Orioles hit five home runs to gain series split (updated)

The Orioles concluded their series tonight against the Twins, readied for the Royals to arrive at Camden Yards and discussed the roster move that’s pending. Perhaps straining to be heard over music blaring to celebrate the win and a split.

The 26 players who ate and dressed after a 5-3 victory over Twins, made possible by Austin Hays’ tie-breaking solo home run off Jhoan Duran in the bottom of the eighth inning, apparently won’t stay together. Somebody's got to go.

Left-hander Logan Allen is expected to report after the Orioles claimed him on waivers this afternoon from the Guardians. The rotation lost John Means and Chris Ellis to season-ending surgeries. The bullpen holds nine relievers and will be tweaked to accommodate Allen, with Travis Lakins Sr. the most vulnerable.

Manager Brandon Hyde used four tonight behind starter Spenser Watkins, with Jorge López getting the last four outs and the win. The Orioles hit five home runs, including two by Ryan Mountcastle, who went back-to-back with Hays in the eighth.

Who needs August humidity?

“Today, I think all our runs were solo homers,” Mountcastle said, “and it was great to see the ball finally going over the fence for one.”

“I think we put a bunch of good swings on the baseball,” Hyde said. “Just really impressive hitting off not easy guys to go deep off of. Nice to see Mountcastle using the big part of the field twice. I thought yesterday got him going a little bit. Austin Hays got over the mountain in left field. That ball was absolutely smoked off a split down. We’re really talented. Some of these guys, I think they’re going to start figuring it out this year. It’s fun to watch our bats tonight.”

“I think they’ve done a great job of staying positive. We’ve had our scuffles offensively the first part of the season. I think they’ve done a great job of staying together. They know that they’re better hitters than their numbers have shown early, which is, the offensively numbers around the league are down. They’re just staying positive with each other. The dugout’s outstanding, our clubhouse is fantastic. We go down the first two games of this series, nobody’s down, and we play really well the last two games.”

Mountcastle led off the second inning with a 414-foot home run to center field off Chris Archer. Cedric Mullins followed his double in the first inning with his second home run in two nights, a solo shot to center field in the third inning on a two-strike pitch that broke a 1-1 tie.

Byron Buxton almost broke the record for longest home run at Camden Yards, his fly ball measured at 452 feet after clearing the visiting bullpen with a runner on base in the fifth inning to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead. Watkins fell behind 3-0 and tried to get a 91.4 mph fastball past him. Buxton responded with the second-hardest hit home run of his career at 112.8 mph.

Watkins hit Carlos Correa on the wrist, gave up a single to Jorge Polanco and was removed at 76 pitches.

Correa owns the record for longest home run at 474 feet against Aaron Brooks on Aug. 10, 2019.

Jorge Mateo greeted left-hander Caleb Thielbar with a home run in the fifth to again tie the game, the ball slamming into the wall in the Orioles bullpen. Their first three-homer game of 2022.

They weren’t done. Hays’ ball cleared the left field wall in the eighth and Mountcastle produced his fourth career multi-homer game by going the opposite way.

“I knew I hit it good and then I saw it was staying kind of low on the way out there, so I gave it a pretty good hustle and it barely snuck out,” Hays said. “I was ready to get to second just in case it didn’t.”

Allen faced the Orioles in his second major league start when the Padres visited in 2019 and held them to two runs in six innings. He came to the Indians in a three-team trade in 2019 and reported to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, managed by current Orioles third base coach and infield instructor Tony Mansolino.

“He made a big start against Gwinnett in the playoffs. Maybe five or six innings, one-run ball,” Mansolino said today after the Orioles were done with batting practice.

“He’s got good stuff. I think the biggest thing for him is harnessing control at this point. He’s still 24 years old. Just getting his stuff in the zone is probably the biggest thing. Very hard worker, has gone above and beyond in a lot of ways to get himself to a point where people want him, where he can be in a pretty big trade, he’s a waiver claim. He goes right to the big leagues. He’s coming in our direction.

“I just think he’s worked really hard to get this point and he’s probably still young enough to where his best days are ahead of him.”

The Twins were scuffling long before first pitch. Manager Rocco Baldelli, infielder Luis Arraez and last night’s starter, Dylan Bundy, tested positive for COVID-19. Bench coach Jayce Tingler served as acting manager.

