Profar's second home run of night sends Orioles to 6-4 loss (updated)

The Orioles traded for another starting pitcher and might not be done. The rotation was targeted as an area of need. Surgeries and struggles left them no choice.

Grayson Rodriguez wanted to provide the latest example that the top portion is in good hands, and he did it for a while. Corbin Burnes registered his 17^th quality start yesterday in Miami and Rodriguez carried a shutout into the sixth tonight, but Jurickson Profar hit a game-tying, two-run homer and manager Brandon Hyde went to his bullpen.

Another area that's under some construction.

Burnes and Rodriguez remain a formidable one-two punch, but the Orioles had to get off the canvas again like they did yesterday in extras. They managed it briefly and went down again, this time unable to scramble back to their feet.

The defense let down reliever Burch Smith in the sixth. The Orioles tied the game in the eighth, but Craig Kimbrel surrendered a two-run homer to Profar with two outs in the ninth in the Orioles’ 6-4 loss to the Padres before an announced sellout crowd of 43,692 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 61-42 after losing for the ninth time in 13 games and 11^th in 17. The Yankees blew a late lead in Boston and remain two back in the division race.

Kimbrel, who threw 28 pitches yesterday, allowed a one-out single Luis Campusano and Profar launched a fastball 431 feet to center field. He’s been scored upon in three of his last four appearances, allowing eight runs total and six earned. His ERA is 3.32.

"He put a good swing on that pitch," Kimbrel said. "Obviously, it wasn't a good pitch because he hit it. But it wasn't right down the middle.

"The last two games I haven't gone out there and done my job. I've let the team down and I'm really disappointed in that. We played a good game today. Got back in it, made it close. It's my job to come in there and keep it rolling and keep it exciting and I wasn't able to do that and it sucked."

Hyde gave Kimbrel a reset after the veteran reliever struggled in May, removing him from the closer's role in three straight appearances. He doesn't notice similarities to what's happening with Kimbrel this month.

“No, it’s a little different for me," Hyde said. "Balls are kind of thigh-high, middle part of the plate. He gets ahead of Profar with a base open and then just leaves one in the middle part of the plate. That’s what he’s done the past few days.”

Kimbrel went a week between appearances when he gave up three runs in the ninth inning in New York. He escaped a jam in Texas on five days' rest and on four in Miami when the Marlins scored three (one earned) in two-thirds of an inning.

Hyde used him in consecutive games tonight without separation.

"I wanted to get him back out," Hyde said. "Honestly, for us, when he has too much time off, there’s a little bit of rust there. I think he wanted to get back out there tonight."

He did. It just didn't work out.

"I was two pitches away," Kimbrel said, "but unfortunately, today he put a good swing on it and it went out."

"My mind goes to, anybody who plays the game, you're going to have your ups and you're going to have your downs," said Jordan Westburg. "This game is very, very hard. I'm sure he's beating himself up a little bit, but we have his back. We trust him. We know the kind of pitcher and closer he is. It's made him so good for so many years and I have full confidence that he's going to come out of it, he's going to help us down the stretch."

Seranthony Domínguez made his Orioles debut and tossed a scoreless eighth with two hits and a strikeout. He was 47^th player used this season and outfielder Cristian Pache became the 48^th when he pinch-ran for Heston Kjerstad in the eighth. Starter Zach Eflin will be the 49^th next week.

“Kind of wanted to get his feet wet in a lower-pressure situation," Hyde said. "He arrived here at about 5 o’clock, him and Pache. If he went in the game tonight, it was going to be, I didn’t want to put him in a real tough spot, so down two there, I felt like it was a good time for him. I thought he threw the ball well."

"I feel really good, I feel really happy," Domínguez said. "The good thing about that trade is it was really close from Philly to right here and that's why I was available tonight."

Kimbrel shared a bullpen with Domínguez in Philadelphia.

"Great stuff," Kimbrel said. "Throws hard. He's got a wipeout slider and he competes. I like him. He's going to make us better."

Domínguez gives the Orioles a closing option if Kimbrel continues to struggle. He has 28 career saves, including 16 in 2018.

The trade news surprised him, and he heard about it shortly after getting out of bed.

"I'm happy to be here," he said. "It's a new family for me. For me and my family it's a new challenge, and I hope to help the team win the most that I can."

Domínguez also is reunited with Eflin from their Phillies days. His wife alerted him to that deal earlier today.

"He's one of the greatest guys that I've ever seen before," he said. "He's a nice human. Happy that they traded him here, too."

Anthony Santander took over the team lead in home runs with his 29^th to begin the eighth, narrowing the Padres’ advantage to 4-3. He sent an Adrian Morejon fastball 442 feet at 110.3 mph off the bat over the Orioles bullpen.

