Orioles rally in ninth before allowing two runs in 10th in 6-4 loss (updated)

The baseball math can’t be manipulated tonight to give the Orioles a playoff-clinching scenario. It only worked if they won.

Cade Povich held the Tigers to two runs for the second time in less than a week and the Orioles rallied for two in the ninth to send the game into extras, but the Tigers scored twice against Yennier Cano in the 10th and won 6-4 before an announced crowd of 39,647 at Camden Yards.

An Orioles win coupled with a Mariners loss tonight would have delivered back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 1996-97. Now, we wait a little longer.

A possible alternative is clinching in their final home game of the regular season. Otherwise, they must do it on a trip that takes them to New York and Minnesota.

The Orioles are 86-69 and in danger of losing their fifth series in a row.

Emmanuel Rivera drove in the first two runs, with his two-out single in the sixth tying the game. The Orioles were down 4-2 in the ninth when Heston Kjerstad ran the count full leading off the inning and singled off Jason Foley for his first career three-hit day. Rivera followed with a single to whip the crowd into a frenzy, and Jackson Holliday walked to load the bases and crank up the volume.

Gunnar Henderson doubled to center field to tie the game. The Orioles had new life and runners on second and third base. Cedric Mullins bounced out against Beau Brieske, shortstop Trey Sweeney raced into left field to catch Anthony Santander's popup on a 2-0 changeup with first base open before colliding with Riley Greene, and Colton Cowser filed out.

"I got Ced up and Santander on deck and Cowser and Rutsch (Adley Rutschman), you feel like those guys have come through a lot," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Tonight it just didn’t happen. 

The Tigers were working Santander carefully but he swung away, and Hyde said afterward, "He's trying to win the game and he's got 43 homers and he's had a ton of big hits for us."

Failing to walk-off the Tigers came back to bite them.

"We have confidence in the guys," Henderson said, "and I know that normally about nine times out of 10 we put together a good at-bat and get that run in. It just didn’t happen to go our way today."

Greene singled in the 10th off Yennier Cano to break the latest tie. Jace Jung doubled and Zach McKinstry’s sacrifice fly gave Detroit a 6-4 lead. Brieske walked Liván Soto to put runners on the corners with one out, but Kjerstad struck out with the count full and Daniel Johnson, making his Orioles debut and first major league appearance in three years, bounced out on one pitch.

"There was just a tunnel directly to the plate," Brieske said. "I didn't care. Honestly, I just didn't care about the negative outcome. I wasn't afraid of it because you're in that situation with your backs against the wall, you've just got to see what you've got. I didn't approach it from 'I'm trying not to lose it.' I'm just trying to do what I can do to the best of my ability and make the pitches I need to and it worked."

Henderson was voted Most Valuable Oriole, accepted his award on the field in a pregame ceremony, and delivered again in the clutch.

"That ball is leaned on," Hyde said. "Yeah, Gunnar wants to be up in every spot but especially big spots and that was a beautiful piece of hitting."

"Just try not to do too much," Henderson said. "I feel like I’ve got caught up kind of doing that recently and was able to just take a deep breath, go up there and just take what he gives me.

"The crowd was into it and it was a big spot. I’m glad to be able to come through in that way."

Fans brought playoff intensity to the ballpark.

"I think I was in here talking to some guys," Povich said. "I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ve had so much noise before I even threw a first pitch.’ It was definitely cool, and a cool inside of hopefully what’s to come.”

"I just think it felt like the stakes were high and two teams really fighting to get into the postseason," Hyde said. "And you know, a lot of benches emptied and a lot of bullpen guys used, it was a heck of a game. Unfortunately we just didn’t finish it. We had a great rally there in the ninth inning, we battled back a couple times throughout the game. We had first and third there in the 10th too, just didn’t quite get it done."

Matt Bowman and Keegan Akin put two runners on base in their respective innings and escaped jams, but Matt Vierling led off the eighth with a single against Cionel Pérez, Greene reached on an infield hit and pinch-hitter Jake Rogers sent a grounder up the middle that eluded Holliday’s backhand stab to break the tie.

