Boston takes advantage of O's sixth-inning meltdown for 5-1 win

Even after allowing a walk and two singles, and even after right-hander Brad Brach fell behind a batter 3-0 with the bases loaded, the Orioles still should have been out of the top of the sixth inning tonight with a 1-0 lead.

Instead, they allowed five unearned runs and left that half-inning trailing Boston 5-1 at Camden Yards. They lost by that 5-1 score to fall six games back in the American League East by dropping their third straight in this four-game series.

O's starter Ubaldo Jimenez began the inning with a 1-0 lead and was at 91 pitches. He walked David Ortiz and Mookie Betts singled. After he fanned Travis Shaw, Brach came on. Aaron Hill reached on an infield single between the plate and mound to load the bases. Brach and catcher Matt Wieters may have expected the other to make the play. As Wieters did, his throw to first was late.

Brach then fell behind Jackie Bradley Jr. 3-0, but rebounded to strike him out. Then Sandy Leon hit a grounder wide of first. On what should have been the third out, first baseman Chris Davis ranged to his right and fielded the ball, but his on-the-run throw was a fastball that went past Brach covering first as two runners scored. The two-base error put Boston ahead 2-1 and the Orioles were not out of the inning.

Then it got worse. No. 9 hitter Andrew Benintendi hit the next pitch out to right field for a three-run homer and 5-1 lead. It was a meltdown inning for the Orioles. Two pitches, five Boston runs.

Earlier the O's took a 1-0 lead in the third. But even that inning felt empty as they had bases loaded with no outs and scored once. That was on Adam Jones' sac fly.

The Orioles are 2-5 on this homestand and 2-7 at home this season against Boston. The Orioles have scored just five runs in this series and just nine runs in the last five games. They have scored three runs or fewer in 35 of 65 games since the All-Star break.

Jimenez took the loss, allowing four hits and two unearned runs over 5 1/3 innings, throwing 105 pitches, 59 for strikes. Brach went 2/3 of an inning, allowing two hits and three unearned runs. Winning pitcher Clay Buchholz is now 8-10 with an ERA of 5.00 after allowing three hits and one run over seven innings.

Toronto lost this afternoon at Seattle, so the Orioles remain one game out of the first AL wild card spot. But Houston is now just one game behind the Orioles for the second wild card with Detroit 1 1/2 out pending the result of its game with Minnesota.

The Orioles must win tomorrow to both assure they maintain sole possession at the moment of a wild-card spot and avoid a four-game sweep. Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.72 ERA) pitches against left-hander David Price (16-8, 3.91 ERA).