Late rally compensates for early silence in Orioles' 4-3 walk-off win (updated)

A game that starts five hours late because of rain, with Major League Baseball determined to squeeze it into a window that could slam shut again, is bound to contain some abnormalities. It was born that way.

Corbin Burnes allows one hit over six innings on Opening Day and surrenders three tonight in the top of the first. An out is recorded at the plate in a 1-2-5-1-2-3 rundown, giving Burnes a chance to touch the ball twice and Royals manager Matt Quatrano to pop out of the dugout and argue.

Jorge Mateo can’t make a diving catch on Bobby Witt Jr.’s liner into right-center that goes down as a one-out double, Burnes snares Vinnie Pasquantino’s 98.5 mph comebacker to start the bizarre putout, Pasquantino keeps running until he reaches third base and Burnes gives up a run-scoring single to Salvador Pérez on a 63.1 mph blooper to left.

Weird already had taken the controls before MJ Melendez doubled, with Mateo needing a second try at a clean pickup, and Hunter Renfroe froze on a cutter for the final out. Burnes threw 27 pitches, with several hundred fans watching from the lower bowl.

A young boy in front of the press box wore a Mateo jersey and kept yelling for Witt to look at him, hollering, “I know you can hear me!” Everyone could be heard.

Everything would get crazier.

The Orioles’ bats stayed quiet again for much of the night, held to one hit by Cole Ragans in 6 1/3 innings, but they scored twice in the eighth and ninth for a 4-3 walk-off win over the Royals before an announced crowd of 11,488 that illustrated again how the total is tickets sold.

"You could hear them," said manager Brandon Hyde. "That's a tough day to watch baseball. Had to be a little bit uncomfortable. It was cold and I think we're all a little red-faced and chapped right now. So, for those people to stick around, those are true Orioles fans."

The homestand concludes with the Orioles at 4-2, thanks to James McCann's two-out bases-loaded single in the ninth, his fourth career walk-off and first since September 2021. They had two walk-off wins in the series.

"If you ask anyone here, we haven't played our best baseball yet," Burnes said, "so to come away 4-2 and two series wins, I think that just kind of tells what this team's about. Never going to give up until the last out and a lot of good baseball ahead of us."

Pinch-hitter Colton Cowser led off the eighth with a single against James McArthur and McCann doubled to the left field wall. Left-hander Angel Zerpa entered to face Gunnar Henderson, and a sacrifice fly reduced the lead to 3-1.

Adley Rutschman singled into right field to score McCann but was thrown out at second base. Also weird.

Will Smith, who earned the save last night, walked Ryan Mountcastle on four pitches leading off the ninth and Anthony Santander singled. Jordan Westburg laid down a sacrifice bunt, Austin Hays was walked intentionally, Cowser struck out looking and McCann lined a 2-0 fastball at 110.5 mph into left field.

"The big thing there is there's as much pressure on the pitcher there as the hitter, so I was trying to make him come to me," McCann said. "I have some history with him, seen him a few times, so just trying to get him over the plate and put a good swing on it, and thankfully it found a hole."

Players stormed out of the dugout and emptied a cooler over McCann's head during his MASN interview. Storming seemed like the appropriate action.

"Huge part of this team, understated, total pro, total class act, incredible leader on our club for two years now," Hyde said. "To have him have this moment, I'm really happy for him. He is all about team, win, anything it takes, supports others."

The Orioles anticipated a late start time rather than a postponement.

"I think we knew all along that we were definitely going to try to play," Hyde said. "If there was any sort of way we could play, we were going to play. Last game of the series here, the mutual off-days weren't great. It stinks to kick a game down the road, not knowing what's going to happen later on. With this being a day game, it worked out. That's why for me, day game getaway days, it's important because stuff like this happens."

Players hung out in the clubhouse, checked the radar, wondered when the rain would disappear.

"I think a lot of guys kind of slow-played their prep," McCann said. "Try not to get too hot too early, cause once you're hot you want to stay hot. We kind of knew what the radar was showing, the window wasn't going to be until this evening, so credit to Burnsie. He was here early, he was hanging around, too. Just credit to the whole team for staying locked in and finding a way to win late in the game."

