Orioles squander big lead and head to extras (O's lose 14-11 in 10th)

NEW YORK - Orioles reliever Brad Brach hadn't allowed a run in 11 appearances before tonight. Twelve innings without anyone crossing the plate. But it's never easy at Yankee Stadium.

Big leads become small leads. Small leads disintegrate. Crowds get louder. Bullpens get taxed.

The Yankees scored three runs off Brach in the bottom of the ninth, the last two on Starlin Castro's home run to left field, and we're headed to extra innings with the score tied 11-11.

Brach replaced Darren O'Day, who retired the side in order in the eighth, and was trying for his fifth save, which would have tied Zach Britton for the team lead. Chase Headley walked, Matt Holliday singled and Jacoby Ellsbury bounced into a force at second base to reduce the lead to 11-9. Castro jumped on the next pitch and Brach had his first blown save of the season in his 300th career game.

It all began for the Orioles with a swinging bunt in the third inning and a hit-by-pitch in the fourth.

The Orioles were subtle before they started slugging. And boy, did they start slugging

Manny Machado came within a triple of the cycle, Mark Trumbo emerged from his slump by hitting a grand slam, Kevin Gausman pitched into the seventh inning and the Orioles carried a three-run lead into the ninth. Now they've got Jayson Aquino warming in the 10th.

Things change, especially around here.

Gausman served up two home runs to Aaron Judge, including a two-run shot in the sixth that cut the lead to 9-4. Ellsbury hit a grand slam off Vidal Nuño in the seventh, with one of the runs charged to Gausman, and the Orioles were clinging to an 11-8 lead.

Gausman was trying for only his second quality start in six outings and settled for allowing five runs and eight hits in six-plus innings, with two walks, three strikeouts and two home runs. He threw 106 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Mychal Givens struck out Judge to end the seventh and manager Buck Showalter continued the passing of the baton.

Trumbo's slam in the sixth inning was the fourth of his career and his first home run since the opening day walk-off.

Joey Rickard marked his return from the disabled list with his first hit of the season, a slow roller to the left side with two outs in the third. Adam Jones walked and Machado scored both runners with a double over Ellsbury's head in center field.

CC Sabathia hit Chris Davis on the right arm leading off the fourth and Welington Castillo followed with his first Orioles home run, an opposite-field shot that increased the lead to 4-0.

Machado pushed his average to .208 with a two-hit game against the Rays on Wednesday and opened this series with a single and two-run double. At the plate again leading off the fifth, he launched a Sabathia pitch to the bottom of the railing in the standing-room-only section in center field.

According to Statcast, Machado's ball traveled 470 feet and is the longest home run of the season. No one in attendance denied it.

Machado's average had climbed to .237. He walked in the sixth after singles by Rickard and Jones, and Trumbo destroyed a pitch from reliever Bryan Mitchell for his first grand slam since Aug 11, 2016 in Oakland.

Trumbo singled in the fifth to break an 0-for-25 streak. He really busted out of his slump the following inning, and now has his first three-hit game of the season after an infield single in the 10th.

The Orioles increased their lead to 11-4 in the seventh on a two-run single by Jonathan Schoop after Castillo walked and Trey Mancini doubled. Mancini struck out in all three at-bats against Sabathia and was happy to find Mitchell on the mound.

All of the Orioles seemed to celebrate him.

Given another chance at the cycle in the seventh, Machado flied to shallow right field against Jonathan Holder with the bases loaded and one out. He grounded out in the 10th against Aroldis Chapman.

Rickard, fresh off the disabled list today, also walked and reached on another infield hit in the sixth. He was 0-for-6 before spraining his left middle finger on April 8.

Down on the farm, Britton entered tonight's game at Double-A Bowie in the sixth inning and served up a solo home run to Akron's Yu-Cheng Chang. He walked two batters and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning. He came out after throwing 28 pitches, 17 for strikes.

The Orioles will activate Britton from the disabled list Sunday or Tuesday.

Update: Aquino walked the first two batters he faced in the 10th, struck out Chase Headley and surrendered a three-run homer to Matt Holliday. The Orioles lose 14-11.