Just as he did Sunday, streaking Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander homered twice. And just as they did Sunday, the Orioles spoiled an impressive comeback with a late-inning error that cost them the game.
With the game tied at seven and runners on second and third in the 10th inning, defensive replacement Chris Davis made a diving stop on a ground ball to first, but his throw home evaded catcher Pedro Severino, allowing the go-ahead run to score in the Orioles’ 8-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Camden Yards.
Dwight Smith Jr. opened the bottom of the 10th inning on second base, but ran through a stop sign at third base on a Cedric Mullins single and was caught in a rundown for the second out of the inning before pinch hitter Bryan Holaday popped up to end the game.
The eventual winning run scored on the error, but Orioles manager Brandon Hyde only lamented that they didn’t score in their half of the inning. He said Davis made a “great play” to get to the ball and saved a run in doing so.
“Disappointed that we didn’t score in the bottom half,” Hyde said. “Had an opportunity and made a mistake. Tough loss. Tough loss because I’m really proud of how our guys battled back and how a lot of our bullpen guys threw.”
The Orioles (12-11) have lost three straight games and four of five since their six-game winning streak last week.
“At this level, it is a fine line between winning and losing,” Hyde said. “But at the same time, it’s a case study in a baseball season, whether it’s 60 games, whether it’s 162, there’s ups and downs. The good teams are the ones that can ride out the lows and get back to sea level faster, and don’t let the sinking kind of prolong.”
A makeshift lineup that Hyde was forced into by giving Hanser Alberto a day off worked out as well as could be expected early on, with leadoff man Chance Sisco working a walk and scoring on Santander’s eighth home run of the season.
Randal Grichuk erased that lead with a two-run home run of his own in the third inning, but Santander laced a hanging slider into the Orioles bullpen for his second home run of the game to restore the lead.
His nine home runs are second-most in the American League, while his 25 RBIs are most in the league. His 13-game hitting streak is a career high.
By the time he came up next, things had gotten away from the Orioles quickly. Wade LeBlanc loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning and watched all three of those runs come around to score with Travis Lakins Sr. on the mound — first on a double by Grichuk and then on a three-run home run by Travis Shaw.
That 7-3 deficit didn’t last long. Sisco homered to right field to score two in the bottom of the fifth, then Rio Ruiz doubled and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Renato Núñez.
Núñez was involved in the rally to tie the game in the seventh as well, as his two-out single, a double by Severino and a pinch-hit infield single by Alberto pushed him around.
LeBlanc’s limit
LeBlanc was relatively efficient the first time through the Blue Jays (9-11) order, turning the lineup over on 37 pitches before the two-out walk that preceded Grichuk’s home run.
But he allowed two quick singles to open the fifth inning and then issued a walk, and Hyde opted to go to the bullpen.
With the runs Lakins allowed to score on his account, LeBlanc allowed five runs in four-plus innings, bringing his ERA to 7.89.
“I thought it was just a little bit of an unlucky outing,” Hyde said.
Strong arms
Lakins’ tough inning aside, the Orioles’ primary corps of relievers were rested and did the job Tuesday to keep the game close. Shawn Armstrong had another scoreless inning, Miguel Castro allowed one hit in 1⅓ scoreless innings, and Mychal Givens dominated a 1-2-3 eighth inning to get the ball to Sulser in the ninth.
Sulser issued a leadoff walk, but erased it with an inning-ending double play. The run off Sulser in the 10th was unearned, and the damage was limited by Tanner Scott striking out both batters he faced.