Notes on Urías, Eflin and more from tonight's Orioles-Pirates exhibition (O's lose 9-5)

SARASOTA, Fla. – A 95 mph fastball from Pirates reliever Peter Strzelecki tonight dropped Ramón Urías to the dirt in the bottom of the fifth inning. Urías stayed down for a few seconds while the crowd gasped in unison, got back to his feet and struck out.

Urías grabbed his equipment bag and walked down the right field line toward the clubhouse. He was coming out anyway, with manager Brandon Hyde making multiple substitutions. He left third base and upheld his status as a healthy infielder.

The gasps became sighs of relief.

Jordan Westburg returned to the lineup, but Gunnar Henderson remained out with a strained right intercostal and Jorge Mateo won’t be ready for Opening Day after his reconstructive elbow surgery in August, though he’s swinging a bat.

The Orioles need Urías to be their utility guy. They might need him to play shortstop for Henderson or third base if Westburg slides over. Tailing fastballs with his name on them are frowned upon in this establishment.

“It’s not fun,” he said. “I will say that. It’s not fun at all.”

Henderson’s status for Opening Day is uncertain and the Orioles might need to cover for him early. Part of that responsibility falls on Urías.

“We’ll hopefully have Gunnar, right?” he said. “We all know how good he is for the team, so hopefully he’s ready for the start of the season. But we also have the guys who show up and we always try to do the best that we can.”

Urías is 4-for-12 with a home run this spring. He doubled and walked tonight, but also tends to be one of the club's least appreciated hitters.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “Swinging at strikes. I think mechanics are working well.”

Urías has noticed that the Orioles are a little “hungrier” after falling short in the playoffs the last two years.

“Everybody has that on their mind,” he said, “and we’re just anxious to start the season.”

* Zach Eflin didn’t make it through the third inning and was charged with three runs, but he walked off the mound healthy.

Around here, that counts as a win. The score doesn’t matter.

Eflin stretched his pitch count to 52 in 2 2/3 innings, but only 29 for strikes. He was removed in the third with runners on the corners and the Pirates leading 2-1, and Endy Rodríguez singled off Nick Richmond to stick another run on Eflin’s line.

Making his second spring start, Eflin allowed three hits, walked two batters and struck out none. His ERA is 7.71.

“I feel like the stuff is good,” he said. “Command could be a little runner. Trying to sync up my mechanics a little bit. That’s what spring’s for. So just getting out there and getting repetition and getting the work in.”

Eflin retired the side in order in the first on 14 pitches. Rodríguez singled with one out in the second, Nick Yorke doubled to the fence in right-center field and Enmanuel Valdez followed with a sacrifice fly.

Luis Vazquez made a sliding stop and throw from shortstop to retire Tommy Pham in the third after Jared Triolo’s leadoff single, but a wild pitch, walk and Oneil Cruz fly ball put another run on the board. Eflin was done after walking Andrew McCutchen.

“I would have been more encouraged if I didn’t walk anybody, but that’s just me being stubborn,” said Eflin, who pitched in the first night game. “I felt like I commanded the ball pretty decently. Threw some good off-speed pitches, had some weak contact and got some work in.

“I feel good, strong. I’m just looking forward to getting the pitch count up every time out.”

Paul Skenes allowed two runs - one after he left the game - and four hits with two walks and three strikeouts over three-plus innings in his second start against the Orioles. Ryan Mountcastle lined a single into left field leading off the fourth and Skenes came out of the game.

Skenes struck out Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle on high 99 mph fastballs.

* Ryan O’Hearn singled twice. His two-run single in the fourth tied the game 4-4. … Cedric Mullins scored the go-ahead run in the fourth on a passed ball. … Adley Rutschman beat out a ground ball to the left side in the first inning, his sixth hit in 12 at-bats. … The Orioles tied the game in the second inning on Gary Sánchez’s one-out walk, Urías’ double and a Vazquez ground ball that Triolo bobbled at second base before getting the out at first. Sánchez would have held at third. … Vazquez had a sacrifice fly in the fourth. … A run scored against Matt Bowman in the fourth on Gary Sánchez’s passed ball. He allowed a single, walked two and struck out one. … Levi Stoudt surrendered the tying run in the fifth. ... Liover Peguero hit a tie-breaking home run off Luis González in the eighth. González struck out three batters. … Dylan Coleman and Kade Strowd each tossed a scoreless inning. ... Tonight's attendance was 6,390.

* The Orioles fell to 0-4 against the Pirates with a 9-5 loss at Ed Smith Stadium.

Rodolfo Martínez loaded the bases in the ninth on a single and two walks, and Jason Delay’s fly ball with two outs fell in right field. Three runs scored, the last while Martínez argued a call at first base.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Tyler O’Neill received treatment for a sore left rib cage that forced him out of the lineup.

“We’re not concerned about,” Hyde said. “I’m just gonna give him a couple days. He went and got treatment and give him off tomorrow, and hoping he’s in there for the home game in two days.”