Orioles blanked for eight innings in 10-2 loss to Brewers (updated)

MILWAUKEE – The goals have shifted for the Orioles as they near the conclusion of their latest road trip.

Don’t get swept. Try to go .500.

Try to keep the first-place Rays within viewing distance and don’t let anyone get too close.

Corbin Burnes tossed eight scoreless innings, rookie Joey Wiemer homered twice and had five RBIs, and the Brewers scored six runs off Dean Kremer in a 10-2 victory before an announced crowd of 22,320 at American Family Field.

The Orioles won two of three games from the Giants but have dropped the first two in Milwaukee. Their record is 37-24, still good for second place in the division but leaving them 6 ½ behind Tampa Bay, which got a walk-off home run from Randy Arozarena.

Only 1 ½ separate the Orioles from the Yankees, whose game was postponed again tonight because of poor air quality due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. They play a doubleheader on Thursday.

Plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected manager Brandon Hyde in the fifth inning after Ryan O’Hearn was called out on strikes. Hyde already was tossed when he came out of the dugout, yelled at Wendelstedt and appeared to gesture that the last pitch was low.

"I just thought the strike zone was a little big and they were getting some calls on balls down," Hyde said. "There were a handful of balls that I thought were borderline that we weren't getting, and so, I guess Hunter didn't appreciate it."

Tonight marked Hyde’s second ejection of the season, and it didn’t jump-start his club.

The Orioles were on the verge of their sixth shutout this season and third in eight games, but reliever Bennett Sousa loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth and they scored twice. Ramón Urías came off the bench and singled for his third hit in 26 at-bats. Austin Hays accounted for the first run with a single.

The Brewers reinstated Willy Adames from the seven-day concussion list today, and he celebrated with a 400-foot home run in the first inning.

Adames thought he drew a walk on the previous pitch, turned back to the box and launched a fastball to center field for his 10^th homer.

Victor Caratini led off the third with a single and rookie Wiemer homered to right-center field for a 3-0 lead. Wiemer followed last night’s walk-off single in the 10^th by jumping on a first-pitch cutter from Kremer.

Kremer hadn’t surrendered multiple home runs since April 24, in his fifth start of the season. It happened three times in that span.

Wiemer punched a sinker into right field with two outs in the fourth to score Brian Anderson, who was hit by a pitch and moved up on Caratini’s ground ball single.

The four runs were the most allowed by Kremer since Game 1 of an April 29 doubleheader in Detroit, when the Tigers had five runs and 11 hits against him in five innings.

The Brewers added two more in the fifth to leave Kremer with a season-high six, prompting left-hander Bruce Zimmermann to begin warming. Owen Miller singled with two outs and scored on Jon Singleton’s double into left field, and Anderson singled up the middle, with Kremer unable to knock down the ball with his foot.

"There were only probably like two or three that I would take back," Kremer said. "The two to Caratini that were 0-0 and the first Adames homer, but other than that, for the most part I executed what we went out and tried to do."

Bench coach Fredi González, in charge with Hyde ejected, removed Kremer after five innings and 93 pitches. The right-hander allowed nine hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five, and his ERA rose from 4.43 to 4.89.

"I just think that a couple of the homers were balls elevated," Hyde said. "A 3-1 fastball to Adames there early, homer. Cutter to Wiemer was elevated a little bit. But you've got to give those guys credit, too. They hit a lot of balls that were on the corners, also, and it just wasn't our night in any aspect."

Said Kremer: "Something I was told in the minor leagues, it says – and granted it's 25 starts, not 30-plus starts – you're going to have five that are really good and you're going to have five that are going to be not so good, and then that middle bulk is kind of what makes your season. I'd like to chalk this one up to one of those unlucky ones."

Wiemer doubled off Zimmermann in the sixth to leave him a triple shy of the cycle, and he homered into the second deck in left field in the seventh as part of a four-run inning. He entered the series batting .214/.286/.382 in 58 games.

The Brewers had two runners in scoring position with no outs in the sixth, but Zimmermann struck out the next two batters and induced a ground ball. He wasn’t as fortunate in the seventh, when eight batters came to the plate and the lead swelled to 10-0.

Andruw Monasterio, who scored the winning run last night, had an RBI double, followed by Caratini’s sacrifice fly and Wiemer’s destruction of a curveball.

Zimmermann allowed seven of the 16 hits against the Orioles that was one shy of the season high.

Wiemer made a sliding catch in center to rob Gunnar Henderson in the eighth. It’s his world.

The Brewers broke out their powder blue City Connect uniforms for tonight’s game. Burnes warmed in the first inning to the Garth Brooks song, “Friends in Low Places.”

He held down the Orioles for eight innings, allowing only two hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. Hard contact was practically non-existent.

"He was throwing in a really good spot, attacking hitters, down and away, down and in," said Anthony Santander. "That's a big key as a pitcher."

Aaron Hicks singled into left field in the second inning for his seventh hit in 16 at-bats with the Orioles, but he was doubled off first base on Henderson’s line drive to Adames.

O’Hearn struck out leading off the third and reached on a wild pitch, but Burnes retired the next seven batters. Henderson had an infield hit with one out in the fifth to halt the streak.

No problem. Burnes started another one, retiring 11 in a row.

"Got to watch the last few innings inside and just watched how he pitched on the corners," Hyde said. "I thought he had great stuff tonight. Kind of back to Cy Young stuff like he threw a couple years ago. Just had a tough time."

It will be tougher Thursday if the Orioles can't avoid their first sweep.

"It's part of the game," Santander said. "We have to stay positive, come back the next day, work hard and play hard.

"Get here tomorrow early, go out there and be ready to compete, give everything we've got."

* Jackson Holliday hit his fifth home run for High-A Aberdeen and Creed Willems hit his second. Jud Fabian doubled twice.

After going 5-for-5 last night, Single-A Delmarva’s Carter Young had a two-run triple in the third inning for his 10^th hit in 11 at-bats. He added a double later in the game.

Elio Prado hit his fourth home run.

Double-A Bowie’s John Rhodes had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and two RBIs. César Prieto finished with three hits and an RBI and raised his average to .363 with a .903 OPS. Shayne Fontana had two hits and three RBIs.