BALTIMORE -- In the 81st and final home game of the season, the Orioles battled the Red Sox, hoping to play the role of spoiler.

In front of 13,012 fans, Baltimore ended its season at Camden Yards with a 6-2 win on Thursday night. After taking two of three from Boston this series, the O’s are adding a little chaos to a tight American League Wild Card race.

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“I thought it was gonna be a great experience for our guys,” said manager Brandon Hyde on playing the contending Red Sox. “We just threw three extremely young, inexperienced left-handed starters against the Boston Red Sox when they’re in a playoff race. We won two out of three. All three were really good starts, so I'm really encouraged by that.”

The O's immediately had to play from behind after starter Alexander Wells allowed a home run to Kiké Hernández on the first pitch of the game. However, the rookie settled in to hold Boston scoreless over the rest of his six innings.

“I knew they were in the hunt, and I wanted to go out there and compete to the best of my ability,” said Wells. “Obviously getting hit for a home run is never good, but [I just needed] to get back into the zone. Go compete. It was only the first pitch, so plenty of game left just to go out there and compete with all my stuff.”

Baltimore's offense started to put the pressure on in the bottom of the third, with a walk by Tyler Nevin and a single by Pat Valaika. Two outs quickly followed, bringing Ryan Mountcastle up to the plate.

The AL Rookie of the Year Award candidate swung at the first pitch, sending his 33rd home run of the year flying 416 feet into the bullpen in left-center field and giving the rookie southpaw some breathing room.

“For me, [he’s] Rookie of the Year,” said Hyde. “Hits his 33rd homer after a tough call on Cedric [Mullins] there. Kind of a momentum play.”

Mountcastle's three-run homer was his sixth against the Red Sox this season -- tying Ron Hansen (1960) for the most by an O’s rookie against the club in a single season. It also moved Mountcastle up on the club's rookie RBIs leaderboard, trailing only Jim Gentile (98 in 1960) and Cal Ripken Jr. (93 in 1982), after surpassing Eddie Murray during Thursday’s series finale.

Including Mountcastle's homer on Thursday, the Orioles’ 122 home runs at Camden Yards are the fifth most in club history. Despite owning the worst home record in the Majors (27-54), the O’s tried to give fans plenty of moments to cheer about.

From Wells and Mountcastle in Thursday’s rubber match to other young Orioles who have contributed to wins, Hyde has been impressed with the way players have stepped up.

“It’s a big deal,” said Hyde. “We're really inexperienced on the mound [too]. We don't have a ton of veterans in the lineup either. [The young guys] are playing hard and I’m happy with how we played the series.”