Mountcastle homers twice in 6-5 loss

The Orioles took a break from their trading this afternoon to play a baseball game. They shuffled two pitchers out of Buffalo and held an audition for right-hander Jorge López. One of their busiest and most important days.

No one pretended that López wasn't pitching for a job. Wade LeBlanc is out for the season with an elbow injury. Tommy Milone is starting tonight for the Braves.

There are several candidates, but López had first dibs.

Ryan Mountcastle doesn't need to audition. He's already got the gig as the everyday left fielder for the rest of the 2020 season and beyond.

This is more about proclaiming him ready and turning him loose.

López didn't make it out of the fifth inning after retiring the first 10 batters, but Mountcastle hit his first major league home run in the second and delivered a two-run shot in the sixth. Tanner Roark's changeup didn't stand a chance. A sinker didn't stand a chance. Combined distance of 830 feet.

Mountcastle provided a lead but the bullpen couldn't hold it, with Tanner Scott letting an inherited runner score in his fourth straight appearance. Rio Ruiz led off the ninth with a single, moved to third and scored on José Iglesias' two-out infield hit, but Teoscar Hernández's two-out bases-loaded single off Cole Sulser gave the Blue Jays a 6-5 win at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.

A fifth consecutive loss has dropped the Orioles to 14-19. They've lost 11 of 13 and are in danger of being swept by the Jays in a four-game series for the second time since 2018.

Sulser was back on the mound after serving up Friday night's walk-off home run to Randal Grichuk. He loaded the bases after throwing three pitches to Grichuk out of the strike zone and walking him with first base open, then getting ahead of Travis Shaw 0-2 and losing him.

Hernández grounded a single into left field, two runs scored and the Orioles couldn't slam the brakes on their skid.

Paul Fry tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings after replacing López. Hunter Harvey was given the high-leverage eighth in his season debut with Mychal Givens traded to the Rockies and retired the first two batters, including Grichuk on a popup, but a single and walk placed the game in Scott's hands.

Rowdy Tellez greeted him with a single for a 4-4 tie, but Ruiz ignited a rally in the ninth against Anthony Bass.

Andrew Velazquez laid down a sacrifice bunt and Ruiz advanced to third on Hanser Alberto's ground ball. The Blue Jays issued an intentional walk to Anthony Santander and Iglesias beat out a bouncer to shortstop for his sixth hit in three games since leaving the injured list.

Mountcastle's first home run was a 420 foot shot that left the ballpark and headed for the highway. A MASN camera showed an elderly man in a black Pirates jersey griping the ball with a smile on his face. The Orioles were able to retrieve it for Mountcastle, who had already received the silent treatment from teammates in the dugout.

Mountcastle was grinning as he walked in front of the bench, with a fist bump from head athletic trainer Brian Ebel the only greeting.

After poking a single into right field in the fourth, Mountcastle again took aim at the cars traveling beyond the left field fence. Renato Núñez led off with a double and scored on Pedro Severino's single, and Mountcastle gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead and a reason for teammates to congratulate him in the dugout.

Only four Orioles have produced a multi-home run game within their first eight in the majors, according to STATS research. Manny Machado was the most recent in 2012.

Jim Fuller also did it in September 1973 and Curt Blefary in April 1965.

Manager Brandon Hyde remarked over the weekend that Mountcastle's power would come. It arrived in Buffalo.

López allowed three runs and three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings in his first major league start since Sept. 29. His streak of retired batters ended with Gruchuk's double in the fourth, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to tie the game 1-1.

"When I told him he was extremely excited and very, very pumped up to start the game, so that was really cool for me to tell him," Hyde said earlier today in his Zoom conference call.

"He's going to have more opportunities as well, but I know that this was something he's been waiting for for a while and looking forward to getting out there."

The Orioles want to know whether López can do more than work in long relief.

They've also been waiting to find out whether their offense was going to spring back to life.

They stranded two runners in the first inning and two more in the second. Severino grounded into a double play to end the third and Ruiz did the same in the fourth.

Velazquez led off the fifth with a walk and stole second base with two outs, but Iglesias popped up. Mason Williams tripled in the sixth after Mountcastle's home run and Roark's departure, but he got caught in a rundown on perhaps a blown squeeze play with Velazquez at the plate.

Sulser got the call in the ninth with left-handers only 1-for-29 against him and three straight due up.

It almost worked.

Not nearly as well as those occasions when Mountcastle stepped to the plate.