Ryan O’Hearn doubled down the left field line and Kjerstad reached with one out on a high chopper over the mound. Robert Suárez, brother of Orioles pitcher Albert Suárez, retired Ryan Mountcastle on a fly ball but the tying run scored.

Floppy hats were passed out at the gates and Rodriguez was solid until Luis Arraez’s leadoff single in the sixth and Profar’s home run, which came on the fifth consecutive fastball thrown after a curveball to begin the at-bat. An 11^th quality start wasn’t happening.

Smith entered after Rodriguez allowed two runs and seven hits in five-plus. Jake Cronenworth flied to the center field fence at 399 feet, Gunnar Henderson committed a throwing error on Manny Machado’s grounder and Xander Bogaerts doubled to break the tie.

Kjerstad race back to the left field warning track, had the ball in his glove and lost it. He slammed into the wall and had to get back to this feet. Statcast had the catch probability at 99 percent.

“Tough play," Hyde said. "It’s a long way to go. I don’t know if he got turned around a little bit, but there’s a lot to deal with there. You’re not used to running that far back behind you and then with the wall, track, I can’t answer for him, it just looked like he got caught up a little bit. He almost made the play, but a tough play.”

Severna Park native Jackson Merrill followed with a clean double down the left field line for a 4-2 lead.

The Padres put a runner on base against Rodriguez in every inning except the fourth. A double play bailed him out after back-to-back singles from the bottom of the order to begin the third.

"They're a pretty good contact-hitting team," Rodriguez said. "So really, just trying to get ahead, let them put the ball in play. Wish I would have been in the strike zone just a little bit more. I think we got sporadic there at times."

Westburg hit his 17^th home run leading off the second inning against Adam Mazur, who was removed after 2 2/3. Westburg went to right-center field, 406 feet at 109.8 mph off the bat.

Westburg drew a one-out walk against Austin Davis in the fourth and Kjerstad reached on Davis’ throwing error on an attempted force. Former Orioles reliever Logan Gillaspie entered the game, and Westburg scored on Mountcastle’s fielder’s choice grounder.

Machado made his first appearance at Camden Yards since 2019 and mostly heard cheers during his initial at-bat, with a smattering of boos mixed into the reception. He spun to avoid a fastball, swung through two sliders and grounded into a force.

Machado finished 0-for-4 and reached on the error.

Mazur walked the first two batters he faced and Ryan O’Hearn grounded into a double play. Westburg’s homer guaranteed that the Padres wouldn’t throw back-to-back no-hitters following Dylan Cease’s gem yesterday in D.C.

Henderson doubled in the third and was stranded. Colton Cowser singled in the seventh and Henderson walked with two outs, but Adley Rutschman grounded out on a 2-0 pitch from Morejon to make the Orioles 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

They were 1-for-8 after Kjerstad’s infield single in the eighth and 1-for-9 after pinch-hitter Cedric Mullins struck out with runners on the corners.

"I think we know how good we are," Kimbrel said. "We get disappointed when we're not playing up to our expectations. And I think at times we feel that way. ... I think there's nothing but good things to come. I see us getting on a good run at some point. We have the mentality and we have the guys in the clubhouse to do it, and I think we will."

"I think all the teams have these stretches," Rodriguez said. "There's ups and downs, it's a really long season. I really can't say exactly what it is. I wish I had done a little bit better job tonight there in the sixth inning. I think that's kind of where it started with me and I think if I go out there and do a better job in the sixth, I think it's a totally different ballgame."

* Hyde doesn't know whether Eflin will report Saturday or Sunday.

“Yeah, very excited," Hyde said. "Zach’s somebody we’ve seen a lot and I’ve heard unbelievable things about him. Postseason tested. He’s a true professional. Everybody talks about how great of a guy he is and what he can bring to the clubhouse and our pitching staff, and we’re looking for pitching and it’s nice to add a quality starter like Zach.”

"Obviously a great pitcher," Rodriguez said. "He's thrown well against us, so it's going to be pretty relieving having him on our team. Honestly, I think he's a really great guy. You see what he does on the field. I think he's going to make our rotation a heck of a lot better. Really excited to get to know him as a person and see him wearing black and orange for us."

Maybe an injection of new blood can energize the stumbling ballclub.

"We're trying to push through this and we're kind of open to anybody and everybody that can help us," Westburg said. "We know how we're playing right now. We know it's not the way we're capable of playing. It's going to take this whole clubhouse to kind of turn this thing around."

* Coby Mayo doubled and hit his 20^th home run in Game 1 of Triple-A Norfolk’s doubleheader. Jackson Holliday singled and doubled.

Mayo played third base in Game 1 and first in the nightcap.

Billy Cook hit his 11th home run in Game 2.