Orioles no longer perfect in extra innings (updated)

NEW YORK – Bruce Zimmermann wasn’t going to pitch around Aaron Judge tonight after Aaron Hicks led off the bottom of the first inning with an infield hit. Zimmermann pretty much emptied the bag, showing Judge his curveball, changeup, fastball and slider while running the count full and getting a groundball double play.

Anthony Rizzo came up next and homered into the second deck in right field.

Win some, surrender plenty.

Jose Trevino homered into the visiting bullpen in the third inning and Gleyber Torres found the seats in left with two outs in the fourth, and again with one out in the seventh. Judge cut the Orioles a break tonight, halting the constant torment, but Zimmermann lost other battles.

The Orioles eventually lost the game, the first beyond regulation after four successes.

Austin Hays led off the seventh inning with his fourth home run, a short-porch shot to right that reduced the lead to 3-2 and sent Jordan Montgomery to the bench. Reliever Michael King served up a three-run shot to Rougned Odor, the Yankees tied the game in the bottom half on Trevino’s RBI single against Logan Gillaspie, and they won, 7-6, on his single in the 11th off Bryan Baker that scored Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Automatic and pinch-runner Ryan McKenna came home in the top of the 11th on Hays’ grounder to the left side that was touched by two infielders before the out was recorded. Kiner-Falefa singled to tie the game, then moved to second base on Marwin Gonzalez’s single before Trevino stepped to the plate.

Baker was trying for his first career save.

"Tonight was a tough game, but we keep battling, we keep trusting each other," Odor said. "I think we did a really good job. They did a better job than us, they won the game tonight, but we did a really good job, too."

Keegan Akin struck out three batters in the ninth, Hicks lastly, after issuing back-to-back two-out walks. Clarke Schmidt retired the three batters he faced in the 10th, and Dillon Tate escaped trouble in the bottom half by getting an out at the plate on a ground ball to shortstop Jorge Mateo and striking out Torres.

Akin tossed another 2 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to lower his ERA to 1.23.

"It's impressive, it really is," Zimmermann said. "I think he's made some incredible strides this year. He's really adjusted well, didn't take a step back whatsoever moving to the bullpen. If anything, he took two steps forward. He's been a very integral part of us being in games, being able to eat innings every three days. We've really looked to him to continue to be that guy for us, because that's just a huge asset out of the bullpen, to have a guy that can come in and fill the zone and keep the offense on their heels."

King didn’t allow a run against the Orioles in 7 1/3 innings this season. He surrendered only one home run overall in 26 2/3. But Adley Rutschman singled with one out, Ramón Urías walked and Odor bit his former team again by lining a 97 mph fastball into the right field seats.

"I'm just trying to stay with the pitch and stay with my approach and try to use the big part of the field," Odor said. "That's why I've been feeling pretty good at the plate."

Hays’ ball traveled 354 feet, Odor’s 353 with an exit velocity of 105.9 mph.

Has anyone considered moving back the wall?

Trevino’s game-tying single, on an 0-2 pitch, came after Kiner-Falefa singled and Gillaspie hit Gonzalez.

Asked about the decision to use Gillaspie in the seventh, manager Brandon Hyde mentioned the "numerous guys" who were down tonight. 

Zimmermann allowed only one home run in his first six starts, but opponents have hit seven in his last three appearances. He went a career-high 6 1/3 innings tonight, all the damage on solo homers with two strikes in the count – four also a career mark.

"I think I'm just not doing a good enough job with two-strike pitches," he said. "I'm getting ahead of guys, I got ahead of guys most of tonight, and the home runs just seem to come off some bad execution of two-strike pitches."

Judge struck out on a changeup to end the third inning. Rutschman jogged to the third base line to meet Zimmermann, as he does with every pitcher, and gave an encouraging pat on the shoulder. A rookie in his fourth major league game turning leader.

The Baltimore native opened the fourth with two more strikeouts and Torres launched a 92 mph fastball 407 feet for a 3-0 lead – his first homer against the Orioles in 144 plate appearances. He had stayed quiet since hitting 13 in 2019.

Miguel Andújar grounded out to end the fourth after Torres’ homer. Rutschman hustled to back up the throw, turned and tried to chase down Zimmermann as he made it to the top of the dugout steps.

They’d converge again and bump fists after Trevino struck out to close out the fifth on Zimmermann’s 69th pitch.

"I thought he pitched well tonight," Hyde said of Zimmermann. "A few mistakes that he paid for. ... Went into the seventh inning for us, we left with the lead. We just didn't hold it. But I thought our guys were grinding it out again, got some big hits, made some big plays defensively. Did a nice job. We just came up a little short tonight."

Montgomery retired 12 of the first 13 batters. Mateo singled with two outs in the third inning and stole second base.

Ryan Mountcastle led off the fifth with a single, moved to third base with one out on Urías’ double and scored on Odor’s ground ball.

The Orioles lead the majors with 55 double plays turned, and with 33 this month. Zimmermann has induced 11. He began the night tied for the major league lead with nine.

Judge supplied the 10th and 11th. He also struck out in the eighth.

He wasn’t the problem tonight.

"We just didn't have enough tonight," Hyde said.

Down on the farm, Dean Kremer didn’t allow a run or hit in three innings at Triple-A Norfolk, walking one batter and striking out six. He threw 43 pitches.

DJ Stewart hit a three-run homer. Kyle Stowers homered off former Orioles reliever Brad Brach, his 10th of the season and seventh in his last eight games. Rylan Bannon doubled and drove in three runs.

Nick Vespi struck out two in a scoreless inning to keep his ERA at 0.00.

Double-A Bowie’s Antonio Velez surrendered five home runs in five innings. He was charged with seven runs and nine hits.

Coby Mayo hit his 10th home run for Single-A Aberdeen.