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BOSTON–What happened? Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino chose to pitch to Boston’s hottest hitter, Rafael Devers, with one out and first base open in the 10th inning, and Devers hit a Gregory Soto fastball for a game-winning single.
It was the final blow for the Orioles, who led 5-2 after 4 ½ innings before they stopped hitting and suffered their 10th loss in 11 games, 6-5, to the Boston Red Sox before 30,958 at Fenway Park in the first game of a split doubleheader on Saturday.
After Bryan Baker, Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano and Félix Bautista pitched four scoreless innings, giving up just one hit, Mansolino called for the left-handed Soto (0-2) to face left-handers Jarren Duran, Devers and Wilyer Abreu in the 10th. That part made sense. Pitching to Devers didn’t.
After Duran popped to short, Devers hit an 0-1 fastball down the middle to score Ceddanne Rafaela, the automatic runner, from second for the win.
“We want him to throw his best pitch,” Mansolino said about Soto.. “I didn’t see what pitch it was, but you want Soto to throw his best pitch.”
Right-handed hitter Rob Refsnyder was set to hit for Abreu, and another right-hander, Carlos Narvaez, was behind him. But Devers is 6-for-11 against Soto.
“You know you’ve got Refsnyder on deck and you have Narváez there. We were getting [Andrew] Kittredge up and you’ve got to go through the three-batter minimum. So we were getting Kittredge up to face Narváez there. But if you put him [Devers] on right there, it gets messy and then you’ve got to go Soto against Refsnyder.
“So you’ve got a really good lefty that’s done it in the big leagues for a long time against obviously a really good hitter, but we’re going to bet on our guy every time.”
On Wednesday in an 8-4, 11-inning win in Milwaukee, Mansolino’s only win in seven games, he used Bautista for the second time in two games, the only time he’s appeared in consecutive games in his first season after October 2023 Tommy John surgery.
However, he didn’t want to use Bautista for a second inning on a doubleheader day, even though he threw just 11 pitches in retiring three batters in the ninth.
“It was a conversation, but we weren’t ready to do that quite yet,” Mansolino said. “For me, being new and naïve to the whole situation, it was a hard no.”
The Orioles (16-34) also had just one hit in the last five innings.
“I think you’ve got to give credit to their bullpen,” Mansolino said. “This is a good team with a good bullpen. They did a great job. They ran out all their best guys. We hung in there. I thought the at-bats were OK. I didn’t feel like they at-bats were uncompetitive by any means. It just didn’t go our way.”
The game began 26 minutes late because of rain. In the top of the first, Ramón Urías’ two-run double against Hunter Dobbins gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Duran led off with a home run in the bottom of the first against Oriole starter Zach Eflin, and after a delay of several minutes while the grounds crew sanded and raked a suddenly wet field, Eflin allowed a home run to the third batter, Abreu, to tie it at 2.
The Orioles scored three runs in the top of the fifth. Jackson Holliday’s infield out scored Heston Kjerstad. Gunnar Henderson’s double brought in Holliday, and a third run scored on a wild pitch by Sean Newcomb to give the Orioles a 5-2 lead.
Eflin gave up his third home run of the game, to Abraham Toro, leading off the third.
Things came apart in the sixth when Devers, who had eight RBIs on Friday, doubled to start the inning. Abreu walked. Narvaez grounded to Henderson at short, who threw wildly to second when trying for a force on Abreu. Devers scored. Abreu scored on Nick Sogard’s grounder to short, and it was tied at 5.
How did Eflin throw? In his third start since returning from the injured list after a right lat strain, Eflin allowed five runs on five hits, four earned. He’s given up seven home runs in his last two starts.
“I don’t necessarily know if there’s anything in particular,” Eflin said. “The cutter’s been getting hit pretty hard. I don’t know if it’s something I’m doing differently. I think just being more stubborn about being north and south and understanding when it’s my turn to throw my pitches and when I need to be in the zone and stuff and blending those two together. It’s frustrating. I’m not happy with how I’ve been pitching the past two outings.”
Last season, Eflin gave up eight home runs in nine starts for the Orioles. This year, he’s allowed nine in six starts.
“I’d like all three of ‘em back, that’d be awesome,” Eflin said of the home run pitches. “They were all three on cutters that were all poorly executed, so, yeah, that’d be awesome to have ‘em back.”
He said he’s feeling fine.
“I feel great, I feel fine” he said. “Maybe a little mechanical issues here and there, but just trying to find the rhythm and execute my strikes and my pitches. Overall I feel great, no issues. Just trying to get back in that rhythm again.”
Mansolino one week in: It’s been a week since Mansolino became interim manager. In moving over from third base coach, Mansolino said he’s spent a lot of time learning about pitching.
“This whole thing is based on pitching,” Mansolino said. “Everything is. I need to involve myself as much as I can in an area that’s less comfortable for me than obviously the position players.”
Injury update: Outfielder Colton Cowser, who’s eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on Friday, hit a home run for High-A Aberdeen. Cowser is rehabbing his fractured left thumb.
“We need to be patient with him. We don’t need to rush him,” Mansolino said. “We need to allow him to get his at-bats. He’s been out for two months. When Moo gets back and gets coming, he’s going to be welcomed back.”
What does it mean? The Orioles will try to salvage the second game of the split doubleheader with a lineup that includes Jorge Mateo in center field, Maverick Handley catching and Ramón Urías at second.
What’s the word? “It’s just making sure that people feel loved, that the players feel loved, that the staff feels loved, everybody feels heard, and that takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to listen and talk. I think that’s probably the piece that people don’t realize. You make your hay more before the game than you do during the game. It’s just a lot more visible during the game.”-Mansolino on what’s important to him.
What’s the stat of the day? The Orioles were just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
What’s next? Trevor Rogers will make his season debut in the second game against Lucas Giolito (1-1, 7.08) at 6:35 p.m.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich,@BaltimoreBaseball.com
