O's latest loss featured frustration, a hit streak and an MLB debut

There was frustration evident in the Orioles clubhouse last night as the team lost for the 15th time in 20 games. From the starting pitcher who provided a brief postgame interview to the closer who realized his 2017 season might be over.

Six days after the shortest start of his career, one in which he allowed six runs, left-hander Wade Miley allowed six runs again. But this time he was around longer. Miley got one out and gave up six runs on 19 pitches Sept. 14 at New York. Last night he pitched three scoreless versus Boston before it started to unravel for him during a fourth inning in which he allowed two homers and four runs.

"I mean, any time you go out there and get your ass kicked, it sucks. There is really no other way to put it. Kind of been that way all year," Miley said, as the Orioles lost 9-0.

Well, not all year, but for most of the year for Miley, who went five innings or less for the 19th time in 31 starts as his ERA grew to 5.52.

Meanwhile, Zach Britton will have a stem cell injection in his troublesome left knee today. While Britton will not need surgery, he also doesn't need to pitch anymore this season, and he probably won't.

"I think the most important thing for me is to be healthy going into next season," Britton said last night. "That is the thing they preached to me from an organization standpoint. Obviously, got the arm injury past me and started to feel good on the mound. Been managing the knee and had been pitching through pain for two months trying to help the team win. So I feel like it was in my best interest to try and calm that down, do the stem cell injection and start the recovery process now."

On the night of Aug. 23, when his American League record streak of 60 straight converted saves ended, Britton revealed he has been dealing with a left knee issue for years. Obviously, it has been minor enough for him to pitch through it, and pitch well. Britton said the problem first appeared in 2014.

So yeah, this whole thing is frustrating for him during a season in which he has been on the disabled list twice.

"Really frustrating," he said. "The good thing is that they've been minor injuries, nothing that needs surgery or anything that's going to keep me out for a long time. Yeah, it's been frustrating. Kind of (plan to) get back to the drawing board this offseason, with approaching my workouts. I think that's where it all stemmed from, last season the workouts I did, I can see what I did, what I didn't do the prior years, and kind of get back to that. That's the approach I'm going to take is it starts in the off-season with how I prepare my body for the season."

As Boston blanked the Orioles last night, the Birds got just four hits over eight innings against Chris Sale. Trey Mancini had two of those hits. He smoked a single back to the mound at 103 mph that hit off of Sale in the fourth. Mancini doubled in the seventh.

Mancini extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games, batting .333 (14-for-42) during this stretch. He recorded his 25th double and his 45th multi-hit game. Mancini now has 149 hits. That total passes Marv Breeding for sole possession of third-most in Orioles history by a rookie. Cal Ripken Jr. had 158 and Eddie Murray 173. In 16 games against Boston, Mancini is hitting .349 (22-for-63) with 10 extra-base hits, six runs, and 14 RBIs.

The Orioles scored eight runs in the first five innings of the series opener with Boston Monday. But they went scoreless in the last 26 innings in the series, were shut out in 11 innings Tuesday and over nine Wednesday. This is the first time they have been shut out in back-to-back games since the Orioles were blanked for three straight by Boston Sept. 25-27, 2015.

Young left-hander Tanner Scott, called up from Double-A Bowie on Sunday, pitched the eighth for the Orioles Wednesday night, making his major league debut. Scott allowed two hits, two runs and two walks. He gave up a bases-loaded double to Dustin Pedroia on a 99 mph fastball up in the zone. He threw 28 pitches, 13 for strikes.

No doubt Scott had to be nervous pitching for the first time in the big leagues. He averaged 98 mph on his 17 fastballs, topping out at 100.2 mph. He flashed a plus slider and showed the improvement that he has made with that pitch this year, getting four swings and misses on 11 sliders that averaged 88.7 mph. He threw one past Deven Marrero for his first major league strikeout.

The Orioles begin a four-game series at home with Tampa Bay tonight. At 73-80, they are staring at their first losing season since 2011, unless they go 8-1 or 9-0 in their remaining games.