How do Orioles round out rotation after 5-4 loss?

The rotation has taken its first full turn of the 2022 season, and the Orioles don’t really know more than what they understood when it began.

John Means and Jordan Lyles are the two veterans at the top. Former Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells is getting his starter’s groove back but working as the front end of a tandem. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann – he’s local, you know – is fourth in line.

The fifth spot is open for business.

Spenser Watkins felt like the favorite late in camp, and more so after the Orioles flew out of Tampa. A stellar showing tonight could have gotten him the ball again, though Thursday’s off-day pushes back the first four if manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready to provide extra rest.

Alexander Wells sits in the bullpen. Hyde seems to prefer keeping Keegan Akin and Mike Baumann in it, at least for now. Kyle Bradish made his first start tonight with Triple-A Norfolk after leaving Sarasota, and he tossed four scoreless innings with two hits, no walks and six strikeouts.

Watkins lasted three innings and allowed four runs, but only one earned, in a 5-4 loss to the Brewers at Camden Yards. He threw 57 pitches before Akin replaced him and tossed another 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

How Hyde, pitching coach Chris Holt and assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes evaluate it could determine what’s next for Watkins, who maintained the 92-94 mph velocity on his fastball that really got him noticed in camp.

What happens now with the back end of the rotation?

“We’re leaving that spot open,” Hyde said, “and see where we are there.”

Akin allowed one hit and struck out one batter. Two appearances have resulted in no runs and two hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3, and he’s thrown 51 of 66 pitches for strikes.

Found his control and maybe his ideal role.

“He’s throwing the ball great,” Hyde said. “Love the tempo. He’s extremely aggressive in the strike zone, quick innings, ton of strikes, working ahead.”

Andrew McCutchen broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh with a two-out, run-scoring single off Cionel Pérez, who inherited a runner from Félix Bautista. The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against Devin Williams on Austin Hays’ single and walks to Ramón Urías and Anthony Santander. Chris Owings, Jorge Mateo and pinch-hitter Ryan McKenna struck out on 11 pitches – Owings for the third time – and Williams hopped off the mound and yelled.

The Brewers brought in closer Josh Hader, a graduate of Old Mill High School, and Cedric Mullins greeted him with a double to right-center field on a 97.3 mph sinker. Ryan Mountcastle and Trey Mancini struck out, Hays walked, Urías flied out, and the Orioles went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10. They struck out 14 times.

“We had some opportunities off some really good pitching,” Hyde said. “We’re doing a good job creating opportunities, we’re just not cashing in. Really happy with how our bullpen threw once again. Six innings, one run. This is a team that won the division last year. Really happy with our ‘pen.”

Asked about his hitters’ approach, Hyde said, “You’re facing Williams and Hader in the eighth and ninth, so it’s a tough task regardless if there’s no runners on or runners on. Those are premiere, premiere relievers. That’s why you’ve got to score early.”

Mullins hit his first career grand slam with two outs in the second inning, launching a 1-2 curveball from Eric Lauer 413 feet to right-center field for his fourth hit this season in 18 at-bats.

The heat is on. Mullins lined a two-run single into center field yesterday.

Lauer lost his command, issuing two walks around catcher’s interference that allowed Kelvin Gutiérrez to reach. Mullins followed with the team’s first slam since former catcher Pedro Severino on Aug. 26.

Watkins should have been through the third inning with the 4-2 lead intact after a leadoff walk to Willy Adames, but he bounced a throw to first base after gloving Rowdy Tellez’s comebacker with two outs, Mancini couldn’t gather it, and Adames scored from second base. A wild pitch and Hunter Renfroe’s double tied the game.

“I thought I did a pretty good job of competing and challenging hitters,” Watkins said. “Obviously, the thing that stands out to me is the play, the ground ball. I’ve got to do a better job of, that’s my responsibility to work that out. So, that’s the thing that really stands out.

“It was me not using my rhythm, basically stood up, not stay down in my legs.”

Watkins began the game by striking out Kolten Wong with a cutter, but Adames singled and was safe at second base after breaking too soon on a stolen base attempt. Watkins spun and threw to Owings, who dropped the ball.

Christian Yelich walked, McCutchen lined a double to left field and the Brewers led 2-0.

A defense that had some spectacular moments at Tropicana Field and drew praise from Hyde yesterday hurt the Orioles tonight.

“If we don’t make a couple mistakes, (Watkins) goes a little deeper in the game,” Hyde said. “I was hoping he’d go four or five, but we had Akin there, who was going to be able to give us length.”

Lorenzo Cain singled with one out in the second, the exit velocity 106.6 mph, per Statcast, and a balk advanced him. Watkins retired the next two batters and returned to the dugout at 36 pitches.

He came within a bounced throw of a scoreless third and a completely different outing.

The new dimensions in left field didn’t warrant mention in yesterday’s home opener beyond the reaction of players seeing the fence for the first time. Outfielders shagged fly balls during batting practice to get acclimated to it. Hays patrolled the area during the game, and his experience was uneventful.

“When I first went out to left field, I stood where I normally stand depth-wise, and I turned around and it was a big difference in the amount of gap that was between me and the wall before,” he said this afternoon.

“Originally, I thought it wouldn’t be that big of a difference, but it is definitely quite a bit more space out there now.”

Hays expects pitchers to benefit from having the wall raised from seven to 13 feet and the dimensions changing from the original 333 feet down the line to 384 in the corner and 398 in left-center.

“It’s like 40 feet farther back, so it’s going to be a huge difference than what it was before,” he said. “I think left-center is going to play the same as it always has, where the 376 sign is, but straight-away left field, I mean, it’s going to be a massive difference from what it was before.”

Ask Mancini, who led off the bottom of the third with a double on a ball that hit the portion of the wall a little to the right of the foul pole that used to run straight across. The first “would have been a home run in 2021” moment.

Mancini was stranded on third base to keep the score tied.

Hays walked and Urías singled with no outs in the sixth, but the Orioles didn’t score. Rougned Odor was announced as a pinch-hitter for Gutiérrez with two outs, the Brewers brought in left-hander Hoby Milner, and Hyde countered with Mateo, who bounced into a force.

Odor would have been an option to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth, but Hyde went for it in the sixth, knowing that Williams and Hader loomed.

“We just didn’t get it done offensively at the end of the game,” Hyde said.

Bautista replaced Akin with two outs in the top of the sixth, allowed an infield hit and struck out former Oriole Jace Peterson with a changeup – his most effective pitch with the big league club.

The rookie returned for the seventh and struck out Wong on another changeup, but Adames doubled down the left field line. Pérez retired Yelich on a ground ball and McCutchen broke the tie by lining a single into right-center.

Robinson Chirinos threw out McCutchen trying to steal.

Mountcastle singled in the seventh, but Mullins and Mancini lined out to Adames. Balls hit much harder than the single.

Bryan Baker put two runners on base in the eighth and the Orioles turned a 5-4-3 double play on Cain.

Note: Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Yusniel Diaz left tonight's game after one at-bat with left hamstring discomfort. He’s being evaluated.

Diaz was impressive in spring training and started out 7-for-19 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs with the Tides. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy.