Mancini returns and Nevin exits in 7-2 loss (updated)

Rather than tearing the cover off baseballs and shaking his head on his way back to the dugout, the loud outs and gnashing of teeth providing the soundtrack to his season, Trey Mancini took a much quieter approach upon his return to the lineup.

Mancini reached in the first inning on an infield hit, which also coaxed a throwing error from Twins third baseman Gio Urshela. His bat broke in the fifth on a bloop single into shallow left field that scored Cedric Mullins with the tying run.

The game can seem out of whack and eventually find the proper balance.

Mancini missed the last three games with bruised ribs, but he made it through batting practice and the entirety of a 7-2 loss to the Twins at Camden Yards.

Tyler Nevin wasn’t as fortunate.

Nevin came out of the game in the top of the sixth inning with right groin soreness. He was called out at second base in the fourth after tagging up on Anthony Bemboom’s fly ball to deep center field but stayed through the fifth.

Ramón Urías was on deck to pinch-hit for Nevin and instead replaced him at third base.

Given a chance to play regularly after the Orioles designated Kelvin Gutiérrez for assignment, Nevin was hit by a pitch and reached on an error tonight. He’s 2-for-14 with three RBIs.

“See how it feels tomorrow,” Nevin said. “Felt like I was getting pretty tight in the groin area when I went back out for defense after tagging up. We’ll know more tomorrow. Nothing happened where I knew something was wrong immediately, so that’s a good sign. But as I was out there, it was grabbing on me and it was getting a little sore. The last thing I want to do is pull myself from a game, especially a close one at the time. I want those moments. So, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but I’m optimistic.”

“I’m hoping that it’s a day-to-day thing, but we just don’t know right now,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

A three-man bench doesn’t allow much time to carry a day-to-day player, if that’s the severity of Nevin’s injury. A replacement could be summoned from Triple-A Norfolk, whether or not the player is on the 40-man roster, which has an opening.

Outfielder Ryan McKenna, optioned after Sunday’s game, could return because he’d be subbing for an injured player.

"We'll have to wait and see, because playing with a three-man bench, so if he's going to be out for a while, then we're going to have to do something," Hyde said. "If it's day-to-day, and let's hope it's that, then hopefully he feels better tomorrow. As of right now I have no idea."

Joey Krehbiel replaced Bruce Zimmermann in the top of the sixth with the score tied and surrendered a three-run homer to Ryan Jeffers, the ball traveling 424 feet to the Orioles bullpen.

The Twins have won 11 of their last 12 games. The Orioles are 8-16.

Zimmermann allowed two runs in five innings, giving him four earned this season in 24 1/3. He reached 81 pitches, five more than his last two starts, and Hyde replaced him.

“Definitely didn’t have the command that I’ve had so far this year throughout the start,” Zimmermann said. “Thought I was pretty crisp through the first three and then it kind of got away from me a little bit in the fourth and the fifth. Just got to be a little bit more fine in those innings and I’ve got to know the situations and bear down and make those pitches. Those middle innings of the game are the ones that get you to the sixth and the seventh, which is what my goal is every time I toe the rubber. But overall, did all right, had to battle with what I had today.”

Hyde said Zimmermann had a 90-pitch limit tonight, and he considered letting the Loyola Blakefield graduate return for the sixth. Elevated pitches in the fifth were a warning sign.

"He did his job," Hyde said. "Would have liked to see him go a little bit deeper, but it's the way it goes. And our bullpen has been really good up until this point. ... But we need to do a better job offensively to help out our pitching staff. It's not easy to pitch in 1-1, 2-1 games every single night."

All five starts for Zimmermann have come against teams currently in first place. His most recent resulted in four unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium.

The early duel tonight with Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was compelling. Ryan entered the game with a scoreless streak of 17 innings, and it reached 20 heading into the fourth, putting him on the verge of breaking the club’s rookie starter record of 20 1/3 set by Joe Mays in 1999.

