Mancini comes off bench to tie game, Orioles lose in 10th

The All-Star break is a time for rest and reflection, and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knows exactly why his club has the worst record in the American League. Precisely what he's going to think about before play resumes Friday night in Kansas City.

"For me," he said this afternoon, "it just shows you how far away we are, pitching-wise."

Spenser Watkins tried to narrow the gap a little, maybe present Hyde with another option and keep earning more chances. He held the White Sox to one run in 4 1/3 innings, pulled after 83 pitches and two outs shy of qualifying for the win, and Andrew Vaughn's second homer of the day, a three-run shot off Cole Sulser in the sixth, appeared to spark another victory.

Then, Trey Mancini appeared, one day before his participation in the Home Run Derby in Colorado. He came off the bench with Ryan McKenna on first base and two outs in the ninth and homered to right field off lockdown closer Liam Hendriks to tie the game.

The pitching worries for Hyde could at least temporarily give way to something fun.

Reality struck again in the 10th when Adam Engel hit a three-run homer off Rule 5 pick Tyler Wells with two outs to give the White Sox a 7-5 win before an announced crowd of 11,600 at Camden Yards.

The White Sox completed the first seven-game series sweep in club history. They swept the Orioles (28-61) in Baltimore for the first time since 2005.

Mancini's last pinch-hit home run was in June 2017 versus the Pirates. He was 11-for-62 with 24 strikeouts since his two-homer game on June 20.

"He was ready seventh inning on if we got a runner in scoring position situation or a tie game in the ninth," Hyde said. "Just taking a shot there in the ninth. Trey came through in a big way. ... We didn't have a hit in a long time.

"It's just a tough loss because you'd like to see guys battle back and win those type of games."

"To see Trey do that, everybody was fired up, it was fantastic to see," Watkins said.

"The energy from that was awesome."

Mancini knew he might be called upon in the late innings. He wasn't in full relax mode before Monday night.

"I know that you can never really check out, I'd say, especially at this level," Mancini said. "Hyder texted me yesterday that he was going to give me a day going into the break. It's been a long month or so for me, very, very up and down at times, but I texted him yesterday and said, 'If you need me in a big spot, I'll be ready,' So I was ready. I was preparing the entire day for a situation like that.

"It felt great. I just wanted to continue the game in some form or fashion. Whether it be a walk, hit by pitch, get on in any way."

McKenna played third base in the 10th inning for the first time in his career. Wells retired all four batters faced with three strikeouts in regulation, but he walked Yoán Moncada while Tim Anderson stood on second base as the automatic runner. José Abreu struck out, Brian Goodwin flied out and Engel homered into the bullpen on a 3-1 fastball - right after Hyde visited the mound with Dillon Tate warming but didn't make a change, receiving applause from fans who wanted Wells to stay.

Paul Fry hit a batter and walked another to bring Sulser into the game with one out in the sixth and the Orioles leading 2-1. Vaughn, chosen two spots behind Adley Rutschman in the 2019 draft, drove a 94 mph fastball to deep right field.
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White Sox starter Dylan Cease drilled Ryan Mountcastle near the left elbow with a 96.6 mph fastball in the first inning, bringing head athletic trainer Brian Ebel onto the field and conjuring memories of the Cease heater that nailed Mancini in a similar spot in May.

Mountcastle stayed in the game and went from first to third on a wild pitch and throwing error, but Pat Valaika replaced him at first base the next inning. X-rays were negative and he escaped with a forearm bruise.

"I'm sure he's going to be sore the next couple days," Hyde said, "but I'll stay in touch with him, the training staff will, as well. And hopefully he's ready in Kansas City."

Austin Hays threw out a runner at third base to complete a double play in the top of the first inning and hit a two-run homer in the bottom half, his ninth of the season. Cedric Mullins had a bunt single, walk and his 16th stolen base, matching his home run total, within the first three innings, and his long sacrifice fly in the 10th scored Pedro Severino.

The Orioles put two runners on base with one out in the 10th after Hays walked, but they couldn't complete the comeback. DJ Stewart flied to the center field fence for the last out.

The rotation's ERA before today was 8.12 John Means went on the injured list June 6. Means is expected to return when the team is in St. Petersburg, Fla. to play the Rays.

"We threw the ball well the first month," Hyde said. "We kind of hung around .500-ish, and then really since the Means' no-hitter (May 5), we haven't been able to stay in the games on the mound. Our rotation is beat up, don't have good numbers, our bullpen is taxed because of it, so a lot of concern there.

