Orioles' offense goes silent again and wastes Burnes' 20th quality start in 2-0 loss (updated)

The outs were coming more easily to Corbin Burnes. Early traffic on the bases had thinned. He was back on his familiar roll.

And then it stopped.

Even a brief pause can be costly for a team that can't offer much support.

Burnes hung a slider to Jonny DeLuca in the sixth inning, and the resulting two-run homer broke a scoreless tie. One pitch would decide the outcome because another day passed with the Orioles left searching for their offense and in recovery mode following a 2-0 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 29,519 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 82-62 overall, 24-24 since the break and 4-3 this month. They went 3-3 on a homestand that began with three games against the Rockies, owners of the second-worst record in the majors.

Today marked the sixth time they’ve been shut out, but they remained only a half-game behind the Yankees. Gunnar Henderson had three of their five hits and Cedric Mullins accounted for the other two. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.

“Really since the All-Star break it’s been a challenge," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Tough time offensively. Guys are swinging a little bit frustrated and pressing. Trying to do way, way, way too much. Way too many big swings.

"Cedric Mullins, though, put the ball in play twice. Nice job staying on the baseball, understanding how to shorten your swing with two strikes.”

The month began with 6-1 and 13-3 wins in Colorado and a 9-0 blanking of the White Sox, but the Orioles have tallied four runs in the last four games.

"We're having a tough time right now, especially with runners in scoring position," said Anthony Santander. "We have to start doing a better job, trying to move the runner or bring him in. The swings are looking too hard right now. We have to be shorter to the ball and put the ball in play, especially with runners in scoring position."

A single can be just as good as a homer. The Orioles got nothing in the eighth after the first two batters reached and in the ninth with two on and two outs.

"It's been tough," Santander said, "but tomorrow's another day and another opportunity to make an adjustment."

“Our guys have done a great job hitting with runners in scoring position all year," said Adley Rutschman, who walked, flied out and struck out twice. "Baseball is a tough game, and you’re going to have that. Ups and downs, and our guys are going to be ready to go for tomorrow.”

Burnes registered his 20^th quality start and first since Aug. 10 at Tropicana Field by allowing two runs with seven hits in six innings. He threw 24 pitches in the troublesome sixth to reach 93 and bring a change.

Jonathan Aranda drew a leadoff walk and DeLuca cleared the left field wall, going 412 feet. Two singles extended the inning but Burnes struck out Ben Rortvedt with a curveball and slapped his glove as he walked off the mound.

"The difference in the game was one swing of the bat today," Burnes said. "Threw the ball pretty well, got a lot of weak contact. A lot of weak contact went for hits today, but kind of how it goes. The 1-1 slider wasn’t a bad pitch, kind of went down and got it and put a good swing on it, and that was the difference today.

"I’m never going to complain about the weak contact. It means I’m doing a pretty good job if they’re not barreling balls up. Frustrating at times when a lot of them are going for hits. But the weak contact and the one walk to Aranda really hurt me. It was more the walk there that last inning, and then the slider that just didn’t quite finish after is what cost me. So it wasn’t even the weak contact that got me today.

"Threw the ball well, did what I wanted to do most of the day. But yeah, not going to complain about some weak contact that happened to find holes. We made some pitches to get out of it, and like I said, just one big swing that was the difference in the game today."

Matt Bowman retired all five batters he faced and has allowed only one run in 10 innings with the Orioles. Keegan Akin struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

“Really well-pitched game both sides obviously," Hyde said. "Burnes, he was really good, just a two-run homer there. Pitched out of trouble there the first couple innings but then settled in nicely. Bullpen, Bowman was really good, Akin outstanding. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively until late, and had some opportunities but couldn’t get the hit.”

Burnes got away unscathed in the first after leadoff hitter Christopher Morel’s infield single. Morel appeared to steal second base but his foot came off the bag and the call was overturned.

The Rays swiped three bases with two outs in the second, including a double steal by José Caballero and Taylor Walls, but Rortvedt struck out. Aranda and DeLuca singled with two outs in the third and were stranded.

Burnes threw eight pitches in the first but his count grew to 52 after the third. He followed with a seven-pitch fourth and 10-pitch fifth. That was the roll.

The Orioles can’t sustain one at the plate.

Henderson supplied most of the offense. He led off the first with a single against Zack Littell and singled again with one out in the third, stole second base and raced to third on Rortvedt’s throwing error.

The Orioles stranded nine runners yesterday and left four on base today through the fourth inning after Mullins singled with two outs. Rutschman drew a leadoff walk in the sixth against reliever Richard Lovelady, but a force play, strikeout and weak grounder followed.

Pinch-hitter Coby Mayo drew a leadoff walk against left-hander Garrett Cleavinger in the eighth and Henderson reached on an infield hit with the count full. Rutschman struck out and right-hander Edwin Uceta entered to face pinch-hitter Eloy Jiménez, who struck out. Santander also struck out.

There was one last tease, with Mullins dropping a single into right field at 72.1 mph and Jackson Holliday drawing a two-out walk. Mayo struck out after getting ahead 2-0.

The frustration on the club is mounting and more signs become apparent over the course of nine innings.

"Baseball is a tough game but I think our guys do a really good job of staying grounded and understanding that and just showing up ready to go for the next day," Rutschman said.

The game is really testing Rutschman, who hit .276 with 16 home runs and a .780 OPS in the first half but is batting .197 with two home runs since the break. He's 4-for-23 this month.

“He’s just playing really frustrated," Hyde said. "He’s trying to find it. Like I said the other day, he’s working hard every single day, doing everything he can to try to get the feeling and find his rhythm and timing at the plate, and he’s just having a tough time right now.”

Rutschman shifted the subject to the broader team picture when asked about his struggles and how to fix them.

“Yeah, you know, I think just for me, focusing on this playoff run and what we're trying to do here is the most important thing right now. So we're going to continue to do that and we got however many games left to put ourselves in the best position possible for a playoff push," he said.

“I feel good. I feel good. Excited for these last couple games before playoffs and trying to do the best job we can.”

The Orioles must do better than .500.

“I think right now we’re just focused on the team and our playoff push," Rutschman said. "I feel good, personally, and I’m excited. We have good guys around us.”

"We kind of go in stretches where it kind of looks like we’re coming out of it," Burnes said. "Two steps forward, one step back. So it kind of feels like we start to get there and then a couple bad days and it kind of feels like we reset and start over. We’re still right there in the hunt. Whether it’s for first, whether it’s the wild card, whatever it may be, we know we’re going to be a postseason team. We’ve got 18 games left now to get it all figured out and get on a hot streak and to take it through the postseason. It just feels like we’re right there and just haven’t quite turned the corner yet."

* Mayo played first base in the top of the ninth for the first time in his major league career.

* Triple-A Norfolk shortstop Niko Goodrum homered twice today and drove in five runs by the third inning. Hudson Haskin also homered.

Dylan Beavers hit his 15^th home run for Double-A Bowie.

Former Oriole Connor Norby, now playing for the Marlins, homered off former Orioles minor league Seth Johnson, who made his major league debut today for the Phillies. Norby hit another home run later in the game.