Notes and quotes with Mancini, Worley and on the Boston series

In the series with the Boston Red Sox, Trey Mancini hit two homers and drove in four runs. But Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters combined for one homer and four RBIs.

That was a problem.

In the Boston series, Ubaldo Jimenez made a start and allowed two unearned runs over 5 1/3 innings. But in the other three games, Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman pitched a combined 13 innings, allowing 21 hits, including four homers, and 13 runs for an ERA of 9.00.

That was a problem.

The Red Sox scored 20 runs in the series - five in each game. By their standards, that is not a lot. The Red Sox average 5.6 runs per game for the season. In September - when they are a major league best 14-5 - they have scored 6.4 run per game.

The Orioles hit just .157 (20-for-127) and scored just eight runs in the series. They hit three homers and Mancini produced two of them. They had six hits or fewer in each of the four games.

The Orioles scored 11 runs against Tampa Bay in the first two games of this homestand. But over the last six games, the Orioles have hit just .185, scoring 12 runs and going 2-for-25 (.080) with runners in scoring position.

Mancini hit 21 homers in the minors last season and hit 20 this year when he began the year at Double-A Bowie but played most of the season with Triple-A Norfolk. He did not homer over his last 18 Triple-A games, but has now connected twice in eight plate appearances in the majors.

He is the first Orioles player to homer for his first two major league hits. The last player in the majors to accomplish the feat was Colorado's Trevor Story on April 4, 2016.

"It was an unbelievable experience and I had a lot more of my family here tonight," Mancini said after his three-run shot off David Price. "But on the flip side, after a loss like that, you don't really think about the home run too much. It really doesn't matter."

Tillman's outing last night was just 1 2/3 innings his shortest of the year. It's the seventh time an O's starter failed to make it through two innings, a major league high.

Tillman's short outing meant right-hander Vance Worley had to enter the game in the second and eat some innings. When you are a long reliever, you have to be ready at any moment, right?

"Yes and tonight was that night," Worley said. "I hadn't been throwing as much lately. Been itching to get back out there. Had the chance to go out and get a double play a couple of days ago. Was just kind of patiently waiting out there, staying ready and stretched. Went out there and did what I needed to do to keep us in it."

He did, providing the Orioles 3 1/3 innings on 59 pitches, allowing one run and one hit. Last night was just his third outing in the last 17 days.

"Staying sharp is the hardest part when you are not pitching very often," Worley said. "I think early on I had some one-inning stints to try and stay fresh. Just have to try and stay ready."

Now Worley will try to join his teammates and pick up the pieces after the Boston series.

"It's tough, but now we have to pull together as a team and trust one another to go out there and get the job done," Worley said.

Beginning tonight, the Orioles face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona is 64-88, but coming off the Boston series sweep, the Orioles can't take anyone lightly right now. Arizona has lost four of six, but over a longer stretch is 6-4 its last 10 games.

The Orioles (82-71) now trail Detroit (82-70) by a half-game for the second American League wild card berth. Houston is just one game back of the Orioles with Seattle 1 1/2 back and New York 2 1/2 behind Baltimore. This weekend, Detroit hosts Kansas City, Houston hosts the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle plays at Minnesota and the Yankees are in Toronto. The Orioles are 1 1/2 games back of Toronto for the first wild card spot and begin a series on Tuesday at Rogers Centre.

The Orioles have three series and nine games remaining. What will their record be in those nine games?