O's can't hold five-run lead with ace dealing, lose 9-7 (updated)

The questions keep following John Means. They just change in nature.

In Seattle, it was whether he would actually complete a no-hitter. In Queens, N.Y., it was how he'd respond after throwing 113 pitches and making history.

Tonight's unknown was born from the seven days between starts. Would he be too fresh? His first pitch hitting the backstop on the fly, his command flickering like a bad bulb.

Means' fastball was 93-95 mph in an eight-pitch first inning, all of them strikes. He retired the first seven batters and 13 of 15, surrendered consecutive home runs to Mike Brosseau and Randy Arozarena in the fifth, and took a 104 mph line drive from Manuel Margot off his back.

Means stayed in the game. Trey Mancini took over it. Both men can make the ball move.

A win for Means pivoted to a no-decision after Adam Plutko let an inherited runner score in the seventh and served up a game-tying two-run homer to Arozarena. The Rays scored three times against left-hander Paul Fry in the eighth and defeated the Orioles 9-7 before an announced crowd of 6,581 at Camden Yards.

Pedro Severino had an RBI single off Pete Fairbanks with two outs in the ninth, but the Orioles are 17-25 overall and 6-17 at home as they try to avoid the sweep Thursday afternoon.

"It's really tough," Mancini said in his postgame Zoom call. "Every time you have a big lead with Meansie on the mound, you're feeling pretty good, but you've got to give credit to the Rays. They put some good at-bats together and got back in the game and a lot of that is a credit to them. John has been ridiculous this season. Once in a while, some teams are going to put together good at-bats, and unfortunately they were able to claw back and win the game there."

Fry brought a 1.17 ERA and 0.978 WHIP into the game, scored upon only twice in 17 appearances, but he issued two walks and Ji-Man Choi singled to break the tie. Choi is 6-for-10 since leaving the injured list.

A wild pitch brought in another run and Arozarena doubled off the left field fence for a 9-6 lead.

Mancini homered into the bullpen off Ryan Yarbrough in the first inning, had a bases-clearing double in the second and led off the fifth with a homer to give him 21 RBIs this month, most in the majors. Means ran his scoreless innings streak to 19 before appearing human in the fifth.

Means was charged with four runs in 6 1/3 innings, the most against him since Sept. 2, 2020. He threw five pitches in the second and stranded Kevin Kiermaier in the third after a one-out single that brought audible sighs from a crowd that hadn't seen him throw since the near-perfect game.

The three strikeouts lifted their mood.

Kiermaier doubled with one out in the seventh and manager Brandon Hyde summoned Plutko, who surrendered an RBI single to Choi, pinch-hitting for Brosseau, and Arozarena's second homer. The right-hander heard a smattering of boos on his way back to the dugout.

Hyde removed Means at 93 pitches based perhaps as much on the matchup as the count. Brosseau stood on deck and he's 5-for-11 with four home runs lifetime against Means. Choi batted for him and Means' ERA rose to 1.70 as he sat in the dugout.

"Little bit of everything," Hyde said in explaining his reasoning, "but he did take a line drive off the back, so it was questionable whether he was going to go out for that next inning or not. I made the call to let him go back out. He got the first hitter out, gave up the hit to Kiermaier there. And knowing if I bring in Plutko, they're going to hit a left-hander, then righties at the top, and just didn't happen tonight.

"We used the guys that we've been using with a lead for the most part and kind of an off night for Plutko and Paul Fry."

Means walked leadoff hitter Mike Zunino in the fifth and Brosseau and Arozarena went back-to-back. Means' back was a bigger concern, the impact bringing Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel to the mound. He finished the inning and retired the side in order in the sixth.

The Orioles aren't off until June 3 and starters will be pushed harder. Hyde has been especially careful with Means after the career-high pitch count in Seattle and won't keep holding him back.

Means profiles as a "workhorse," as Hyde described him earlier today.

"I think it's a guy who trains right and he's going to build himself into being an innings eater, top-of-the-rotation type of starter," Hyde said. "To me, that's who he is. This year's different for everybody, obviously."

Bullpen catcher Joel Polanco caught Mancini's eighth home run of the season. A fan had dibs on Freddy Galvis' leadoff shot in the second, the shortstop's 100th of his career.

Mancini's ball traveled 413 feet with a 102.6 exit velocity, per Statcast. He got more out of his double, scoring three runs for a 5-0 lead and giving him 37 RBIs on the season to also lead the majors.

No. 38 came on a cutter that cleared the center field fence with room to spare - 431 feet with a 108 mph exit velo - and provided his eighth career multi-homer game and first since July 21, 2019 versus the Red Sox.

"If you told me that a year ago, I'd be pretty pleased to hear that," Mancini said of the RBI lead. "I do reflect a lot on last year. As much as I've tried to move on, it's hard not to look back and say like, 'A year ago today, I was going through this cycle of (chemotherapy) treatments.' I think I'd be around three or four right now, so definitely much happier to be here in 2021 and playing baseball, and something I definitely don't take for granted."

The five RBIs tied his career high, the most recent outburst on Aug. 27, 2018 against the Blue Jays.

"He's one of the hardest workers I've ever met, just an absolute grinder, the definition of it," Means said. "Those first few weeks were kind of a fluke. He needed to get his feet under him, but after that, everybody was waiting for him to go off and he's seeing the ball really well right now, so I'm excited to see what happens over the next four, five months."

Mancini singled with two outs in the ninth to give him four hits and raise his average to .273. Maikel Franco followed Severino to the plate representing the winning run, but bounced into a force.

"This one does sting, there's no doubt. But we've bounced back before," Hyde said.

Ryan Mountcastle dumped a single into right field in the second, Ryan McKenna reached on shortstop Willy Adames' error, the Rays got an out at the plate on Cedric Mullins' grounder to second and Austin Hays walked. Mancini scalded a changeup.

The Rays were burned by the error, which stuck Yarbrough with three unearned runs.

Mountcastle reached on an infield hit in the fourth, broke too soon for second base and was out. But he has six multi-hit games this month.

Pat Valakia nearly built on the 6-3 lead in the sixth, but Arozarena robbed him of a home run with a leaping catch at the left field fence. Hays tripled with one out in the seventh, but Ryan Thompson struck out Mancini and Severino to keep the score tied.

Down on the farm, Gunnar Henderson hit his fourth home run for Single-A Delmarva.

Zac Lowther allowed five runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk. Konner Wade replaced him and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three hits.

Double-A Bowie's Kyle Bradish allowed two hits and struck out 10 batters in four scoreless innings.