Orioles rally to tie, but lose 5-4 in Toronto (updated)

A couple of bases-loaded walks tonight in the second inning gave the Orioles a lead and some evidence that they can work a count and offer their manager the type of at-bats he's been pleading for during the season.

Those walks, by Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle, weren't intended to provide the bulk of the offense. The Orioles would need to back them with some clutch hitting and hope the bullpen also could step up.

Jorge Mateo led off the sixth with a double against Tayler Saucedo, his 25th hit in 22 games with the Orioles, and scored with one out on Austin Wynns' single. Catcher Alejandro Kirk picked off Wynns to damage the rally.

Mountcastle drew his second walk of the night leading off the seventh and scored the tying run from first base on Trey Mancini's double into the left field corner against veteran Joakim Soria. Mancini was thrown out trying to advance to third base, also damaging the rally but giving him a much-needed RBI.

A win, also in short supply, didn't materialize after an infield hit, hit batter and long fly ball followed Dillon Tate's appearance in the game, which eventually would dictate the outcome and test the patience of that same manager.

Matt Harvey lasted only four innings and the turning of the calendar didn't spin the Orioles' results in road series. Marcos Diplán inherited two runners in scoring position from Tate in the eighth, Randal Grichuk lifted a sacrifice fly to medium center and the Blue Jays prevailed 5-4 at Rogers Centre.

Grichuk was caught in a rundown, also detrimental to a rally, but the Orioles fell to 41-91 overall, 4-8 against Toronto and 14-43 versus the American League East. They're also 5-4 in rubber games and were trying to win their first series away from home since July 16-18 in Kansas City.

Bo Bichette singled on a soft ground ball that Tate deflected, Teoscar Hernández was hit, both runners moved up on Alejandro Kirk's fly ball to deep center and Grichuk, in his first at-bat of the night, broke the tie.

Mancini sat out last night's game and ended August with only four RBIs and a .224/.248/.305 line. He was 0-for-3 with a strikeout tonight before the double.

"Big hit for him," said Brandon Hyde. "He's been scuffling and he's been really tough on himself lately, and to see him get a ball in the corner there, I'm sure it's a relief for him."

Tate has been charged with four runs in his last two appearances.

"He throws 96 (mph) way off the plate there to Bichette and he probably thought the ball was hit harder and there's a misplay there," Hyde said. "He's a ground ball away from getting out of the inning, a double play to Hernández, but he runs the ball in and hits him. Kirk got a good piece of that.

"I felt Diplán had a better chance of punching out Grichuk than to leave Dillon out there because Diplán's an elevated four-seam, curveball guy and he got the fastball up and Grichuk just got enough of it to get it far enough in the outfield."

Harvey turned in his shortest outing since Aug. 4 in New York. Coming off his fifth quality start of the season, he was charged with four runs and six hits, didn't strike out a batter for the first time as an Oriole and was done after 71 pitches.

Marcus Semien homered in the first inning on a 90 mph fastball for a 1-0 lead. The Jays tied the game in the fourth in much softer fashion, with an infield hit, force play, stolen base and bloop single by Hernández that scored Bichette.

Then it got loud again.

Corey Dickerson lined a single into right field with two outs and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ran the count full and lined a two-run single into left for a 4-2 lead.

"I felt like I was throwing strikes, just not quality ones tonight," Harvey said. "Just one of those starts where physically didn't feel that great and was kind of a battle from the beginning and unfortunately gave up some runs there in the fourth. Was trying to at least get us through five and that inning kind of piled up on me and they decided it was enough at that point."

The Orioles waited until two outs in the sixth inning last night to collect their first hit, a double by Mountcastle. They had a single just two batters into tonight's game - again from Mountcastle, who entered the game having hit safely in 10 of 11 against Toronto this season, slashing .385/.467/.821 (15-for-39).

Ramón Urías led off the second with a single and moved up a base on Anthony Santander's single. Jahmai Jones drew a four-pitch walk with one out, Wynns flied to shallow right field and Mullins walked with the count full to tie the game.

Mountcastle also ran the count full and walked on the seventh pitch for a 2-1 lead. Matz threw 56 pitches in two innings, but only nine in the third while retiring the side in order.

Matz put two runners on base with two outs in the fourth by walking Wynns and allowing a single to Mullins against the shift, but Mountcastle struck out on three sinkers.

The former Mets left-hander allowed only four earned runs in 27 2/3 innings in August, and he's surrendered three earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 10 starts. The five hits and four walks tonight ran up his pitch count to 100 through five innings, but he passed a 4-2 lead to the bullpen.

Urías made a diving stop and throw to retire Semien, end the third inning and strand Breyvic Valera at second base with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on deck. He made a nice backhand stop of Valera's grounder near the line with no outs in the seventh and held Gurriel at second base, but George Springer singled off Tanner Scott, with Gurriel stopping at third after Mullins almost made a diving catch.

Jorge López, appearing on back-to-back nights in his new role, struck out Semien and retired Guerrero on a fly ball.

Scott inherited a runner from Conner Greene with one out in the sixth and Dickerson grounded into a double play after seeing three straight fastballs.

Mateo drew the Orioles' sixth walk of the night with one out in the eighth, didn't attempt to steal, and Jones grounded into a double play.

"I thought we squandered some opportunities offensively early that probably could have gotten Matz out of that game in the second inning," Hyde said. "Just let the big hit elude us there or we'd put a big number up. But happy with how we came back. We scored a run off Soria there to tie it. I thought Conner Green did a really nice job out of the 'pen, Tanner got a big double play ball, Lopie was huge. It was great to see him come in a big spot and pitch the way we did. But losing is never easy and we came up a run short."

Notes: Zac Lowther started Game 1 of a doubleheader at Triple-A Norfolk and allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings with one walk, four strikeouts and a home run. Hunter Harvey made his fourth appearance on his injury rehab assignment and allowed four runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning, with a walk, strikeout and home run.

Paul Fry retired the only batter he faced. Adley Rutschman and Tyler Nevin each had a double and an RBI.

Yusniel Diaz delivered an RBI single in Game 2. Kevin Smith tossed five scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

Jacob Teter had a two-run single in the first inning and picked up another RBI later for Single-A Delmarva and John Rhodes had a two-run double. Ty Blach tossed two scoreless innings on his rehab assignment, with two hits and two strikeouts.

Double-A Bowie and Single-A Aberdeen had their games postponed due to rain.