Bundy goes 3 1/3 innings in first major league start (O's lose 5-2)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles wanted to see today whether they could extend Dylan Bundy beyond three innings, whether he could be effective and leave with his arm feeling good.

They got 3 1/3 innings out of him. No sign of injury.

The three home runs hurt.

Bundy served up three homers in 22 relief appearances spanning 38 innings. He matched that total today within the first three innings and fell behind 4-1.

Manager Buck Showalter brought in Vance Worley with one out in the fourth after Bundy issued back-to-back walks to the last two hitters in the Rays lineup, Oswaldo Arcia and Curt Casali, who were stranded to keep the score intact. Bundy allowed four runs and five hits, walked three and struck out four.

Bundy threw 70 pitches, 13 more than his previous high. Forty-one were strikes.

Evan Longoria drove a 97 mph fastball deep into the left field seats with two outs in the first inning to tie the game 1-1. Arcia hit a two-run homer with two outs in the second, taking a 96 mph fastball to the opposite field with the count full. Brad Miller led off the third with an opposite-field homer on a 95 mph fastball and Bundy ahead 0-2 in the count.

Miller took a 76 mph curveball for a strike and barely got a piece of an 85 mph changeup. Bundy went away with a heater, just as he tried to do with Arcia, and paid for it.

Bundy threw 10 pitches in the first, striking out leadoff hitter Logan Forsythe on a 97 mph fastball. He threw 25 in the second, striking out Kevin Kiermaier on a 97 mph fastball and getting a called third strike on Forsythe on an 86 mph changeup to end the inning.

After Corey Dickerson fanned to end the third, Bundy was up to 57 pitches to match his highest total of the season. Worley began to stretch in the bullpen, but he didn't start throwing. Just getting loose.

Kiermaier led off the fourth by flying to left field, and Bundy had a new career high in innings. Arcia walked on four pitches and Worley began to warm in the bullpen, eliminating him from consideration for Tuesday night's start at Yankee Stadium.

The Tropicana Field scoreboard had Bundy's fastball topping out at 98 mph, but it was one tick higher than the postings on the Rays' television broadcast and GameDay. Either way, his velocity was outstanding and he mixed in other pitches, but the two opposite-field shots were killer.

Too many fastballs? Showalter and Bundy will discuss the outing later.

Bundy recorded one groundball out, a 3-1 putout in the first inning.

Jonathan Schoop has doubled twice and been stranded twice. He struck out with one down in the fifth and runners on second and third following singles by Joey Rickard and Caleb Joseph and a Jake Odorizzi wild pitch.

Manny Machado walked to load the bases, but Chris Davis flied to center field after striking out in his first two at-bats. Davis' average is down to .237.

The only Orioles run scored in the first inning on Machado's sacrifice fly.

Miller has 15 home runs to tie the Rays' shortstop record also held by Asrubal Cabrera (2015) and Julio Lugo (2003).

Thirty of Longoria's 31 career home runs against the Orioles have come as a third baseman, tying Harmon Killebrew for second-most. Alex Rodriguez has hit the most against the Orioles as a third baseman with 32. Craig Nettles and Al Rosen hit 29.

Update: Pedro Alvarez stayed hot, hitting an opposite-field home run in the sixth to reduce the lead to 4-2.

Update II: Longoria homered again leading off the eighth, taking Odrisamer Despaigne deep for his 17th career multi-homer game and giving Tampa Bay a 5-2 lead.

The ball hit the catwalk in fair territory. Something about the D ring. It's a Trop thing.

Update III: The Orioles' winning streak ends at four games with today's 5-2 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles are 53-37 overall and 20-23 on the road.

Donnie Hart made his major league debut and retired both batters he faced, striking out Kevin Kiermaier on a 75 mph slider. Vance Worley retired all five batters he faced after replacing Bundy.