Watkins retired the side in order on seven pitches in the first inning. Robinson Chirinos threw out Max Kepler trying to steal to end the second.

Chirinos has nabbed five of nine runners attempting to steal, and Anthony Bemboom has caught three of six.

The Twins loaded the bases with none out in the third and Buxton grounded to Ramón Urías, who committed a throwing error earlier in the inning. He got the force at second base, the relay sailed past Mountcastle, but Jose Miranda was out at the plate to keep the game tied. The safe call was overturned.

An out call stood that ended the top of the fourth inning and kept a 2-1 lead intact. Kepler tried to score from first base with two outs on Gary Sánchez’s double down the left field line, but Hays threw a perfect one-hop strike to Chirinos, who applied the tag without illegally blocking the plate.

“Incredible,” Watkins said. “I joke with him that I need a punch card every time he saves my butt. He’s an incredible asset to have in the outfield for us.”

“One of the better throws from an outfielder I’ve seen in a long time,” Hyde said.

Hays couldn't see the entire play unfold after the ball left his hand, two of his infielders positioning for the cutoff and blocking his view.

"I just saw everybody looking at me, pretty hyped up, so I was thinking the guy was out," he said. "I just let it go and knew it was on line."

What's better, the throw or the home run?

"Definitely the throw," he said. "You hit more home runs than you get assists in the outfield, so anytime I get to throw somebody out, especially in a situation like there where it's a close game and teams are fighting back and forth, that one definitely gets me a little more."

A leadoff walk in the fifth was followed by back-to-back strikeouts, but Buxton turned around a fastball and Watkins’ outing.

The right-hander allowed three runs and seven hits with two walks, two strikeouts and a hit batter in 4 2/3 innings. His ERA is 3.22 in 22 1/3 innings.

“I’ve got to do a better job of getting ahead of him,” Watkins said. “For the most part in the entire outing I’ve got to do a better job of getting ahead. This is the big leagues. You get behind hitters, they’re paid to come in and hit baseballs in their zone.”

Félix Bautista stranded two runners, and he struck out two batters in a scoreless sixth. Paul Fry stranded a runner inherited from Bryan Baker in the seventh.

Anthony Santander singled in the third inning and has reached base in 25 of 26 games. Mateo tripled with two outs in the seventh and Duran hit Mullins with his first pitch, a 98 mph fastball, but Trey Mancini grounded out.

The fireworks returned in the eighth. Chirinos was denied a home run when his fly ball to left only reached the edge of the track, but the Orioles didn’t need to flex more muscle.

“Our lineup is dangerous,” Watkins said. “These guys can swing it, and it’s great to see them start to get a little bit of momentum going.”

“I think that we’re playing exciting baseball," Hyde said after his club improved to 10-16 and won while hitting five home runs for the first time since June 4, 2019 in Texas. "Our record doesn’t indicate for me the level of how we’re playing. We’re pitching, we’re getting zeros out of the bullpen. Our bullpen won us the game again tonight, giving us a chance to win by keeping the score there, not giving up a run from the sixth to the ninth inning. And offensively, we have guys that, the majority of our guys are still in that third, fourth year, are kind of coming into their own, that have a chance to be pretty good players, and I think they’re fun to watch.

"I think Mateo showcased it tonight. Mateo’s got enormous tools, with the triple and then shows you the power. The way he’s playing shortstop right now. He’s never had everyday reps at shortstop in the major leagues, and he's playing every day and he’s doing a great job. So I hope the fans enjoy watching us play, I think we’re a fun team to watch.”

Down on the farm, Rylan Bannon homered for Triple-A Norfolk. DJ Stewart, scratched from last night’s lineup, doubled in the second inning before Bannon homered, and he singled in the fifth to load the bases before Bannon walked to force in a run.

Zac Lowther allowed two runs and four hits with two walks, six strikeouts and a wild pitch in 2 2/3 innings. He also committed an error.

High Single-A Aberdeen’s Justin Armbruester allowed three hits and struck out seven batters in four scoreless innings. Coby Mayo had two hits, including a double. Billy Cook hit his second home run.

Low Single-A Delmarva’s Ryan Higgins had a three-run triple in an eight-run third. Dan Hammer threw two hitless innings, but he allowed two runs and walked six batters.

At extended spring training, Cesar Alvarez allowed one earned run with three hits, two walks and two strikeouts in three innings. Stiven Acevado was 1-for-3 with a double and walk. Luis Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a double.