Orioles score five runs in 10th and claim another series (updated)

OAKLAND – The crowd didn’t rise to its feet or generate even a smattering of applause. A tribute didn’t play on the video boards.

Cole Irvin could have been any other starter tonight, his return to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum met with utter indifference.

Irvin’s fourth pitch nailed leadoff hitter Esteury Ruíz on the left elbow. At least he got someone’s attention.

Appearing at the ballpark for the first time since a January trade to the Orioles, Irvin held the Athletics to one run over five innings and departed with a lead.

Shintaro Fujinami also came back for the first time, the response muted until Aledmys Díaz hit a game-tying home run in the sixth. Then, it got pretty loud.

Some returns are more triumphant than others.

The Orioles let it all play out and secured another win.

Austin Hays and James McCann homered in the fourth inning, and the Orioles didn’t score again until the 10^th. They went wild, getting an RBI single from Ryan Mountcastle, sacrifice fly from Jordan Westburg, fielder’s choice RBI from Hays and two-run single from McCann in a 7-2 victory over the Athletics before an announced crowd of 18,213.

Félix Bautista retired the side in order in the ninth. Jacob Webb faced a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 10th and escaped it by striking out the next three batters - his seventh scoreless appearance with the team - and the Orioles claimed their 24^th series. Their record improved to 76-47 overall, 40-24 on the road and 9-5 in extras.

The Rays lost the first game of their doubleheader in Anaheim but won 18-4 in the nightcap. The Orioles' lead is 2 1/2 games.

Adam Frazier, the automatic runner in the 10th, moved up on Adrián Martínez’s wild pitch, Adley Rutschman walked and Mountcastle’s ground ball into center field broke the tie. Gunnar Henderson was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Westburg flied to deep center field.

Seemed like plenty, but the Orioles had more punishment to dole out.

"Total team at-bats," said manager Brandon Hyde.

Cionel Pérez, pitching for the third time in four nights, struck out two batters in the eighth inning after he inherited a runner from Yennier Cano with one out.

"Our pitching won us the the game," Hyde said.

Díaz’s second home run of the night was a line drive to left that cleared the fence after Fujinami retired the first batter. A splitter that hung over the middle of the plate.

Fujinami has surrendered nine earned runs and 10 total over 13 innings in 13 games with the Orioles since they acquired him from the A’s on July 19 for minor league pitcher Easton Lucas. He’s walked nine and struck out 15.

"You take the positives out of the last two appearances, even though he gave up a solo homer each time, he's in the strike zone," Hyde said. "It's just maybe a bad split, a bad time, but the guy's throwing 100-103, and if he can just bury that split or stay with the heater in that spot, because it's overpowering stuff. He's just kind of had a little bit of bad luck there the last couple appearances."

Mountcastle walked in his first two plate appearances and extended his on-base streak to 25 games, but the Orioles didn’t have a hit against Ken Waldichuk until Hays homered down the left field line in the fourth, the ball sticking in the foul pole.

"I was hoping it would stay fair," Hyde said, "and I was asking it to stretch a little bit. I wasn't sure if he hit it far enough. But tucked it right in there."

"It wasn't til the game ended that I saw it got stuck in that foul pole," Irvin said. "That was absolutely wild. I had no idea that that happened, so pretty crazy. Never seen it before."

Hays doubled twice last night, walked in the second inning tonight and clubbed his 12^th home run, and his second in four games. He’s heating up.

McCann sent a changeup 403 feet to left-center field for a 2-1 lead. He began the night with three homers and 18 RBIs to match last year’s totals with the Mets.

"Mac is making a massive impact on our team every time he's out there," Hyde said.

Three more RBIs tonight gave McCann 11 in his last seven games.

"It's a long season, there's a lot of ups and downs," he said. "Just trying to hit the ball hard, have quality at-bats, and thankfully they stopped finding gloves."

Waldichuk’s 6.07 ERA was the third worst in the majors before tonight among 103 pitchers with at least 90 innings. He lasted 5 2/3 innings tonight and limited the Orioles to two runs with seven strikeouts.

Irvin was stingier, with Díaz’s leadoff homer in the second inning the only run against him. Irvin allowed four hits, struck out three batters and hit two – eliciting some boos after he nailed Carlos Pérez in the third.

"I was comfortable," Irvin said. "I know this ballpark well. Made 62 starts in that uniform, so I know this field, I know how this ballpark plays. There were only a couple pitches that I would like to have back in that outing. Just feeling good.

"I think the motivation was they hit me around the last time I faced them and I wanted to make an adjustment and just get as deep as I can. I feel like I did that."

The six-man rotation is working for Irvin. He’s allowed one run and six hits over 10 innings in two starts.

"I'd say the cutter has really helped in terms of results," he said. "It's been a pitch for me that I've been able to rely on since getting recalled and it's honestly been a very quality pitch away to lefties and into righties."

Hyde pulled Irvin at 77 pitches, 10 more than the left-hander threw in the same number of innings in Seattle.

"I didn't think his command was as good as Seattle, and he's not fully stretched out. That's why he didn't go back out for the sixth," Hyde said. "But he gave up a solo homer to Díaz and that was it. ... He really gave us a chance to win."

Ryan McKenna, recalled today to replace injured outfielder Aaron Hicks, led off the seventh with a single. He broke for second base on a steal attempt, and Jorge Mateo lined into a 5-3 double play.

Henderson began the eighth with an infield hit, and Westburg grounded into a double play. Westburg also struck out three times in his first game in the cleanup spot.

Cedric Mullins led off the ninth with a single and was stranded.

The 10^th would play out differently. And the directions of two franchises would stay the same.

"You've got to give them credit, they threw the ball extremely well," McCann said. "We hit some balls hard right at guys, and then found a way to scratch across five in the 10th. Really, it was up and down the lineup.

"Just kind of the way this team has been operating all season long."

* Connor Norby hit a three-run homer for Triple-A Norfolk, his 16^th of the season. Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser had two-run doubles in the eighth. Josh Lester was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Garrett Stallings allowed one run and scattered seven hits in five innings.

Tyler Wells allowed one run and one hit – a solo homer – in two innings with Double-A Bowie. He struck out two batters.

Wells threw 27 pitches, 18 for strikes. The Orioles planned for a shorter outing from Wells to manage his innings during the reset.

John Rhodes hit his 14^th homer, a three-run shot, and he scored the winning run in the 10^th inning on a wild pitch. Max Wagner went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Dylan Beavers singled twice, walked twice and scored two runs.

Creed Willems hit his eighth home run for High-A Aberdeen and Jacob Teter hit his fifth.

Reliever Daniel Lloyd allowed one run and struck out six in five innings.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., the Orioles’ first-round pick, singled twice and walked twice with Single-A Delmarva. He was thrown out trying to steal for the first time after 14 successful attempts.

Luis De León allowed an unearned run and two hits with six strikeouts in four innings.