Holliday had a chance at a force or maybe a double play. A run wouldn’t have scored in either outcome.

Colt Keith’s sacrifice fly off Seranthony Domínguez gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

"It just looked like it was a hard hit and maybe fooled him a little bit," Hyde said of Holliday. "A step or two to his right and backhanded may, I'm not really sure. But I don't think that was an easy play, it was coming in between hot and a hard hit ball."

Gregory Soto inherited two runners and again got the final out on one pitch, but he didn’t earn another win. Bryan Baker had a shot at it after retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Mullins stayed away from the injured list after experiencing neck pain from Thursday’s mid-air collision with Austin Slater, batted second today and was robbed of extra bases on Parker Meadows’ diving catch in right-center. Baseball can be weird and ironic.

As if to hammer home the point, Mullins raced in and made a diving grab to rob Meadows in the second inning and strand Dillon Dingler at third base. Unfortunately for the Orioles, Dingler got there with a two-run triple.

Povich’s 15^th major league start lasted 89 pitches and included only two hits and seven strikeouts. He wasn’t hurt by a two-out walk in the third or a leadoff walk in the fourth. He struck out the side in the fifth.

His final line was nearly a duplicate of his previous start in Detroit – also two runs, two hits, five innings and 89 pitches.

“I think facing an opponent back-to-back starts can be difficult," he said, "but I think we were able to mix some different things in."

Bowman allowed back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth and Spencer Torkelson grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Akin permitted back-to-back singles to begin the seventh and wiggled out of trouble with a force out, strikeout and fly ball.

Pérez wasn’t as fortunate. Cano inherited an automatic runner and had the same misfortune.

Hyde wasn't using Jacob Webb or Danny Coulombe unless in an emergency, which left Cano.

"I don't usually put him in those types of situations with all those left-handers," Hyde said, "and just little bit too much of the plate the first few hitters early in the count.”

Tigers starter Reese Olson worked the first three innings, limited by his recent return from the injured list, and allowed one run and one hit. He loaded the bases in the second inning and Rivera’s fly ball to right field cut the lead to 2-1.

Rivera was denied another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth after three consecutive singles ahead of him. Greene threw out Adley Rutshman at the plate on Kjerstad’s hit after a questionable send by Tony Mansolino. Rutschman hadn’t reached third base when Greene fielded the ball.

"We're not scoring a ton of runs and I don't think he had the best read at second base," Hyde said, "and then I think Manso was just being aggressive there trying to score runs.”

Kjerstad singled again with two outs in the sixth to put two runners on base for reliever Will Vest, who surrendered Rivera’s line drive up the middle.

Rivera produced his fourth multi-RBI game with the Orioles and his third this month.

"Just trying to be a little bit more aggressive," he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "In baseball, you're going to have some good days and some bad days, but just focusing on working hard and being more aggressive today.

"I think when you have that opportunity, you're playing every day, you're seeing a lot of pitches and recognizing different pitches. I think when you're given that opportunity, it makes a big difference, and I think that is what it has been for me."

Tigers left-hander Sean Guenther retired all six batters he faced. Eloy Jiménez, who was 1-for-23 this month, pinch-hit for Ryan O’Hearn in the eighth and grounded out. Vierling knocked down a 109.7 mph liner at third base and made the throw.

The Orioles battled back again to tie, fell short and did a little more scoreboard watching. The Royals lost again and remain four back for the first wild card.

"I had no idea that we could clinch tonight, but yeah, I mean, any time you’re in that situation, obviously you want to come through," Henderson said. "It just didn’t happen tonight. But I was proud of the way we battled back, especially in the ninth right there, and put together a lot of good at-bats."

“Obviously it’s a disappointing aspect," Povich said. "We want to win every game. I think still that last inning, scoring those two runs before going into extras, shows kind of the fight that this team has. I think the momentum can still carry us into the next few games and the rest of the season.”

* Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg were removed from tonight’s rehab game at Triple-A Norfolk in the fifth inning, as the Orioles scripted for them. Perhaps more roster moves are coming Sunday morning.