacob Webb inherited two runners and retired Verdugo on a ground ball.

Left-handers were batting .091 with a .315 OPS against Webb before today, and Hyde played the reverse matchup.

Kremer finishes the first half with a 4.38 ERA in 63 2/3 innings. Asked how he views it, Kremer referenced his time on the injured list with a right triceps strain.

"I missed a good chunk of it," he said. "I like where I am going into the break and that's what matters. And keep building on that."

Kremer hit Aaron Judge on the left elbow guard with a 94 mph fastball with two outs in the first inning, and Yankees fans voiced their displeasure. Catcher McCann reached back for a new baseball, didn’t get it and took a few steps toward the mound. Judge calmly removed his protective equipment and walked to first base.

It spared the relievers a long sprint to the field.

Volpe doubled with two outs in the second inning, his fly ball eluding Santander’s diving attempt, and he scored on Grisham’s single. The Orioles would play from behind again.

Grisham tied the game with a leadoff homer in the fifth after getting ahead 3-0.

The Orioles have scored eight runs in their last 51 innings and 10 in their last six games. Still problematic but not always their fault.

Westburg walked in the second inning and raced to third base on Jorge Mateo’s two-out double. Mateo hustled to second on the throw, the kind of aggressive baserunning that Mansolino lauded earlier in the day.

Colton Cowser followed with a liner up the middle that seemed certain to deliver two runs, but Volpe ranged past second base and made a lunging catch.

Mountcastle had an opposite-field single in the third inning and stole second base with two outs, but Westburg struck out. Mateo reached on a bunt single and Cowser walked with one out in the fourth, but McCann popped out in foul territory and Henderson struck out.

The homers didn't solve every issue.

Rodón lasted only four innings and allowed two runs and four hits with seven strikeouts. His ERA held at 4.63.

Cionel Pérez struck out Cabrera on an elevated fastball to leave runners on the corners in the sixth and Yennier Cano stranded Judge in the seventh after a two-out walk. Gleyber Torres singled off Cano in the eighth and Austin Wells grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The game unraveled in the top of the ninth, but the Orioles still left the first half on a high note.

"Gives us a lot of confidence going into the break," Henderson said. "We're never out of it and that just shows the grit we have on this team."

"Been a tough week," Hyde said. "It was huge to get a win just to go into the break. These guys definitely need a break. And I thought we really battled today. For me, that's who our team is."

* Double-A Bowie outfielder Jud Fabian was removed from today’s game after being hit in the head during an at-bat.

MLB Pipeline ranks Fabian as the organization’s No. 11 prospect.