CLEVELAND -- Somewhere between Orioles slugger Trey Mancini connecting on his 10th homer of the season and left-hander John Means carrying a no-hitter into the fourth inning, it appeared Saturday was shaping up to be a good afternoon for the O’s.

But shortly after Means lost his modest no-no attempt on a Carlos Santana double to center, Jordan Luplow smacked a Means curve over the 19-foot Progressive Field wall. From there, it was the Orioles who couldn’t ultimately break through offensively, as Baltimore’s bats weren’t able to solve Adam Plutko, falling to the Indians 4-1.

• Box score

“We faced a guy that just knows how to pitch,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Plutko, who held the Orioles to one run on one hit in six innings. “Really a well pitched game on his part. Hardly any mistakes, not many balls in the middle, and attacked our weaknesses.”

Plutko limited the O’s bats to just three baserunners, walking a pair and striking out four. Overall, Baltimore managed just five baserunners on the afternoon.

“I’ve been facing him since he was in college back in 2013,” Mancini said of Plutko. “Guy knows how to pitch. He always has an idea of what he’s doing out there. He’s a competitor and he hit his spots really well today. Especially impressive that it was his first game back off the [injured list]. You’ve got to tip your cap. He threw a great game out there. He knows what he’s doing.”

Despite the end result, it was Baltimore that managed to deliver the game’s first blow. Mancini’s fourth-inning blast was the first and only hit off Plutko, who was making his first big league start since returning from an early-season forearm strain. The solo shot managed to give Baltimore the early 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Orioles would muster.

“He just left a changeup in the middle of the plate,” Mancini said. “I took advantage of it. I was looking for a fastball there and just kind of reacted to it. He made a mistake and luckily I put a really good swing on it. I ended up with a good result. But I think overall, there were few mistakes made.”

Seeking positives

Means, fresh off back-to-back stellar outings against the Red Sox and Angels, cruised into the fourth with just one baserunner allowed. However, Santana’s deep drive off the center-field wall ended any premature thoughts of the rookie southpaw making history.

One batter later, Means hung a curve to Luplow. The right-handed hitter connected and drove the breaking ball to the left-field bleachers, handing Cleveland the 2-1 advantage.

Means would eventually exit after five innings, charged with three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out one. The lefty, however, induced just three swinging strikes, the fewest he’s collected in a single start since joining the rotation.

“I was just frustrated,” Means said. “I was nibbling. They weren’t swinging at bad pitches. Kudos to them. I just feel like the walks, the three walks, I’m not a guy that walks a lot of guys. To have those, it was really frustrating.”

Despite that frustration, the Orioles were pleased with Means' ability to minimize what could have been a disastrous fifth inning. With one run already in and the bases loaded and one out, Means was left to face Luplow, the hitter who had taken him deep earlier in the game.

Luplow hit a grounder to third baseman Rio Ruiz, who tossed to Jonathan Villar at second base for the first out. Villar made the quick pivot and fired to first, where Chris Davis made a terrific pick to complete the double play and end the threat.

“He’s a rookie this year, but it doesn’t seem like it at all when he’s out there,” Mancini said.

“To be bases loaded, one out, get a double-play ball, keep us in the game, it was huge. I just think he was still frustrated with himself a little bit overall, but he needs to know he did a [heck] of a job there keeping us in the game.”

Nice range

Orioles right fielder Joey Rickard flashed some spectacular defense in the sixth, taking a hit away from Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez with a diving grab.

Rickard reacted quickly to the liner, sprinting toward the infield. The left-handed thrower extended his right arm and left his feet, catching the ball before it was able to find grass.

The 27-year-old outfielder was able to cover 43 feet in just 3.1 seconds, turning a looping liner with a 20 percent catch probability into an out. Statcast awarded Rickard five stars for his impressive grab.