Orioles avoid sweep with 5-4 win over Astros (updated)

The Orioles didn’t fall behind to the Astros this afternoon. They were tied once and grabbed another lead right away. The margin got tight and they found more padding.

They pitched, played defense and hit in the clutch.

Getting swept in a series just isn’t in their DNA.

Dean Kremer worked seven innings for his 11^th quality start, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle drove in two runs, and the Orioles held on to defeat the Astros 5-4 before an announced crowd of 22,981 at Camden Yards.

Mountcastle extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run shot off rookie Hunter Brown in the seventh, and the Orioles improved to 71-44. They’re 2 ½ games ahead of the second-place Rays, who play tonight.

The Orioles have gone 76 multi-game series in a row without falling on the wrong side of a sweep.

José Altuve came within a triple of the cycle, and his two-out solo home run in the seventh reduced the lead to 3-2. Austin Hays leaped at the fence in front of the bullpen, slamming his left forearm on top of it, and couldn’t bring back the ball.

Ryan O’Hearn led off the bottom half of the inning with a double and Mountcastle hit his 15^th home run. The Orioles always had an answer today.

Kremer struck out Alex Bregman on his 91^st pitch while Cionel Pérez warmed, shouting as he walked off the mound. The Astros and their potent lineup were held to two runs and six hits.

"He made some big pitches in big moments to get out of some jams," said catcher James McCann.

They had a little left in the tank, however.

Yennier Cano entered with two outs in the eighth, inheriting two runners from Pérez, and Mauricio Dubón’s soft single into right field – 65.5 mph off the bat - cut the lead to 5-3. Cano again got ahead two strikes and fanned Jeremy Peña.

The Astros were able to turn over the lineup again in the ninth, which isn't what the Orioles wanted to happen.

Félix Bautista responded to Kyle Tucker’s grand slam Tuesday night by recording his 31^st save, but he allowed a run and loaded the bases twice.

Altuve doubled off the left field wall and moved up on a wild pitch. Hays attempted another leaping grab after moving over from center and the ball glanced off the top of his glove.

Alex Bregman and Tucker walked to load the bases, and Yainer Díaz’s infield hit got the Astros within one. But Ramón Urías slowed the ball with a diving attempt and prevented it from reaching left field and perhaps tying the game.

Jon Singleton popped up, and the Orioles set off their celebratory fireworks.

The bullpen allowed 12 runs in the series.

"Honestly, it's really good for him," McCann said of Bautista. "Playoff atmosphere, that's a playoff team over there, so not only for him to bounce back today, but also to kind of go through it again today and find a way to come out on top, he did an excellent job."

Asked if he was nervous in the ninth, manager Brandon Hyde quipped, "I thought we had it the whole way."

Hyde added: "I think Bregman and Tucker and (Yordan) Álvarez, I think they hit every inning. I was going to check if they were hitting out of order, because I feel like they hit eight times a game."

The defensive support for Kremer was enormous.

Adam Frazier made a diving stop of Álvarez’s 115.2 mph ground ball and threw him out to strand runners on the corners in the fifth and preserve a 2-1 lead. Altuve was robbed of extra bases in the first inning on Urías’ lunging backhand stop and throw from a knee.

Ryan O’Hearn, making his second start in left field, ran down Peña’s fly ball in the fifth, jumping for it and slamming into the padding. He got up smiling.

The Orioles will wear the same expression boarding their flight to Seattle to start a three-city West Coast trip.

"It was exceptional, all the way around the field," Kremer said. "Ramón, both Ryans, O'Hearn and Mounty, Frazier, unbelievable play, Hays everywhere. I mean, they're a special group to have behind you.

"As a staff we know that we've got some of the best defense in the league. We don't have to be perfect. You just throw the ball in the zone and our guys will make plays."

"We played amazing defense except for the (pitchers fielding practice) play, which really screwed things up for us in the ninth inning," said Hyde, whose club ran into three outs at second base and didn't leave a runner on for the 14th time in its history, and the first since Aug. 24, 2015 in Kansas City.

