BALTIMORE—During the first half of the Orioles’ season, Kyle Gibson has been a dependable starter. After a one hour, 40-minute rain delay, 16,234 fans sat through his shortest start with the Orioles.
Gibson labored through three innings and threw 86 pitches, and by the time he left, the Orioles were down by five runs on their way to a 13-1 loss on Friday night at Camden Yards.
The Orioles (45-29) have lost two straight. The 13 runs allowed and the 12-run margin of defeat were both season highs. Oriole pitchers allowed 17 hits, equaling a season high.
“That’s definitely one you need to let go right away and come back tomorrow and hope that we’ll play well,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “That was pretty ugly, not our night, let it go and come back tomorrow ready to play.”
After a first inning when he allowed one hit, the Mariners (37-37) scored a run in the second but left the bases loaded when Julio Rodriguez struck out.
In the third, Eugenio Suárez’s RBI single and Kolten Wong’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0, and Tom Murphy followed his second inning sacrifice fly with a two-run home run, and Seattle led, 5-0.
“I had a couple of chances to make a pitch and get out of both of those innings, and I didn’t do it,” Gibson said. “I feel like for the most part, I’ve been doing a good job of getting a ground ball, getting a strikeout, getting an out when I need it, making a pitch. Tonight, trying to go in on Suárez there with 1-2, pulled it away. It happened more often than not tonight.”
Gibson (8-5) allowed five runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out four in three innings.
“I even told Skip after the third, I could go out and try and save the bullpen for an inning,” Gibson said. “When I needed to make a pitch, I just didn’t do it.”
Gibson’s start broke a streak of 12 consecutive games in which Oriole starters hadn’t allowed more than three runs.
Teoscar Hernández homered against Logan Gillaspie in the fourth.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert (5-4) allowed two hits in seven innings. Austin Hays singled with one out in the second, and then he retired 15 straight until Anthony Santander’s 12th home run in the seventh.
Keegan Akin and Bryan Baker allowed six straight two-out RBI singles in the eighth as the Mariners scored seven runs, and the Orioles trailed, 13-1. Akin was charged with the seven runs, six earned, while recording two outs in the eighth.
With a 12-run deficit, infielder Josh Lester pitched for the first time in his professional career and threw a scoreless ninth.
“It’s just one of those games,” Gibson said. “It’s one of those weird ones where a couple of big innings did us in. You’ve got to be able to flush it and not let one loss turn into two. I have no doubt that Dean [Kremer] can come out and give us a good one.”
Notes: This was the first rain delay at home this season. The Orioles have been delayed five hours, 38 minutes this season. … Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.56) will face Bryce Miller (5-3, 3.68) on Saturday at 4:05 p.m.
Minor league update: Shortstop Jordan Westburg hit his 18th home run in Triple-A Norfolk’s 10-3 loss to Nashville. Ryan Mountcastle was hitless in three at-bats in his rehab assignment.
Leftfielder Jud Fabian had three hits, including his second home run, and third baseman Joseph Rosa hit his third home run as Double-A Bowie beat Altoona, 7-6, in 10 innings.
High-A Aberdeen and Wilmington were postponed by rain.
Catcher Samuel Basallo homered twice in Single-A Delmarva’s 3-2 loss to Augusta.