Orioles lose late lead and fail to sweep Rays (updated)

Walking along Eutaw Street may require protective headgear. Anthony Santander launched a baseball over the flag court in right field yesterday and Gunnar Henderson splashed down this afternoon with his 19th home run and sixth leading off the first inning.

Zack Littell got a called strike with his sinker and regretted the slider that followed. Henderson pummeled it.

The Rays were taking a beating during their visit to Baltimore, but they became the aggressors in the eighth and finally broke a bullpen that amassed 12 1/3 scoreless innings in a row before today.

Dillon Tate returned after recording the last two outs in the seventh and surrendered back-to-back singles and Jose Siri’s two-run, go-ahead double, and the Orioles lost 4-3 before an announced crowd of 32,463 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles were unsuccessful in their bid for a fifth series sweep of at least three games and are 37-20 as they head to Toronto.

Left-hander Garrett Cleavinger loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and Ryan Mountcastle swung at the first pitch and grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Henderson had walked, reaching base five times today and Adley Rutschman singled to bring up one of the team’s hottest hitters, but the Orioles stranded 13 runners.

Ryan O'Hearn came off the bench and singled with two outs in the ninth. Colton Cowser pinch-hit for Cedric Mullins and bounced to the mound.

"We just had so many opportunities to score," said manager Brandon Hyde.

Cole Irvin held the Rays’ all right-handed lineup to two runs in 6 1/3 innings. He followed his five scoreless innings against the Red Sox with four more today before Yandy Díaz’s sacrifice fly in the fifth. José Caballero led off the seventh by clearing the left field wall and reducing the lead to 3-2.

Yennier Cano, Jacob Webb and Cionel Pérez weren’t available today, and Hyde stuck with Tate through singles by Isaac Paredes and Amed Rosario. Siri drove a sinker into deep right-center field at 106.8 mph to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead. A strikeout and hit batter completed Tate’s afternoon.

"Tate was the right-hander there available," Hyde said.

"Everybody has a role to play, and if those guys aren't available it's my job to set it up," said Tate, who threw 14 pitches Saturday and also had two ups.

"I just wasn't good at my job today. Ultimately if I do what I need to do right there, the outcome could be different."

Hyde was hoping his club could tack on some runs to compensate for the bullpen shortage.

"Just didn't get the hits with runners in scoring position and those things happen," Hyde said. "We had opportunities late to either extend the lead or get the lead back and just didn't come through today."

Henderson is halfway to Brady Anderson’s club record for most leadoff home runs in a season in 1996. Mullins hit eight in 2021 and Anderson seven in 1999 and 2000. Alfonso Soriano holds the major league record of 13 for the Yankees in 2003.

Santander was responsible for the last time that the Orioles hit Eutaw Street homers on consecutive days, on Aug. 10-11, 2021. Chance Sisco and Santander represented the last time that two different players did it, on June 28-29, 2019.

Henderson has cleared the flag court twice in his career. It’s happened 125 times in the ballpark’s history, 60 by an Orioles player.

A leadoff single in the third put Henderson halfway to the cycle. He stole his eighth base on eight attempts and scored on Anthony Santander’s single – the right fielder’s 31^st RBI. Rutschman singled in the fourth to score James McCann for a 3-0 lead.

Irvin got away with allowing a two-out single in the first and two-out double in the third. Harold Ramírez led off the fourth with a chopper to third base that Jordan Westburg couldn’t field on the short hop, with the play ruled a hit and keeping Westburg’s major league error total at one. Amed Rosario singled with one out, Siri flied to right and McCann threw out Rosario attempting to steal with Irvin at only 44 pitches.

Jorge Mateo reached on an infield single in the second inning, applied the tag on the caught stealing in the fourth and was removed for pinch-hitter Ramón Urías after a freak accident near the on-deck circle.

Mullins lowered his bat and hit Mateo, who was bending down behind him, on the back of the helmet. Mateo stumbled backward and came out of the game.

The Orioles placed Mateo in concussion protocol and scheduled more tests. They'll check on him again Monday.

"I was getting loose, looking at the pitcher and I did kind of like a circle stretch, pretty normal stuff," Mullins said. "He was right behind me. Didn't even see him.

"I just saw him in the kitchen. He seems to be doing OK."

Mullins gained wanted attention in the fifth when he leaped at the bullpen fence to rob Jonny DeLuca of a leadoff home run. Irvin raised both arms and smiled. He’s seen it done before, and it’s cost him a bottle of whiskey as a “party favor.”

"If I could request a center fielder for every time I start, it's going to be him," Irvin said. "He's just incredible out there. No matter who's on the mound, but it's certainly shown up when I've been out there."

"There's something about Irvin being on the mound, it gives me opportunities to make really good plays," Mullins said.

The Rays put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth on singles by Caballero and Alex Jackson, the latter a 102.2 mph grounder that Urías couldn’t touch and initially was given an error, and Díaz’s sacrifice fly reduced the lead to 3-1. Jackson was 0-for-30.

Irvin’s pitch count climbed to 83 in the sixth, when Rosario doubled with one out and the veteran left-hander registered his only strikeout to end the inning. He returned for the seventh with Tate warming and Caballero homered on the first pitch.

Hyde stayed with Irvin, who retired Jackson on a fly ball to the edge of the center field warning track. Irvin scattered eight hits, threw 90 pitches and left to a standing ovation.

"Executed when I needed to, limited the damage," Irvin said. "There were quite a few hits, but all in all, they're going to get their hits. They came out swinging early. Kind of had to bob and weave a little bit."

The Orioles stranded two runners in scoring position in the seventh. Mountcastle singled and Austin Hays doubled. Mullins struck out against Shawn Armstrong, slammed his bat in the dirt and shattered it.

"I try to let my defense kind of give me that momentum going into my at-bats," Mullins said. "It's really been a struggle, frustrated, but I'm working every day to get out of it."

"I've got all these outfielders I'm trying to juggle little bit and get guys going who have been here," Hyde said.

"He's going to get his bat going soon," Irvin said. "I know it."

The Orioles had 15 hits, 13 of them singles, and couldn't score more than three runs. This is the first game when they've outhit an opponent and lost.

"It's kind of weird for us to not really put that many runs up on the board with that many hits," Mullins said. "Just one of those days. That series went well. Take that momentum into Toronto and then we'll see Tampa Bay again at their place."

* The Orioles are listing their starters for the four-game series in Toronto as Grayson Rodriguez, Corbin Burnes, TBA and TBA. Normal turns would put Albert Suárez and Kyle Bradish in the last two.

Dean Kremer is eligible to be reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday but might go on a brief rehab assignment.

The Blue Jays list Kevin Gausman, TBA, José Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi.

* Triple-A Norfolk’s Connor Norby led off the first inning today with a double and Heston Kjerstad hit his 14^th home run.

Chayce McDermott allowed one run, on Andrew Velazquez’s homer, in five innings. He walked four batters and struck out seven.

Double-A Bowie’s Kyle Brnovich no-hit Somerset for six innings. Morgan McSweeney allowed a single in the seventh.

Max Wagner had an RBI single in the first inning. Jud Fabian and John Rhodes had RBI singles in the seventh. Dylan Beavers finished with two hits, two walks and an RBI.

Single-A Delmarva’s Angel Tejada drove in six runs.

Eccel Correa was charged with eight runs in 1 2/3 innings. He allowed eight hits and walked three batters.