O's lose in 10 innings, fall 4 1/2 games behind Yankees (updated)

The Yankee Stadium whistle still works. The one that plays after an opponent's strikeout. No longer done for the benefit of fans. Every bit as irritating to teams that don't want to be serenaded after another empty at-bat.

The Orioles heard it five times today in the first two innings. Nine times through the fifth.

The other sound is a club stumbling backward.

Down to their last 15 games in a truncated season, the Orioles have fallen 4 1/2 behind the Yankees following today's 2-1 10-inning loss in the Bronx. Their record is 20-25. Their situation has become dire.

Hunter Harvey threw a wild pitch that moved DJ LeMahieu to third base with no outs in the 10th inning and Luke Voit produced the walk-off win with a fly ball to center field.

Andrew Velazquez began the top of the 10th on second base, advanced on Rio Ruiz's grounder against Jonathan Holder and didn't score. Cedric Mullins lined out and Hanser Alberto flied out.

César Valdez stranded Brett Gardner after his two-out triple in the eighth. He retired nine of 10 batters and hasn't allowed an earned run in 10 1/3 innings.

"That's unbelievable, incredible," manager Brandon Hyde said in his Zoom conference call. "Three innings, tie game, no panic. He's throwing the dead fish up there. Just great pitching. Uses all of his pitches, different arm angles, different looks and pitches. It's fun to watch."

Hunter replaced Valdez and the Orioles lost their fourth consecutive game.

Not fun to watch.

Outscored 16-1 yesterday while being swept in a doubleheader, the Orioles kept it close because rookie Dean Kremer stood up to another challenge. He regrouped after a shaky first inning and held the Yankees to one run through the fifth.

Hyde let him stay in the game after a two-out walk to Aaron Hicks and Kremer responded by retiring Clint Frazier on a fly ball on his 99th pitch of the day.

Kremer allowed four hits and the one run, and three walks and seven strikeouts matched his totals from Sunday afternoon's debut start against the Yankees.

"I'm very critical of myself, so nothing is ever good enough," Kremer said, "but my main goal is to go out there and compete and give our team a chance to win."

"He seems pretty good, mixes his pitches really well and he can command the ball really good," Alberto said. "Obviously, give a little credit to the catcher. He's been calling a really good game when he's on the mound."

Left-hander Jordan Montgomery carried a one-hit shutout in the sixth inning. He broke his streak of 11 batters retired in a row by committing an error on DJ Stewart's bunt leading off the fifth inning.

In a related story, Stewart laid down a bunt after hitting six home runs in his last six games.

Montgomery was that good and the Orioles were that desperate to start a rally.

The next three Orioles were retired and Montgomery notched his career-high ninth strikeout, his curveball a weapon from the moment that he left the bullpen.

José Iglesias' single in the first inning was the only hit until Alberto singled leading off the sixth. Alberto moved to second on Brett Gardner's error and to third on Iglesias' fly ball, and he scored the tying run on Ryan Mountcastle's popup that fell in shallow center field.

Mountcastle also had a bloop double off Zack Britton with two outs in the eighth and was stranded. He's batting .368 with a 1.039 OPS.

The Yankees matched their previous run total against Kremer after only four batters. They forced a mound visit from pitching coach Doug Brocail. They worked Kremer for 22 pitches.

They also stranded two runners and Kremer did a fine job of limiting the damage.

LeMahieu led off with a double, moved to third base on Voit's liner, held on Aaron Hicks' walk and scored on Frazier's fly ball. The Yankees have outscored the Orioles 8-1 in the first inning in the series.

Gleyber Torres singled to bring Brocail from the dugout. Gardner flied out on a curveball.

Frazier tripled with two outs in the third, the ball seeming to roll forever in the left-center field gap, but Torres struck out.

Montgomery got back to work in the fourth, striking out Mountcastle and Pedro Severino and retiring Renato Núñez on a popup. It was becoming too easy.

Gary Sánchez doubled with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Kremer escaped the jam with a strikeout and fly ball.

Tanner Scott inherited a runner from Dillon Tate in the sixth, issued a two-out walk and retired Mike Tauchman on a liner to left field. Plate umpire Brennan Miller kept squeezing Scott, who still got out of the jam.

The Orioles never found that second run. The Yankees did in the 10th.

"We don't score in the top half," Hyde said. "The bottom line is we're having a tough time scoring runs here. It's a tie game with a runner at second base and no outs and the middle of their order coming up. That's a tough feat. Hoping for a Hunter Harvey punchout. Just didn't happen today. But we've just got to be able to score some runs. We're facing two really good starters yesterday. I thought those guys were outstanding and excellent. Today we just chased way too much outside the strike zone and that's why we're streaky.

"I was disappointed in our at-bats today. I liked how we competed. I thought there were a lot of good things that happened today, but I thought we should have pushed more than one run across. You've got to be able to push more than one run across before you get to Britton and (Aroldis) Chapman."

"We played way different than we did against the Mets," Alberto said. "We are very, very disappointed in ourselves because we know we have to do a better job, but we're facing some tough pitchers. Gerrit Cole and (Masahiro) Tanaka have pretty good stuff and all we can do is turn the page and be ready for tomorrow and next week.

"Hopefully, we can find ways to score more runs and hold the games and go back to winning games."

"I think I speak for everyone: We're not happy about losing," Kremer said. "But tomorrow is another day and hopefully it will turn around."

Kremer is going to face a different opponent in his next start. The Rays arrive in Baltimore for five games, beginning with Thursday's doubleheader.

He's done with the Yankees, who managed only five hits against him in 37 at-bats.

He's going to keep getting starts. Through the month, through 2021 and for as long as the Orioles are able to use him.

Note: Utility player Dilson Herrera cleared waivers and was assigned to the alternate camp site in Bowie.

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