Orioles lose three players in 2-1 12-inning loss (updated)

ARLINGTON, Texas - One night after taking a four-run lead in the first inning, the Orioles got stuck in reverse.

They stranded two runners in the top of the first, fell behind and lost catcher Pedro Severino to a foul ball off the mask.

The catcher who hit three home runs last night.

Second baseman Jonathan Villar exited in the fifth inning with soreness in his right thumb and right fielder DJ Stewart sprained his right ankle in the sixth after a collision with Hanser Alberto while chasing a fly ball in foul territory.

The training room was full. A three-man bench was dry.

Left-hander John Means somehow managed to keep his concentration and effectiveness through six innings and Richie Martin tied the game with a solo home run in the ninth, setting the stage for Delino DeShields' two-out RBI single off Paul Fry in the 12th to give the Rangers a 2-1 win over the Orioles at Globe Life Park.

The teams combined for 23 runs last night and only one tonight heading into the ninth. Because ... baseball.

The Orioles fell to 19-42 and still haven't won back-to-back games since May 4-6.

Asdrúbal Cabrera led off the 12th with a single up the middle and Fry hit Shin-Soo Choo on the left hand with two outs. DeShields poked his single into center field with the count full for the walk-off.

Shawn Kelley struck out Chris Davis to begin the ninth and Martin followed with his second career homer for a 1-1 tie. Martin probably would have been removed for a pinch-hitter under normal circumstances.

Richard Bleier retired the side in order in the ninth and stranded two in the 10th to push the game a little further past regulation. Fry retired the side in order in the 11th.

Means allowed one run and four hits in six innings and lowered his ERA to 2.67. He walked only one batter, retired 11 of the last 12, threw 108 pitches and deserved better than to be tagged with a loss or no-decision.

At least he has his health.

As the last reserve prior to Stewart's injury, Davis had to warm up Means between innings while Chance Sisco put on his catching gear. Davis ended up at first base in the sixth while Trey Mancini moved to right field.

Alberto slid while trying to avoid Stewart and tripped him. Stewart crashed onto the track and rolled into the brick wall, writhing in pain as head athletic trainer Brian Ebel rushed onto the field. Stewart tried later to walk it off but had to leave, and a review showed that he failed to hold onto the ball, allowing Elvis Andrus to continue batting.

A sprained ankle likely puts Stewart on the injured list and the Orioles could recall Stevie Wilkerson.

Severino walked off the field with Ebel after a foul tip slammed into his mask, and Sisco became the 42nd player to appear in a game for the Orioles. The club record is 56 set last season.

The team passed along an update later that Severino had a bruise on his head but no evidence of concussion symptoms. He wasn't expected to be in the lineup tonight with the Rangers starting right-hander Ariel Jurado.

Means stranded two runners after Severino departed, but Andrus' double gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

Villar couldn't make a backhanded stop on DeShields' grounder and Andrus followed with a double to right-center field.

The Orioles were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded four through the third inning. Alberto led off twice with singles against left-hander Mike Minor, giving him six in the series.

Two more Orioles reached base with no outs in the fourth, but Keon Broxton grounded into a 4-6-5 double play. Broxton stole second base and hustled to third on catcher Jeff Mathis' throwing error, but Stewart struck out to make the Orioles 0-for-8 with RISP.

Martin's leadoff walk and one-out singles by Mancini and Renato Núñez loaded the bases in the fifth, but Dwight Smith Jr. struck out and Sisco flied out on a 3-1 pitch, leaving the Orioles 1-for-11 with RISP and eight stranded.

Rio Ruiz, who entered the game for Villar, led off the sixth with an infield hit and Martin drew an eight-pitch walk with two outs to chase Minor. They were stranded and the count stood at 1-for-13 with RISP and 10 left on base.

The series didn't have its first 1-2-3 inning until the bottom of the fourth. According to STATS, the 12 straight innings without either team going three up, three down is the longest streak in a series this year. It's also the longest streak in an Orioles series since they combined with the Rangers for 13 straight innings on June 3-4, 2014.

The Orioles weren't retired in order until the seventh inning.

Note: Mark Trumbo served as designated hitter tonight with Triple-A Norfolk and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk.

Update: Manager Brandon Hyde thinks Severino, Villar and Stewart can avoid the injured list, but none of them will be in the lineup Thursday.

"Well, we're just going to have to play a little short," Hyde said. "And that's part of it, that's part of a long season, a six-month season. Sometimes these things happen and you run into periods of time when you're a man or two down and we might be like that for a couple of days."

Plate umpire Brian O'Nora noticed that something wasn't right with Severino.

"Brian initiated it," Hyde said. "We saw him get hit with the ball on the mask. It was a few pitches prior. Brian didn't feel like things were right, so he called me over and that's when me and Ebel went out there. Just thought we're going to be as cautious as possible when it comes to the head, so took him out."

Asked whether Severino was disoriented, Hyde said, "I just think, yeah, maybe a little bit. But we got so lucky with the tests that came back. Saw a doctor during the game. All the tests came back. He passed everything. Should be OK."

Stewart stood up at his locker while taking questions and seemed optimistic that he could stay on the active roster.

"Hanser and I are both going after that ball, both really aggressive players," he said. "Kind of got there at the same time and I wasn't sure if I was able to call it. I called it kind of late. He went low, I went high and caught the ball and when I planted he kind of slid into me and rolled my ankle a little bit. A little sore right now, but we'll reevaluate tomorrow and see how I feel.

"I'm glad it wasn't my knee. Nothing's broken but sore right now and we'll see how I feel tomorrow and hopefully get back sooner rather than later."

Stewart knew that the Orioles were running out of reserves.

"I was begging to stay in, but they made a decision that that was the best thing right now," he said. "I knew we only had one guy on the bench. Just kind of a long-term thing. I never want to come out of a game. It doesn't matter. I pride myself on being tough. But I think we made the smart decision. See how it feels."