Late surge unable to overcome Jays’ big inning

BALTIMORE -- For a good chunk of the first three innings on Wednesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, David Hess looked happy to see the Blue Jays again. Any way you slice it, the rest of the American League has proven challenging for the second-year righty this season. But against the Blue Jays? For nine full innings stretching back to early April, Hess was literally unhittable.

But history doesn’t work that way, of course, so when Hess got Luke Maile to line out to center for out No. 1 in the third inning Wednesday, there was no celebrating for the right-hander. Only the next out to get, and few after that came easy.

Looking to secure a series win for the first time since late April, the Orioles gave their intradivision rivals multiple extra baserunners and scoring chances. They paid for them in the fifth inning, when a combination of sloppy defense and erratic pitching paved the way for a 8-6 loss to Toronto.

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“Just a lot of walks, a lot of pitches, not enough early outs,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde summarized. “Tonight wasn’t our best night, and there are a couple pitches we’d like to have back, but I think we are getting better and we showed that in the past week … I think we are improving. Tonight, we just gave up eight.”

Things began to come undone right away in the fifth frame for Hess, who, after escaping a bases-loaded jam two innings before, allowed his first four batters to reach.

Maile led off with a one-hopper that bounced high off the midsection of Jonathan Villar at short, officially ruled a single. Maile then stole second, the catcher swiping his first base of the season courtesy of a massive jump off Hess.

A walk and two singles tied the game at 1, prompting Hyde to summon Miguel Castro, who struck out Randal Grichuk before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed the go-ahead run to score. Two batters later, Rowdy Tellez broke the game open with a grand slam to right.

“They put up some good at bats that inning, and I didn’t make pitches when I needed to,” Hess said. “The walks were really killer tonight. Especially in that fifth inning, that created a big inning for them, and it’s something that needs to be limited.”

By the time Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. notched run-scoring hits off Evan Phillips in the sixth, the Orioles found themselves down big in a game they once led early. Trey Mancini provided the early lift with his 14th home run, a solo shot to center off winning pitcher Edwin Jackson.

The Orioles rallied against four Jays relievers to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in each of the final two frames, putting runners on second and third with no outs in the ninth. But Daniel Hudson got Anthony Santander to pop out, then Mancini and Chance Sisco struck out swinging to end the 4-hour, 5-minute affair.

“Those are the guys you want up in that situation,” Hyde said. “I thought we did a great job battling back to make it interesting there in the end. Unfortunately, Hudson kind of turned it up there against those three guys, with waste-high heaters. We just didn’t get it done.”