Austin Hays led off with an infield hit, raced to third base when Rougned Odor slapped a 42.8 mph double down the left field line and scored on Carlos Correa’s fielding error to tie the game 1-1.

Bemboom flied to the center field warning track and Nevin was thrown out at second base on a head-first dive, the questionable call upheld upon challenge for a 393-foot double play.

"They must have seen something different than what was on the board," Hyde said.

Zimmermann ended the third inning by bouncing a curveball and watching Bemboom throw out Byron Buxton trying to advance. The first two batters in the fourth grounded out, but Urshela walked and came home on José Miranda’s first major league hit, a double over Mullins’ head.

Gary Sánchez was hit by a pitch and Max Kepler lined to Mullins.

Zimmermann returned for the fifth at 64 pitches and the Twins took a 2-1 lead on a walk, hit batter and two-out RBI single by Jorge Polanco.

Mancini produced an infield single in the first inning and moved up on the throwing error, and Anthony Santander was hit by a pitch, enabling him to reach base in 23 of 24 games. Ryan escaped the jam.

Nevin was hit in the second inning and stranded. Santander drew his 17^th walk in the third inning – six shy of last year’s total in 110 games – and was stranded.

Nevin was credited with an RBI in the fourth on Correa’s error.

Mancini’s game-tying blooper in the fifth followed Mullins’ leadoff double. Santander’s smash back to the mound found Ryan’s glove, knocking him to the ground, and the rookie spun and got the force at second base. Gold Glove self-defense.

Krehbiel had allowed one earned run (four total) in 10 innings before tonight. Sánchez doubled with one out, Kepler walked and Jeffers’ bat produced an exit velocity of 110 mph on the home run.

Keegan Akin kept the Twins scoreless for two innings, but he surrendered three straight doubles to open the ninth. Mullins appeared to rob Correa of a home run but couldn’t hold onto the ball.

One run scored in the sequence, Paul Fry replaced Akin, and Polanco’s sacrifice fly gave Minnesota a 7-2 lead.

Mancini lined out to deep center in the seventh. The game giveth and taketh. It still can frustrate even on a good night.

"It is the way it goes, but we've got to make a little bit more contact as a club," Hyde said. "We're just not taking enough good at-bats to win games against good clubs and good pitching staffs. You've got to be able to put the ball in play, you've got to be able to put pressure, you've got to be able to not be afraid to hit with two strikes, etc.

"I think we have some guys that are just swinging a lot of times. They're seeing their numbers on the scoreboard and they're unhappy, so they're trying to get them up in one at-bat. You've got to have a pitch-by-pitch approach, try to win every pitch, and I think a lot of guys are just chasing numbers right now."

The Orioles have scored two runs or fewer in 14 of 24 games.

“Everybody, when they go out there, we know we’re giving our best effort no matter what,” Zimmermann said. “The hitters have been clutch at times for us, and our job is to go out there and give them the ability to go out there and have a close game. The pitchers aren’t worried about that. The pitchers are worried about getting the batters out when they step in the box. The hitters will do what they do.”

Down on the farm, Adley Rutschman made his first start tonight with Double-A Bowie and went 1-4 with a double and two runs scored. Rutschman reached on a fielder’s choice in the third inning and scored on Gunnar Henderson’s home run, and he doubled in the fifth and scored on Henderson’s single.

Henderson had three hits and four RBIs.

The Baysox placed left-hander Cameron Bishop, right-hander Zach Peek and infielder Adam Hall on the injured list with non-sports injuries. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie was transferred to Triple-A Norfolk.

Triple-A Norfolk’s Yusniel Diaz recovered from his hamstring injury and played left field tonight, going 1-for-3 before Johnny Rizer replaced him. Mike Baumann logged two scoreless and hitless innings, with three walks and two strikeouts.

At extended spring training today, Matt Harvey allowed six hits, walked one batter and struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings. Shed Long Jr. was 1-for-3 with a double.

High Single-A Aberdeen’s Jean Pinto allowed one run and two hits in four innings. Ignacio Feliz followed with five scoreless innings, allowing one run and striking out five.