Mancini's return to Camden Yards high point in loss (updated)

Trey Mancini heard his name called, stepped out of the dugout, jogged to the first base line, tapped fists with manager Brandon Hyde and center fielder Cedric Mullins, and gave the crowd what it wanted.

Himself. Back in uniform. Back in Baltimore.

The Orioles played their first home game this afternoon after a two-city road trip, tweaking the traditional ceremonies as a concession to health and safety protocols. Maybe the bullpen would have been too crowded for introductions.

Matt Harvey pitched into the sixth inning, Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the first, Pedro Severino provided a lead with an opposite-field shot in the fourth, Hyde was ejected two batters later and the bullpen had the hiccups in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. But it started with Mancini, who hadn't been at the ballpark since undergoing colon cancer surgery in March 2020.

Fans gave Mancini a prolonged ovation that he acknowledged by stepping away from his teammates and pumping his fist. They rose to their feet again as he came to the plate after Mullins' leadoff single, taking a practice swing and waving his helmet while the Red Sox let the moment play out.

Mullins applauded at first base. Catcher Christian Vázquez walked to the grass in front of the batter's box, clapped and patted Mancini's chest. Second baseman Christian Arroyo tipped his cap. The Red Sox dugout joined the ovation.

Rafael Devers made a diving stop and throw to get the force at second. Kindness has its limits.

"That was a really emotional start to the home season there," Hyde said after the game via Zoom. "The ovation was awesome and I know Trey really appreciated it. To be on the line with him when everybody was cheering for him and tipping his hat, so well deserved. That was just an incredible moment, and really cool what the Red Sox did. ... Just a class move by them and incredible by our fans, how loud they got and the ovation they gave Trey. It's an awesome start to the day."

"It was amazing," Mancini said. "I think it's well-documented at this point what I went through and what it took to get back playing and it was nothing short of what I expected. We have the best fans in baseball here and no matter what, they love us, and that showed today and meant the world to me. Even though it was like 25 percent capacity it felt like a full stadium out there and I have goosebumps thinking about it still."

Mancini wasn't expected a long ovation during introductions. He assumed it would come during his first trip to the plate.

"I had to fight back tears there when I got that first ovation," he said. "That's probably what will stay with me the most."

Harvey took in the moment from the bullpen while warming up.

"It's amazing," he said. "It's an incredible thing what he's gone through and what he's come full-circle around and it's fun being his teammate and seeing the work he put in and the drive and obviously overcoming what he's overcome. His first at-bat was pretty special, as well. Sitting in the dugout getting to experience that was special and honored to be his teammate."

Mancini also struck out, grounded out and lined a single into left field in the eighth. He's 5-for-28 with 11 strikeouts.

"He wishes he was swinging the bat better a little right now, and I can see the frustration," Hyde said before the game. "I talked a little bit to him after the game last night, I talked to him all the time. We talk about baseball, we talk about other things. But it's just, I'm always here for him, I'm always going to stay positive for him and I think he's handling everything as well as he possibly can."

Mancini was 0-for-9 before the single.

"From the Yankees series through today, it's probably been four of the most challenging games I've ever gone through in my career," he said. "You guys all know me, I expect a lot out of myself and I think I've been going up there with a lot of pressure on my shoulders and trying to perform too much and prove that I'm the same guy, and I know I am, but I don't think I've gone about these last four games the right way. From pitch selection to everything. I took a little step back at times and especially before my last at-bat today and settled myself down. But in that regard I'm not pleased.

"I just need to stick to an approach up there and I have not been doing that well at all."

Hyde saw only two of Mancini's at-bats from the dugout. He was tossed in the fourth by plate umpire Jeremie Rehak after an Eduardo Rodriguez pitch crashed into Rio Ruiz's left elbow. Ruiz bent over in pain as head athletic trainer Brian Ebel rushed onto the field, but third base umpire Scott Barry ruled a swinging strike.

Before heading back inside, a furious Hyde removed his cap and motioned as if spiking it into the grass, then raised both arms to punctuate his point. He was livid at the call and the speed of the ejection, his fifth as a manager and sixth overall.