"Numerous great plays. Even Ramón just knocking that ball down at third base there. I know he was disappointed he didn't catch it, but a diving play to save the tying run from scoring. ... Besides that one play, we played outstanding defense. McCann caught really, really well, as well."

McCann has become an RBI machine, collecting eight in his last four games. Five came against the Mets, his former team, on Aug. 4.

Urías led off the third inning today with a triple off rookie Hunter Brown and scored the go-ahead run on McCann’s line drive single into center field.

McCann led off the sixth with a double, diving into the bag and staying while the out call was reversed on a challenge. Rutschman swung at the next pitch, a slider, and singled to center for a 3-1 lead.

"Through the good and bad, I'm just trying to stay positive through it all," McCann said, "and I thank the Lord I've been coming through.

The Orioles went ahead 1-0 on Rutschman’s first career leadoff home run in his 12^th game atop the order. They have have three leadoff homers this season.

Kremer couldn’t provide a shutdown inning, with the Astros tying the game in the top of the second on Díaz’s leadoff homer. Kremer got two outs on two pitches in the seventh and Altuve homered.

Kremer has surrendered 25 home runs to tie Tyler Wells for the team lead. Wells is pitching for Double-A Bowie.

"If he doesn't give up the homer there to Altuve, he might go back out for the eighth inning," Hyde said.

Today was typical business for Kremer against the Astros.

Kremer is 3-0 in three career starts and has allowed three earned runs in 23 2/3 innings. He tossed a four-hit shutout on Sept. 23 at Camden Yards.

"Definitely not the easiest team to face or navigate through their lineup," Kremer said. "Their top four, five, six guys can do damage with a flip of the switch if you make any sort of mistakes. Definitely a challenge."

So is avoiding a sweep since May 13-15, 2022, but the Orioles keep doing it.

"We have one of the best position-player groups in the big leagues, and as soon as their offense sparks it makes our jobs easier," Kremer said. "They're just a good group of guys. Every day is actually independent of the last, so it doesn't matter if we lost game one or we lost game two, every day's a new day and things can change."

"Proud of our club," Hyde said. "We do fight. They battle, they scrap, and they're pulling for each other."

* The bullpen is operating without Danny Coulombe for at least 15 days. Coulombe is on the injured list with left biceps tendinitis, ripping away a high-leverage reliever at a critical juncture.

The discomfort surfaced Tuesday night while Coulombe twice warmed in the bullpen.

“Just didn’t feel like his arm was getting loose,” Hyde said before the dame. “Danny’s pitched a ton this year. Usually when you’re a left-handed reliever, there’s nights when you get up and maybe you don’t get used. He’s just had a heavy workload so far this year. He’s just got a little bit of soreness. We’re going to give him a couple of weeks and hopefully he’ll be back when the IL stint is over.”

The IL move was backdated only one day due to a rule pertaining to the replacement player. Reliever Joey Krehbiel was optioned after Monday night’s game.

Cole Irvin is leaving the bullpen to make Saturday’s start in Seattle, and it doesn’t appear to be a temporary assignment.

“We’re going to try to give guys extra days as we go along here, try to keep our starting pitching as fresh as possible,” Hyde said.

“We have a long stretch in September after a couple off-days at the end of this month. So, we’re going to do the best we can to kind of monitor innings and workloads and keep these guys as healthy as possible these next 48 days.”

Hyde suggested that the Orioles could go with a six-man rotation.

“We’d definitely look at that, giving Cole more starts,” Hyde said. “You never now. Things happen quickly. That’s our plan right now with Cole there, to give guys extra days.”

* The Orioles are ready to reinstate outfielder Cedric Mullins from the injured list, taking him to the West Coast.

Ryan McKenna is expected to be optioned as the corresponding move.

* Luis Almeyda, 17, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder today.

Almeyda received a $2.3 million bonus in January, a club record for an international signing. He appeared in 19 games in Dominican Summer League.