"Somehow we have to get our starting pitchers to go a little bit longer, be able to be more efficient in getting their outs. That being said, we've faced really good lineups and some of these guys have struggled, so we need to get better to survive the second half."

Hyde said he wanted to see how Watkins fared in a second major league start, a clear indication that the right-hander is undergoing the latest audition held by a team starved for a steadying presence. And there's more at work.

"We have a few factors," Hyde said. "We're going to see how (Matt) Harvey feels here in a couple days. Where to slot him. We're probably going to push him back a few days. We're going to see where we are, rotation-wise. We're kind of a crap shoot right now from the rotation. (Jorge) López, also, seeing if we're going to give him a little bit extra rest, as well.

"Probably tomorrow is when we'll set it. I kind of have an idea, I just don't want to announce it yet. We're going to being pushing a couple guys back a little to give them a longer break because we're going to need them the last 70-something games."

The lineup will keep featuring Hays as long as he's healthy. He followed Mullins' leadoff bunt hit with an opposite-field shot. The ball bounced onto the field again, repeating a scene earlier in the series, and Hays stopped at second base before he was motioned to keep going. Mullins never broke out of his trot.

The Orioles didn't get another hit off Cease, who worked five innings and retired 15 of the last 18 batters, or anyone else until McKenna's single in the ninth.

Watkins allowed four hits, walked three batters, struck out four and threw a wild pitch. Seby Zavala lined out to begin the fifth and Hyde summoned Fry, the former closer.

The debate already began to rage: Protect the arm and avoid going a third time through the order versus pushing a starter and not relying on a vulnerable bullpen or data that isn't pumping air into the win total.

Watkins escaped trouble in the first three innings, needing only eight pitches to complete the second but 36 in the third.

"I think the longer inning, definitely, I felt it more that inning," Watkins said. "I was able to recuperate and get myself into the fourth and fifth, no problem, but definitely in that longer inning toward the end I could feel, maybe a little bit, the endurance. But as I got into the fourth and the fifth I felt like I was able to get myself back to 100 percent."

"For me, he had that 36-pitch inning and that took a lot out of him," Hyde said. "I was one batter away from getting somebody up in the third inning. Credit to him, he pitched out of that jam and didn't give up a run there. I thought his stuff was starting to flatten out a little bit there in the sixth. I was hitter-to-hitter. He was kind of going to places, pitch-wise, that he that he's not been very often the third time through the order, and a really good top of the order. Paul Fry plenty rested, was hoping to get two out of Paul.'"

Abreu reached out for a cutter in the first and dumped it into right field after Moncada's walk and before Goodwin's fly ball to Hays, who threw a perfect strike to third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez.

Do not run on Austin Hays.

Leury García figured it out in the eighth on his two-out single down the right field line. García made it halfway to second and slammed on the brakes as Hays' cocked his arm.

Engel led off the second with a soft single to right, moved to second on García's bunt and was picked off by Watkins, who spun and caught him taking a few steps toward third.

Zavala doubled in the third and Moncada drew a two-out walk after Watkins struck out Tim Anderson. A wild pitch moved the runners, Abreu walked with the count full - Watkins thought he got squeezed - and Goodwin lined to Mullins.

Watkins retired the first two batters in the fourth, frustrating García with a curveball that made the second baseman slam his bat into the ground while on one knee before returning to the dugout. But Vaughn attacked the next pitch, an 89.5 mph fastball, and Watkins held up his glove for a new baseball before the old one landed - 447 feet away.

Gavin Sheets struck out on a 90 mph fastball to end the fourth and leave Watkins at 77 pitches.

Watkins has allowed two runs and seven hits in 10 1/3 innings in his three appearances, walking six batters and striking out eight.

Notes: Hyde said he expects shortstop Freddy Galvis and reliever Hunter Harvey to return to the active roster by the end of the month. Galvis is headed to Sarasota, Fla. in a few days to start rehabbing his strained right quadriceps muscle, taking ground balls and getting into a running progression.

Hyde thought Harvey would be out longer with a strained right lat.

Rutschman caught three innings in the Futures Game. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Double-A Bowie's Cadyn Grenier hit a 433-foot home run to center field this afternoon. Starter Ofelky Peralta allowed seven runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked three batters and struck out six.