O's head home reeling, Lowther duels Mize, Yaz in the show

They rallied from 5-1 and 6-4 deficits to take the lead in the top of the eighth. But they lost again in a walk-off defeat in the last of the ninth. The Orioles' latest gut-punch loss was their second walk-off loss in the weekend series wrapped around a win at Colorado.

At least they got the win, but late Sunday afternoon it sure felt like they should have had two at Coors Field. Mychal Givens is still struggling and probably could use at least two days off at this point. Maybe more. The O's 'pen walked three in the ninth to fuel the Rockies' rally.

Maybe manager Brandon Hyde should have stayed with Branden Kline. At this point, when he turns to almost anyone in the bullpen, there is a chance something will go wrong.

The Orioles will likely go through many tough stretches this year, but this one right now is pretty bad. They scored one run in the last two games at Cleveland after losing a doubleheader in New York. They got swept four straight by the Yankees, and then suffered two walk-off losses this weekend.

They sure won't have to wait long to try to win again. Not sure how the schedule maker could send them across the country, play a game until after 6 p.m. ET and then have them fly all the way back for a day game. But here it is. The Tigers are in town today at 1:05 p.m. Gabriel Ynoa, who has allowed 12 runs in 6 1/3 innings his past four games, gets today's start.

The Orioles could use a few wins. A tired bunch of Birds will take the field this afternoon in search of one.

Lowther/Mize duel on Sunday: Orioles lefty pitching prospect Zac Lowther more than held his own Sunday in a pitching showdown with Double-A Erie right-hander Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft by Detroit.

Neither starter gave up a run in a game Erie won 3-0, getting a three-run homer in the last of the eighth. Mize got the win and is 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA. He threw eight scoreless at the Baysox.

Lowther extended his current scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings. The O's 2018 co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year threw six scoreless on two hits Sunday. He got a no-decision and is 4-3 with a 1.68 ERA through nine starts.

Lowther has thrown three consecutive scoreless starts for Bowie. In that span he has allowed 13 hits over 18 2/3 innings with four walks and 18 strikeouts, reducing his ERA from 2.73. Lowther has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of nine starts.

Single-A Frederick, which is playing well this month, won again Sunday. The Keys beat Potomac 5-2 to improve to 15-8 in May and 25-23 overall.

Right-hander Brenan Hanifee got the win, allowing five hits and two runs over six innings. He is 3-4 with a 5.59 ERA. Over the last 28 games, Frederick starting pitchers have a 2.23 ERA and have allowed more than two runs just five times. The Keys' rotation is averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in that span.

Yaz in the show: Belated congratulations to former Oriole farmhand Mike Yastrzemski, who was called up over the weekend by the San Francisco Giants. Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a run scored Saturday but picked up his first three major league hits on Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with a double and a run as the Giants lost 6-2 to Arizona. So he's batting .429.

At age 28, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski gets his first shot in the show. The Orioles drafted him in round 14 in 2013 after his senior year at Vanderbilt. The famous name and a fast start to his pro career made him someone fans really followed. His call-up comes after 703 games and 2,600 minor league at-bats.

Yaz just never gave up on his dream. He was an O's non-roster spring invitee for the first time this past February, but he struggled early on in camp. Perhaps he put too much pressure on himself, thinking this would be his one and maybe only shot to really show his stuff. It wasn't. The Orioles traded him on March 23 to the Giants for pitcher Tyler Herb.

Now, about two months after that deal, Yastrzemski is in the majors. The Giants, by the way, begin a series in Baltimore on Friday night. Maybe Yaz will take the field at Camden Yards after all.