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What happened? Tony Mansolino is still looking for his first win as Orioles interim manager. Unlike his first two games, this one was much closer.
After Cedric Mullins hit a three-run home run, his 10th, to tie the score at 4-4 in the seventh inning, Yennier Cano allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth, and the Orioles lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, on Monday night at American Family Field.
Cano (0-4) has four losses and a 15.19 ERA in his last seven games.
He walked Brice Turang, who stole second and scored on William Contreras’ RBI single. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson made a diving attempt to catch Contreras’ hit, but the ball deflected off his glove.
The Orioles (15-31) have lost seven straight, their longest losing streak since August 2021.
Ramón Laureano homered in the second inning, his sixth. Caleb Durbin, who’d been 0-for-24, tied it at 1 with an RBI single. Turang had a two-run single. In the fifth, Milwaukee took a 4-1 lead on doubles by Turang and Contreras.
Abner Uribe (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Trevor Megill recorded his seventh save in the ninth with a scoreless inning. Mullins walked and stole second after Dylan Carlson was retired when he popped up a bunt, but pinch-hitter Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday both flied out to left to end the game.
“They competed. That’s a really good bullpen right there.” Mansolino told reporters in Milwaukee. “We had traffic on the bases against the back end of the bullpen. I think we hit the ball really hard tonight. It’s kind of comical at this point the amount of hard contact and the lack of reward for that hard contact. They fought all year. It’s not unique to that situation we’re in. It’s been the same all year.”
Mansolino said that the Orioles considered walking Contreras after Turang stole second.
“We didn’t want to put him on there in that situation and risk the possibility of going down two,” he said.
Laureano has gotten a chance to play regularly with Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill out.
“We battled. We had good contact. It just came down to the last moment. We lost,” he told reporters in Milwaukee.
Laureano was 3-for-4, and he’s hitting .270 with an .870 OPS. He’s 11-for-19 (.579) in his last five games.
How did Kremer throw? Dean Kremer allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking two.
“I try to do my job every time we go out there, whether it goes well or not,” he said. “Limited damage. Balls are just finding grass right now, for everybody, not just myself, for everybody. It’s tough. Eventually something will change. We’re all looking forward to that time, but right now things are just finding grass.”
“They did a good job putting the ball in play. The balls found holes,” Mansolino said. “Different than the balls we hit hard.”
What’s wrong with Cano? In 2023, Cano was an All-Star. In 2024, he pitched in 70 games with a 3.15 ERA. So far this year, Cano has a 5.06 ERA.
“We also have a ton of faith in Yenny,” Mansolino said. “Yenny’s one of our guys. We really like Yenny in any situation. We bet on our guy. It just didn’t work out.”
How’s Mansolino adjusting to his new job? Mansolino knows a manager must prepare for possibilities later in the game.
“It’s slowing down. There’s no doubt,” he said. “When you’ve been sitting in this seat for a while, you’re able to think two or three innings ahead.”
What does it mean? I don’t know how much longer Yennier Cano can pitch in high-leverage spots. In May, he’s looked lost.
What’s the word? “They were awesome. They treated us with love and respect, and we love and respect them back.”-Kremer on Brandon Hyde and Tim Cossins, who were dismissed as manager and field coordinator/catching instructor on Saturday.
What’s the stat of the day? Cano has allowed eight hits and walked five in his last 5 1/3 innings.
What’s next? Keegan Akin (0-0, 3.27) will open for the Orioles followed by Chayce McDermott (0-0, 12.00) against Logan Henderson (2-0, 2.45) on Tuesday night at 7:40.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich,@BaltimoreBaseball.com
