BALTIMORE—The Orioles overcame six silent offensive innings and scored three runs in the eighth inning to tie their game against the Cincinnati Reds. In the 10th inning, relief pitcher Keegan Akin allowed four runs, and the Orioles lost to the Reds, 11-7, before an announced crowd of 21,152 at Camden Yards on Wednesday night.
The Orioles (48-31) lost the series to Cincinnati (43-38) two games to one.
In the 10th, Will Benson’s triple scored Kevin Newman, and TJ Friedl hit a two-run home run against Akin (2-2). Akin’s wild pitch scored a fourth run.
Alexis Díaz (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth.
Oriole starting pitcher Kyle Gibson threw 30 pitches in the first inning and gave up three runs on RBI singles by Elly De La Cruz and Jack Fraley, and a forceout by Joey Votto.
In Gibson’s previous start, he allowed five runs on seven hits in three innings.
“I think my stuff still felt pretty good tonight, which is frustrating to say,” Gibson said. “I don’t like to sit here and talk about how my stuff is when you give up six runs … I don’t really like giving up that many runs early, anytime, really, especially when the offense comes back and puts up four, then you give the lead right back, and it’s a backbreaker.”
The Orioles (48-31) scored four runs against Reds starting pitcher Luke Weaver in the bottom of the first to capture the lead.
Ryan O’Hearn had an RBI single, and Gunnar Henderson hit a three-run triple, and it was 4-3. Henderson tried to score on Aaron Hicks’ grounder to second but he was out at the plate after a review.
Jordan Westburg, who has hit safely in each of his first three major league games, singled and Adam Frazier walked to load the bases, but Cedric Mullins’ foul pop ended a first inning that took 38 minutes to play.
“I was really happy with our first inning, then we went silent offensively,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We just came up a little short. They just played a little better than we did tonight.”
Weaver threw 40 pitches in the first and retired 10 straight until catcher Adley Rutschman singled to lead off the fifth. He allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Cincinnati (43-38) scored three in the top of the second for a 6-4 lead. Matt McLain’s RBI single and Jonathan India’s grounder to short and another RBI single by Fraley put the Orioles behind for the second time in two innings.
“Everything they hit was going for a knock,” Gibson said. “Eight singles and one double. A lot of those rolled through the infield.”
Gibson nearly made it through the fifth, retiring seven straight before Spencer Steer’s two-out single in the fifth. He allowed six runs on nine hits.
“It was one of those frustrating games, really,” Gibson said. “When you’re throwing the ball and they get three hard hits on the game in those innings against me, it’s a tough one to swallow.”
At the midway point of his season, Gibson has a 4.66 earned-run average.
“Overall, I felt pretty good. Physically, I feel good,” he said. “Even the last eight starts, I feel like I’ve executed well, and these last two have just been pretty frustrating. Other than three or four starts, I feel like I’ve thrown the ball well, but recently I haven’t gotten it done.”
Matt McLain’s infield out against Yennier Cano in the eighth gave the Reds a 7-4 lead.
The Orioles had just one hit in six innings before they tied it in the bottom of the eighth on Westburg’s RBI double and Adam Frazier’s two-run home run, his ninth.
“There’s no give-up. You saw it tonight,” Westburg said. “Going into the eighth, we could have easily thrown the towel in and given up six outs and gone home, but we fought, scratched, clawed, able to tie it up, but it just got away from us at the end.”
Notes: Cincinnati stole five bases against Rutschman, who has thrown out just nine of 51 runners attempting to steal (18 percent). … At three hours, 54 minutes, it was the longest game of the season. … Oriole closer Félix Bautista struck out Steer in the ninth inning on a 103.3 mph fastball, the fastest strikeout pitch by an Oriole since 2008 when pitch-tracking began.
Minor league update: Grayson Rodriguez allowed one earned run in six innings and designated hitter Ryan Mountcastle had two hits and drove in two runs as Triple-A Norfolk beat Charlotte, 12-5. Rodriguez (4-0) gave up four hits, struck out eight and walked one.
Catcher Maverick Handley drove in three runs and second baseman Connor Norby hit his ninth home run.
Cade Povich allowed three home runs in 3 2/3 innings as Double-A Bowie lost to Somerset, 3-2. Povich (5-7) walked four and struck out five.
Shortstop Anthony Servideo had two hits and drove in a run.
Catcher Creed Willems had a two-run double as High-A Aberdeen beat Winston-Salem, 8-3.
Carson Carter (2-1) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits,
Lynchburg held Single-A Delmarva to four hits in a 3-0 Shorebirds loss. Rightfielder Trendon Craig and first baseman Noelberth Romero both had two hits.