In losing their 10th straight game Saturday in a season-worst 16-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Orioles again continued one of their most miserable stretches of the season in a manner that suggests it won’t end any time soon.
“We haven’t pitched very well as of late,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re not scoring a ton of runs either. We’ve got to do a better job.”
Starter Jorge López allowed four runs before recording an out, surrendering a run on a wild pitch and a three-run home run by All-Star Rafael Devers. He gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings, and he wasn’t the only Orioles pitcher to allow seven runs Saturday.
Reliever Adam Plutko, whose shocking stretch of outings now features six straight games allowing a home run, gave up two homers this time while recording two outs and allowing seven runs.
César Valdez allowed a home run of his own in 1 1/3 innings of relief, and after a clean seventh inning from Dillon Tate, catcher Austin Wynns took the mound in the eighth and allowed a home run to Hunter Renfroe.
The Orioles’ pitching staff has allowed 98 runs over this 10-game losing streak, which dropped them to 38-77 entering Sunday’s series finale in Boston.
“It’s really difficult,” López said of the losing streak. “It’s not easy. I’ve been having that before, too, when I was in Kansas City, and it’s tough. We’ve just got to keep playing our game, just come in every day new game, new day. We’ve just got to keep together, concentrate on the little things and just move forward.”
Hays, Mancini homer in third
Facing a returning Chris Sale, who started a game for the first time since Aug. 13, 2019, after having Tommy John surgery, the Orioles didn’t muster much offense Saturday — until the third inning. Austin Hays, batting leadoff with Cedric Mullins resting, hit a solo home run in the third, followed by a solo shot by Trey Mancini.
Otherwise, the Orioles had eight hits, with Pedro Severino collecting the team’s only mutli-hit game.
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“Nice to watch Hays and [Mancini] hit a couple homers there,” Hyde said. “We were 14 runs short.”
Sale, a seven-time All-Star, struck out eight and allowed six hits and two runs in five innings. The Red Sox bullpen allowed just two hits in four innings of relief.
Zimmermann sprains ankle
Left-hander Keegan Akin will start Sunday for the Orioles as the likely alternative — left-hander Bruce Zimmermann— won’t be returning from his arm injury after all.
Zimmermann sprained his ankle while working out at Triple-A Norfolk since his last rehab outing, in which he pitched five scoreless innings, and won’t return soon.
ORIOLES@RED SOX
Sunday, 1:10 p.m.
TV: MASN Radio: 105.7 FM