The Orioles were one out away from winning another series from the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, from tying their season high for consecutive wins and from getting back to an even record for the first time since May 26.
But closer Kevin Gregg couldn't close it out in the ninth and reliever Jeremy Accardo allowed several key hits as the Rays beat the Orioles, 7-5, in 11 innings Saturday night.
"We have been so good closing out games recently that it is tough," said Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed three runs in six innings and left with a chance to win. "We are not going to always have everything go well for us and perfect. And tonight we let them back in the game."
The bullpen implosion muted third baseman Mark Reynolds' first two-homer night in an Orioles' uniform. It also ended the Orioles' four-game winning streak and dropped them to 30-32 on the season. They were attempting to beat the Rays (34-30) for a fourth consecutive time.
"We definitely missed out on a lot of chances. We should have probably won the game," said Reynolds, who had his 10th career multi-homer game. "It's a tough loss. It will test the character of the club. We'll try to bounce back tomorrow and get the series."
There was plenty of late-inning drama that kept the frenzied, announced crowd of 25,541 bouncing up and down on its feet -- such as in the eighth when Rays reliever Joel Peralta loaded the bases before walking rookie Brandon Snyder on seven pitches to break a 4-4 tie.
It was the fourth career RBI and first of the season for Snyder, who was recalled to the majors Friday to fill in for Derrek Lee, who is on the temporary bereavement list.
J.J. Hardy followed with what appeared to be a single that likely would have scored two runs, but Rays shortstop Reid Brignac made a great sprawling stop of a sizzling one-hopper that he turned into an inning-ending forceout.
"The play there their shortstop made on Hardy, I thought that was a big play. Could have opened it up a little bit for us and given us a margin for error," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Defense I think more than anything might have been the difference-maker for us tonight, a couple plays, really three plays we didn't quite make."
Gregg couldn't hold the one-run lead in the ninth, blowing his fourth save in 16 chances on a Casey Kotchman single to center. It was set up by a one-out Ben Zobrist triple into the left-field corner that Felix Pie couldn't quite catch on the run.
After getting the third out of the ninth on a called strikeout of B.J. Upton, Gregg walked into the Orioles dugout and slammed his glove against the wall, sending a carton of sunflower seeds flying in various directions. Gregg hadn't allowed a run in his past seven innings while converting five straight save opportunities. His last blown save was on May 16 at Boston.
Accardo (3-2) entered in the 11th and immediately surrendered a double to Zobrist that slipped past Snyder at first. Zobrist, who had three doubles and a triple and scored four runs, tied a Rays' franchise record with four extra-base hits.
After a groundout moved Zobrist to third, the Orioles chose to pitch to Evan Longoria with one out and first base open. Longoria, who was 2-for-4 against Accardo previously, flared a single to score Zobrist with the go-ahead run. The veteran Kotchman, who is batting .345 this season, followed with a RBI double to right center.
"Kotchman's probably their hottest hitter. [Longoria] didn't exactly center the ball, fisted the ball over the field. But he's strong," Showalter said. "We had to play the infield in. But we got through that same situation earlier in the game and were a pitch away. That's why he's hitting behind him. You take one of your best track-record guys and put a hot hitter behind him."
Rays closer Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 11th to pick up his 14th save and secure the win for reliever Juan Cruz (4-0).
It stole the limelight from Reynolds, who has a team-leading 12 homers and 35 RBIs and a batting average north of .200. He has hit six homers in his past 11 games.
In the fifth he homered to right center. Reynolds' homer in the sixth -- a 421-footer to the deepest part of center on a 3-0 pitch to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead -- was downright majestic. Reynolds watched it as it flew deep into the night; meanwhile Rays starter David Price dropped his head and screamed.
"I haven't gotten the green light all year to be honest with you," Reynolds said. "But we're down a run with a guy on. I've been swinging the bat pretty good so why not? I was kind of happy [Showalter] gave it to me."
Saturday began as a rematch of Opening Day, when Guthrie and the Orioles got the best of Price and the Rays, 4-1 on April 1. Neither starter factored into the decision on Saturday.
Guthrie, who had won just once since Opening Day -- on May 21 versus the Washington Nationals -- trailed the entire time he was in the game Saturday and was headed toward his major-league-leading ninth loss. Instead, Guthrie wiggled out of several tight spots, minimizing the damage, and watched from the dugout bench in the bottom of the sixth when Reynolds took him off the hook for the loss and gave him a chance to get the win.
"I think it turned out that the big home runs by Mark made it so, yeah, we were in the game. Any other night David is throwing the ball so well throughout his career that three runs could have been considered not keeping us in the game," Guthrie said. "Ultimately, we are trying to win the game so, yeah, you can be pleased that I left with a chance to help the team win. I could have done much better. I need to do much better, but at the same time, being ahead of a tough ballclub and a tough pitcher, it is something to build off."
That tenuous lead quickly disappeared. Zobrist doubled to lead off the seventh against reliever Jim Johnson, who then retired the next two batters on shallow flyouts, bringing Kotchman to the plate with two outs.
Kotchman, who had three hits and two RBIs, slapped a bouncer up the middle that second baseman Robert Andino snagged and then attempted to throw to first while turning and leaping. The one-hopper bounced over the glove of an outstretched and off-balanced Snyder. Andino's error allowed Zobrist to score the tying run.
It then looked like the Orioles would come out victorious until the Rays scratched out a win against a recently tough Orioles bullpen.
"You got to look at some of the positives from this," Accardo said. "We put up some runs off a pretty good pitcher out there and our offense did a great job. Mark did a great job. Guthrie, he battled and gave us what he got. And I think nine times out of 10 you run Jim [Johnson] and Kev [Gregg] out there and it's going to be pretty much a done deal. So the game kind of does this to you sometimes."
dan.connolly@baltsun.com