NEW YORK—The Orioles have been playing tight games against the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays in the past week. Three times in the past five games, the Orioles have played extra innings.
On Tuesday night, the Orioles scored a run in the top of the 11th only to give up two in the bottom of the inning as the New York Yankees beat the Orioles, 7-6, before an announced crowd of 32,289 at Yankee Stadium.
In the top of the 11th, Ryan McKenna, the automatic runner, moved to third base on a grounder to shortstop by Anthony Santander and scored when a sharp grounder by Austin Hays hit off the glove of third baseman Marwin Gonzales and caromed to shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, whose only play was to throw to first.
Kiner-Falefa singled against Oriole reliever Bryan Baker (1-2) in the bottom of the 11th to tie the games. After Gonzalez singled, Jose Trevino hit a shot past third baseman Ramón Urias to score Kiner-Falefa with the winning run.
Clark Schmidt (3-2) was the winner for New York (30-13).
The Orioles (18-26) are now 4-1 in extra innings.
“We’ve been playing like this the majority of the year,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re in most games. Our starter’s giving us a chance … Tonight we battled back [from a 3-0 deficit]. We had a nice rally there.”
The Orioles trailed 3-1 heading into the seventh. Hays hit his fourth home run against Jordan Montgomery, and Michael King replaced Montgomery.
With one out, catcher Adley Rutschman, who’d been hitless in his previous nine at-bats, singled, Urías walked and second baseman Rougned Odor homered to right, his third, and the Orioles had a four run seventh and a 5-3 lead. Odor’s four-RBI game was just the second by an Oriole this season.
“I’m just trying to stay with my pitch,” Odor said. “Stay with my approach and try to use the big part of the field. That’s why I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate.”
Odor has a nine-game hitting streak and his average has risen from .181 to .254.
“He’s swung the bat a lot better the last week,” Hyde said. “Love how he plays. He’s super competitive. He’s into every pitch. It’s a battle at the plate every single at-bat. He’s got some big hits for us as of late.”
Oriole starter Bruce Zimmermann had never allowed more than two home runs in his previous 24 starts. He allowed four home runs, all solo shots, to Anthony Rizzo in the first, Trevino in the third, and Gleyber Torres in the fourth and seventh. It was the 11th multi-home run game of Torres’ career, seven against the Orioles.
“I’m just not doing a good enough job with two-strike pitches,” Zimmermann said. “I got ahead of guys most of tonight, and the home runs just seemed to come off bad execution of two-strike pitches.”
Zimmermann is the first Oriole pitcher to allow four home runs since Gabriel Ynoa on August 12, 2019.
Torres’ second home run was Zimmermann’s last batter. He struck out five, and for the second time this season, didn’t walk a batter.
Reliever Logan Gillaspie faced four batters, and three reached base. Trevino’s run-scoring single tied it at 5.
“I had numerous guys [relief pitchers] down tonight,” Hyde said. He said that Félix Bautista, Jorge López and Cionel Pérez were unavailable because of the heavy workload on the bullpen, including having to cover 11 innings on Sunday.
After Keegan Akin pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings, walking three and striking out six, Dillon Tate shut down the Yankees in pithe bottom of the 10th.
“Loved the way Keegan Akin threw the ball,” Hyde said.
In the 10th, Aaron Hicks, the automatic runner, moved to third on a fly ball to right by Judge, and Rizzo was walked intentionally. Hicks broke for home on Estevan Florial’s grounder to Jorge Mateo at short. Mateo’s throw was on target, and Rutschman made a nice, sweeping tag to nail Hicks.
“We’re facing some good arms, did some good things,” Hyde said. “Just didn’t have enough tonight.”
Notes: Trey Mancini’s on-base streak ended at 17 games . … Tyler Wells (1-3, 4.41) will face JP Sears (1-0, 0.00) on Wednesday night.
Minor league update: In his first Triple-A rehab start, Dean Kremer threw three hitless innings for Norfolk, striking out six and walking one in the Tides’ 10-1 win over Gwinnett. Kremer threw 43 pitches. The game was shortened to 5 ½ innings because of rain.
DJ Stewart, playing for the first time since May 5th, hit a three-run home run, his first, and International League Player of the Week Kyle Stowers hit his 10th home run, a two-run shot.
Antonio Velez (0-5) allowed seven runs on nine hits as Double- A Bowie lost to Erie, 9-1. The Baysox had just four hits. Catcher Cody Roberts hit his third home run.
Third baseman Coby Mayo hit a two-run home run, his 10th, as High-A Aberdeen beat Wilmington, 11-6. Centerfielder Dontá Williams had three RBIs.
Third baseman Noelberth Romero drove in three runs and shortstop Isaac De Leon drove in two as Single-A Delmarva lost to Charleston, 10-9. Conor Grady (2-3) allowed seven runs, five unearned, on six hits in 1 2/3 innings.