Orioles can't hold lead in eighth and lose 6-3 (updated)

NEW YORK – The pitcher who spun perfection in his last start knew early that he wouldn’t do it again tonight. The pitcher with the lowest WHIP in the majors tried to keep the bases clean and hold onto the lead.

Ryan O’Hearn ended Domingo Germán’s streak of consecutive outs at 30 with a leadoff single in the second inning, and he drove in a run in the third. History could take a hike.

Tyler Wells stayed stingy until surrendering back-to-back home runs to Anthony Volpe and Kyle Higashioka with two outs in the fifth. Wells stranded two in the sixth, manager Brandon Hyde went to his bullpen and the lead was gone.

Harrison Bader hit a 415-foot, three-run homer off Danny Coulombe in the eighth to shatter a tie, and the Orioles began their final road trip before the All-Star break with a 6-3 loss to the Yankees before a sellout crowd of 46,015.

Not everyone drives to the Hamptons for the holiday.

Bader’s ball tried to leave the city.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the eighth with a single off Yennier Cano, Anthony Rizzo grounded a single into right field against Coulombe and Bader squared to bunt and couldn’t make contact. Cleared to swing away, he demolished a sweeper and chucked the bat in celebration.

The Orioles were trying for their 50^th win, a total they didn’t reach last summer until July 28. The loss left them six games behind the first-place Rays and only three ahead of the Yankees.

Two singles and a sacrifice bunt against Mike Baumann in the seventh left a mess for Cano with the Orioles clinging to a 3-2 lead. DJ LeMahieu bounced to the mound, creating an out at the plate, but Cano’s wild pitch tied the game.

The Orioles were 41-5 when leading after the seventh.

"They've been great all year," Hyde said. "We just had kind of an off night in the 'pen."

Chris Vallimont made his major league debut in the eighth. He replaced Coulombe, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa greeted him with a double and was thrown out at third base. Vallimont struck out Volpe.

Germán lasted only 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and nine hits and leaving with runners on the corners. Nick Ramirez retired the next two batters.

Wells held the Yankees to two runs in six innings to lower his ERA to 3.19, and his WHIP is 0.90, after he allowed five hits and walked two. He retired seven in a row before Volpe's homer, and Higashioka stretched his home run total to 21 by clearing the left field fence.

The sky became much darker, suggesting the possibility of rain, and the place got loud.   

Stanton reached with one out in the sixth on a 420-foot double to center field and Rizzo walked. Pitching coach Chris Holt came to the mound, the next two batters popped up and the crowd booed.

"I thought there was a lot of hard contact," Wells said. "Didn't feel like I had my best control tonight, but other than the two solo homers and the couple walks, I would say it was pretty solid. Any day you go out there and give your team a chance to win, I would say is a successful day, and fortunately I was able to do that."

The Orioles were held to three runs and 12 hits over the weekend while losing twice to the Twins and almost being swept. They scored two runs or fewer in seven of their last 13 games, but they led 3-0 tonight after the third inning, and finished with 12 hits.

O’Hearn lined a single into left-center field in the second inning and advanced on Bader’s error. Ramón Urías and Cedric Mullins also singled, and the Orioles grabbed a 1-0 lead.

Germán picked off Urías at second base, but Gunnar Henderson singled with one out in the third and scored standing up on Adley Rutschman’s double to left field, where Kiner-Falefa attempted a leaping catch on the run.  

O’Hearn singled again with two outs for his first multi-hit game since June 18. He was 2-for-26 before tonight.

Rutschman singled in the seventh for his first three-hit game since June 15. Anthony Santander doubled, but O’Hearn lined to Volpe, who snatched the ball before it touched dirt.

"We had 12 hits and only scored three runs," Hyde said. "We had multiple opportunities to extend the lead a few times, and that's disappointing, but they just beat us with homers tonight."

"Overall we played well," O'Hearn said. "A couple big situations, things didn't go our way. ... Later in the game, I hit that ball good. He was just standing right there. But it happens. Obviously a tough one and I feel like we should have won this game, but it is what it is. Come back tomorrow."

Wells got a 5-3 double play on Kiner-Falefa’s ground ball in the second and a 6-5 putout in the third after Higashioka doubled with one out. By escaping the jam in the sixth, Wells extended his streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer to seven games.

"I thought he emptied his tank there in the sixth inning," Hyde said, "but really good."

The home runs aren't easy to accept but Wells does his best with it, noting again that most come with the bases empty.

"Honestly, it's hard to sit there and question it because you're going out there and you're giving your team a chance to win," he said. "But it is something that, whenever those solo homers start turning into two-, three-run homers, that's when it becomes a problem, and I don't want to have that problem. Fortunately, I've been able to make outs in those big spots. But I definitely think that it would be nice to kind of cut them back."

Wells should get another start before the break. His WHIP is the second-lowest in Orioles history in the first half behind Dave McNally's 0.826 in 1968.

"I'm very happy with it, and hopefully it continues into the second half. I think that's where it's going to matter more," Wells said.

"If I give my team a chance to win, I'm happy, and that's literally what I'm trying to do every time I go out there. Results aside, and what the numbers say, I'm just happy that I'm able to compete and give them a chance to win, and I think that's the mentality for a lot of the other guys. And that's why we've had such a good half."

Wells has cleared five innings in all 17 of his outings, including his 16 starts. Only four other pitchers can match him. Match his consistency and dependability.

"I think that's everything for me," he said. "It's always kind of been one of my things where I just want to be someone who is reliable. Whether that's baseball, whether that's life, whether that's just being a friend. I always want to be reliable. So, the fact that I'm able to go out there and do that, it means the world to me, and hopefully I continue to do that and nothing's going to change from here on out."

* Aaron Hicks made his return to the Bronx and went 1-for-4 with a single and strikeout.

Hicks attracted a large crowd at his locker this afternoon, with media wondering how it felt to come back, why he’s hit so much better with the Orioles, what kind of reception he expected from the crowd and whether he needed a change of scenery. And, of course, the beard he’s allowed to grow.

“I think it’s nice to come here and pretty much play every single day,” he said. “Contribute right off the bat and play every day, it’s kind of what’s been nice about being here.”

The positive impact of leaving the Bronx wasn’t rejected by Hicks. He didn’t deny the connection.

“I feel like the whole time I was just trying to fight for playing time, and to be able to come here and play every day, it’s been huge,” Hicks said. “Of course, change of scenery has been good.”

Hick wasn’t waiting for his video tribute or a prolonged ovation. The reception was harsh during his struggles and didn’t figure to grow warmer with him wearing a different uniform.

The crowd booed Hicks as he walked to the plate in the top of the second, and again between innings after his image appeared on the big screen in center field. He smiled and kept playing catch.

The only cheers were heard after Hicks struck out swinging in the fourth. He lined a single into right field with two outs in the eighth, fans booed again, and it began to rain.

“They’re normally pretty tough on visiting players, so I’m not really worried about that too much,” he said. “I’m just here to pretty much go about my day and try to do everything possible to help my team win.”

* Triple-A Norfolk’s game was postponed due to rain. Grayson Rodriguez was supposed to start. Colton Cowser was leading off and playing right field, and Ryan Mountcastle was playing first base.

Double-A Bowie’s Cade Povich allowed three runs and struck out eight batters in six innings. His ERA is 5.16.

Coby Mayo had a single and double and is batting .316 with a 1.059 OPS. He started at first base and moved to third. Joseph Rosa also had two hits, including an RBI single in the eighth.

Seven-foot tall Single-A Delmarva pitcher Jared Beck tossed four scoreless innings with one hit allowed. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four.