What happened? After racing to an 8-0 lead in the second inning, the Orioles suffered a shocking, embarrassing defeat. The Tampa Bay Rays scored 12 unanswered runs, nine against the bullpen, and beat the Orioles, 12-8, at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Wednesday night.
Andrew Kittredge (1-1) began the game with a 1.99 ERA, and gave up four runs in the seventh. He saw his ERA rise to 5.23.
After getting the first two outs in the seventh, Tampa Bay scored on RBI singles by Junior Caminero and Josh Lowe and a two-run single by Jonathan Aranda.
“Just a tough day,” Kittredge told reporters in Tampa. “A lot of soft contact. They put together some really good at-bats. They made us pay when it mattered.”
The Orioles (31-42) scored eight runs in the second, but by the fifth inning, the lead had been squandered. They didn’t get a hit after the second.
“It’s a tough game. It hurts. It really hurts,” interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters in Tampa. “Tomorrow’s another day and we’ll try to figure out how to win another game.”
Colton Cowser and Ramón Laureano hit three-run home runs and Cedric Mullins hit his 12th home run. Gunnar Henderson had an RBI single.
Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley recorded just four outs.
Trevor Rogers allowed three runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings with three walks. Scott Blewett gave up one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.
“Momentum’s a real thing,” Mansolino said. “It didn’t feel good. When it was 8-3 and we had to pull Trev … We’ve probably been on the other side of those games the last few years. I don’t feel that’s happened to us the last couple of years.”
In the fifth, Yennier Cano gave up four runs while recording two outs, and the game was tied, 8-8. Seranthony Domínguez registered the third out of the inning.
“They battled, they stayed in the game, a lot of balls fell in,” Mansolino said.
What was happening with Rogers? Rogers’ first start with the Orioles came on May 24th when he allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. His second start was much more difficult. He had a long time to sit while his teammates staked him to a large advantage.
“The guys gave me an 8-0 lead,” Rogers told reporters in Tampa. “With an eight-run lead, you’ve got to attack the strike zone … Really frustrating because the stuff felt good today.”
Rogers pitched well at Norfolk in the starts before his recall.
“Regardless of what the stat line says, I like where I’m at,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about winning games. When your team gives you eight runs, you’ve got to go out and do your job. I think I’m trying to do too much with two strikes. I’m trying to make the perfect pitch.”
This will be a tough one for Rogers to think about because it’s not often that he’ll get to pitch with such a large cushion.
“With an eight-run lead, I have a lot more margin of error to go with, just trying to do too much with two strikes,” he said.
Mansolino was questioning the umpiring as well.
“It was tough. The zone was tight, too,” he said. “There are some pitches that could have gone our way, but didn’t. The fastball looked good the first inning, it was in the zone felt like it was going to be a nice little outing for him, it just fell apart.”
What does it mean? If the Orioles can shake off this awful defeat and win on Thursday for a series split, that would be huge.
What’s the stat of the day? The Orioles’ bullpen, which had been excellent recently, allowed nine runs on 13 hits.
“The bullpen didn’t do what they’ve done here for a while,” Mansolino said.
What’s the word? “You’re just trying to solve problems. You’re not thinking about what just happened. You’re thinking about what’s next, how you’re going to get through this.”-Mansolino on how it felt to lose a large lead.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Rightfielder Dylan Beavers homered and drove in three runs, designated hitter Heston Kjerstad and third baseman Vimael Machin homered in Triple-A Norfolk’s 10-7 loss to Memphis.
Double-A Chesapeake was held to one hit in a 10-1 loss to Erie. The game ended after 6 ½ innings due to rain.
High-A Aberdeen had only two hits in its 6-1 win loss to Brooklyn.
Yeiber Cartaya allowed an unearned run on a hit in five innings in Single-A Delmarva’s 5-4 loss to Hickory.
What’s next? The Orioles conclude their four-game series with the Rays on Thursday night at 7:35. Charlie Morton (3-7, 6.05) will face Drew Rasmussen (6-4, 2.55).
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com