Burnes couldn’t silence the Royals until after they scored again in the third while raising their hit total to seven and his pitch count to 59. He made it to 100 in 5 2/3 innings, with two runs and nine hits against him.

"Corbin Burnes, without really his best day, only giving up two runs in sloppy conditions like that, getting into the sixth inning," Hyde said.

Burnes stranded a runner in the fourth and fifth innings but was up to 87 pitches and only two strikeouts, compared to 11 in the opener. He came back out for the sixth with Mike Baumann warming in the bullpen and waited while the grounds crew applied a drying compound to the mound and did some raking.

A ground ball and third strikeout came to Burnes while a light rain continued to fall. He hasn’t walked a batter in two starts.

"Definitely tests you. I think that's one of the longer rain delays I've been a part of," Burnes said.

"When they say game time at 6:05, you've got to be ready to go. We had a plan going out tonight and did a good job. Credit to that Royals lineup for not going down easy with two strikes. ... We were able to battle, almost got through six innings with what we we dealt with, so definitely proud of that, and proud of these guys for being able to come back and get the win."

The Orioles managed three hits last night in a 4-1 loss, and Ragans was a more formidable opponent. In a battle of aces, the Royals had the winning hand - until they lost.

Ragans retired the first 10 before Rutschman’s double in the fourth, followed by Mountcastle’s line drive at 107.8 mph directly at Pérez playing first base. He fielded a comebacker in each of the first three innings and another in the sixth.

Ragans set down 18 of 19 before walking Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle to begin the seventh. Alec Marsh retired 15 of 16 last night.

Santander struck out and McArthur replaced Ragans, who threw 91 pitches.

"Today is the definition of a grinder day," McCann said. "Hang around the ballpark for a five-hour delay or whatever it was. Tip your cap to him, he did a really good job and kept us off-balance all night."

Maikel Garcia homered off Mike Baumann in the seventh for a 3-0 lead. But Danny Coulombe and Yennier Cano combined to retire all seven batters they faced.

"Our pitching won us that game," Hyde said. "That was not easy conditions to play in for anybody, and we got out of the gate really slow offensively. Give credit to Ragans. That's a big-time No. 1-type arm. We did absolutely nothing against him. Fortunate we got to the bullpen. Our pitching won that game by giving us a chance.

"I think our offense is going to get going. I still don't feel like we've clicked at all offensively yet. We need to get going earlier in the game to take the pressure off our pitching. But our pitching won us that game.

"And James McCann, too."

How cold was that Gatorade bath?

"Felt kind of good actually," McCann said. "It's always enjoyable."

* Hays struck out against McArthur to end the seventh and went 2-for-18 on the homestand.

Hays played in his 499^th career game, leaving him one short of a nice milestone. He’ll get it at PNC Park.

“It’s been fun watching him mature and progress as a player since my first year here,” Hyde said this morning. “In ’19 he started the year in Triple-A and he had kind of an unusual career path up to that point where he got to the big leagues so fast. But talk about his defense first, he’s become an elite defender. Always had the ability, too. I’m comfortable putting him in three spots in the outfield. The way he throws, he’s won us a lot of games with his defense.

“And offensively, when he’s healthy he’s swung the bat really well for us, so that’s been the key for him is try to be healthy throughout the year. He’s done that the last couple years. It’s a quick-twitch who can use the whole field. That’s when he’s going at his best. So to see him progress as a hitter has been a lot of fun.”

The Orioles need Hays and some others to heat up.

Ramón Urías flied out after Cowser and McCann reached and is 0-for-13.

* Down on the farm, Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Kyle Stowers hit a two-run homer to give him 42 with the Tides, tying the Orioles affiliate franchise record set by Christian Walker. And then he hit two more.

Stowers had four hits and seven RBIs and he wasn't even the most prolific Tides player. Heston Kjerstad went 5-for-7 with two doubles, two homers, including a grand slam, and 10 RBIs that are a single-game franchise record.

Coby Mayo tripled in the third inning and scored on Stowers’ double. Mayo had five of Norfolk's 29 hits in a 26-11 win over Charlotte.

Connor Norby hit his third home run, and he added an RBI double in the fifth inning. He’s also off to a blistering start.

Justin Armbruester allowed six earned runs and seven total in 2 2/3 innings.