"I thought Rio checked his swing, the ball hit him and then his body, because of the hit by pitch, kind of took him over the plate like a swing," Hyde said. "I saw Jeremie ask Scott, I saw Scott say a swing. I went out first because Rio was hurt, to make sure he was OK, and while I'm walking out there Scott says that he swung, so I was just asking Scott, 'How can you see that as a swing?' According to Jeremie I asked one too many times, I guess.

"That's the quickest ejection that I've ever had. I was very surprised by it. Leave it at that."

Has Mancini ever seen Hyde that upset?

"No, I haven't. That was awesome, though," he said.

"He came out there firing and we love Hyder. Whenever you have a manager back you up in that situation, it means a lot to the guys and it always fires you up when something like that happens."

Harvey threw 25 pitches in the first inning and surrendered a 452-foot, two-run homer to Devers. Alex Verdugo doubled and scored. Vázquez doubled after the home run and Marwin Gonzalez walked. The Sox stole two bases. It was quite a display.

Arroyo froze on a 94 mph, full-count fastball, the 25th pitch thrown by Harvey, who needed only eight to retire the side in order in the second and seven to do the same in the fourth.

"I thought he threw the ball really well," Hyde said. "He ran into a little bit of trouble there in the first and really calmed down and retired the last seven going into the sixth inning. He was throwing some good sliders, the changeup was pretty good again, I thought his velo was good, super competitive, kept us in the game, left with the lead. It was a really nice start for him."

Harvey retired seven in a row before Devers and Vázquez singled to open the sixth. Acting manager Fredi González brought in Paul Fry, who walked Gonzalez to load the bases. Devers scored the tying run on Arroyo's bouncer to Fry and Franchy Cordero singled in front of Mountcastle, giving Boston a 4-3 lead and bringing Dillon Tate into the game.

Mountcastle didn't take the proper route on the ball, allowing it to fall, and his errant throw put Cordero on second base. But Tate struck out Bobby Dalbec and Gonzalez was caught in a rundown between third and home on a ball that scooted past Severino.

"I think he's putting a lot of pressure on himself right now in the outfield," Hyde said. "There are a couple plays that he wishes he would have made and it's not from a lack of effort, lack of work he's putting in. He's putting in good work. Just the last couple nights have been rough for him defensively.

"We know that Ryan wants to be a good defender. It just hasn't happened for him the last couple nights, but he'll continue to work and improve."

Harvey, making his second career start at Camden Yards, was charged with four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He walked one batter and struck out five.

"Obviously, I absolutely hate losing," he said, "and giving up runs, especially in the sixth inning, we took a lead and it's my job as a starter to keep runners off base, and let them kind of creep back into it and that's pretty frustrating. I'm happy with not feeling so great in the first inning and being able to come back and battle through three or four innings and give us a chance to win. Definitely better than last start, but like I said, that sixth inning I've just got to keep runners off base, and kicking myself for that."

Verdugo doubled off Tate with one out in the seventh and J.D. Martinez doubled off Shawn Armstrong for a 5-3 lead. Armstrong retired only one of four batters and came out after Gonzalez's RBI single.

Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells stranded two runners in the seventh and struck out three in the eighth, but also surrendered a home run to Kiké Hernández.

"We had a lot of guys who were down today," Hyde said of his bullpen. "Just unlucky today. I believe in those guys. I think Paul Fry's going to have a good year, Army's off to a little bit of a tough start, but I think he's going to settle in and be good for us. ... Just didn't happen there for us in the middle innings, but they've done a nice job up until today."

Mullins led off the bottom of the first with a single to extend his hitting streak to 11 games dating back to last September. Mountcastle drove a 93-mph fastball 404 feet to right-center field with two outs.

Rodriguez was making his first start since Sept. 29, 2019, also the last game played by Mancini until opening day in Boston. The former Orioles minor leaguer missed the 2020 season with myocarditis following a positive COVID-19 test. He allowed three runs and four hits today with no walks and seven strikeouts.

The Orioles (4-3) and have gone 44-24 in home openers, losing their last three.

Today's crowd of 10,150 was announced as a sellout.