This one gets away from the 'pen, plus more on Players' Weekend

So that is two bullpen meltdowns for the Orioles in the last two games. Their 'pen has allowed 10 runs in five innings over the last two games against Toronto and New York. The Orioles went ahead of the Yankees 4-2 in the seventh last night on Jonathan Villar's two-run homer but they lost 7-5 in 10 innings

Gleyber Torres punched a two-run single into right against Mychal Givens in the eighth to tie it 4-4 and Cody Carroll allowed homers in the 10th to Neil Walker and Luke Voit as the Yankees rallied to beat the Orioles.

The young pitchers in the O's bullpen are having their share of growing pains right now and Orioles pitchers have allowed 21 runs the last three games and 54 the last eight. The O's staff has allowed 25 home runs in the last 13 games.

In the other dugout last night, former Oriole Zach Britton got his first save with New York, although Chris Davis homered off him in the last of the 10th as part of his first three-hit game since Aug. 14, 2017.

Before the game, Britton talked about his return to Baltimore and getting to see some of his former teammates.

"It was just fun to see the guys," he said. "A lot of guys have gotten traded from this team, so it's not the same team I left, but it's just good to see the guys I had a relationship with."

With Aroldis Chapman now on the disabled list with left knee tendinitis, Britton could get more save chances and he would welcome that.

"That was the most comfortable role I've had," he said surrounded by a large group of reporters in the visitors dugout. "It's the only role I've had in the bullpen, really. Pretty much went from starting to closing games. So that's a comfortable place for me to fall back on. The situation will probably dictate who goes in there. But yeah, I've had success closing games and I'll be comfortable in that role but I'm getting comfortable in the role I have now too."

Players' Weekend: Players' Weekend is here. It began last year and is designed to showcase the personalities and interests of major league players by allowing them to select a nickname for the back of their jersey and use uniquely colored and designed equipment for games from Aug. 24-26. Each player may recognize someone who was instrumental in his development, or a baseball player who inspired him to achieve, on a jersey patch on his right sleeve. Players may wear a t-shirt highlighting a cause or charity during pregame workouts and postgame interviews.

Game-worn, Players' Weekend jerseys will be auctioned at MLB.com/auctions. All proceeds will be donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort established in July 2015 by MLB and the MLBPA with an initial commitment of $30 million focused on improving amateur baseball and softball programs in the United States and Canada.

For Orioles lefty Paul Fry, the nickname on the back of his jersey says "Papa Frita."

"That started when I was with the Mariners when I first got drafted," Fry explained. "All the Latin guys in the bullpen would call me French fry. It turned into Papa Frita, which is French fry in Spanish. I could have gone with small fry or fry daddy, random names I've been called all the time."

Fry is a fan of Players' Weekend.

"I think this is a great chance for guys to express themselves in a different way," he said. "You see all the different cleats and all the things that are special to them are on those, like nicknames and charities they are supporting. It's awesome.

"My thank yous are for my high school baseball coach, Mike Malley. My second one is for my college coach, Mike Greene. He is the first person that ever told me I would pitch in the big leagues one day. That just lit a fire under me. He coached a lot of guys and the scouts started coming out and that's when I knew this might happen one day."

Fry played in high school at Waterford-Kettering High School in in Waterford, Mich., and in college at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Mich.

Orioles pitcher Mike Wright Jr. has "Bird" on the back of his Players' Weekend jersey. It's the nickname his college coach gave him because he said he looked like both Big Bird from Sesame Street and also former Tiger pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fydrich.

Wright's thank you on his sleeve recognizes the names of Sherry (his Mom), Dennis (his Dad), Madison (his wife) and Tiffany (his sister).

"The only reason I'm here is because my family believed in me and supported me," said Wright. "They made countless road trips and sacrificed time, money, everything so that I could live out my dream. Each one has such a special part. My mom supported me like nobody's business. She always supported me even if I was having a down game. She was always preaching to believe in myself. My dad in high school, we moved an hour away so I could work on my craft and then he had to drive an hour to work back and forth every single day."

Wright is promoting his non-profit endeavor the "Wright State of Mind" on his batting practice jersey. Wright's mom suffers from dementia and this organization will help others in a similar situation. It is obviously something very important to the right-hander.

"My sister is the CEO/president. She is my mom's full-time help," he said. "We want to raise money for (Alzheimers/dementia) research but also host caregiver conferences and just help in the process to hope everything goes smoothly with the patient and those giving the care. It's a lot of work. My sister jumped in feet first and learned so much about being a caregiver."

Before Friday's game, O's catcher Austin Wynns did some reporting and interviews for MASN about Players' Weekend.

Winnie the Interviewer: Watch @AustinWynns talk to teammates @t_beckham1, @MychalGivens, @TreyMancini and @Mikewright_Os about their #PlayersWeekend jerseys! pic.twitter.com/iIavxMNxAu

-- Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) August 25, 2018