Mountcastle, O's squeak out win in 10th inning vs. Marlins

MIAMI -- The Orioles will be the first to admit they haven’t been playing their best baseball of late. After taking the first two games in Texas out of the All-Star break, Baltimore dropped three in a row entering the series finale on Thursday afternoon at loanDepot park.

Early on, it seemed like the O’s tide was shifting. They pulled out to an early lead behind a dominant Corbin Burnes, who was lights-out despite not having his best command for the first three innings. But when the tide changed, it exposed some of the Orioles’ weak spots as if they were seashells on the shore.

In the end, Baltimore -- which held a six-run lead entering the fifth -- eked out a 10-inning 7-6 win in the series finale vs. Miami. The O’s avoided the sweep and salvaged the road trip, finishing 3-3 while maintaining a two-game lead over the Yankees for first place in the American League East.

“Well, I’m pretty frustrated, honestly,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We swung the bat really well coming out to start the game and scored six runs right away. And then we’ve got Corbin Burnes on the mound, who’s throwing the ball great. We don’t add on. And we’ve done this too many times, and we have to learn to be able to step on people and make it easier on ourselves.”

After being outscored, 12-6, in the first two games against the Marlins, the Orioles jumped ahead right out of the gate. Baltimore plated runs in each of the first four innings for an early 6-0 lead.

So when Burnes finally gave up a run on a solo homer to Josh Bell in the bottom of the sixth, there was no reason to panic.

Burnes didn’t allow another run until the eighth inning, when he gave up two, getting into trouble the fourth time through the order. In the end, Burnes snagged his 17th quality start in 2024 (tied for the MLB lead), tossing a season-high 7 1/3 innings.

Hyde handed the ball over to the bullpen, the Orioles still ahead. But things got sticky in the ninth inning, when Craig Kimbrel blew the save and gave up three runs (one earned). After an infield single, when rookie Connor Norby tripped on the infield grass and missed the catch, Kimbrel loaded the bases on two walks with one out. Three batters later, the game was tied and Kimbrel was headed to the dugout, the O’s turning to Yennier Cano for the final out of the frame.

Kimbrel has given up five walks in his past three appearances, including a blown save on July 14 against the Yankees -- when he allowed three runs on one hit (a homer) in one inning.

So, is there something to keep an eye on with Kimbrel’s proclivity for walks?

“No,” Hyde said. “Sometimes he’s -- it’s not trying to pick or anything, just sometimes there’s some yanks in there, and maybe sometimes he doesn’t have his best command.”

Regardless, with Kimbrel out and the score tied, it was a new ballgame and up to the offense to deliver in the 10th. And they did -- just not as much as they would have liked.

When Ryan Mountcastle hit the go-ahead single, Cedric Mullins -- pinch-running for Anthony Santander -- attempted to score, too. He was thrown out at the plate and Mountcastle was caught trying to take second on the throw home, ending the inning with one play.

“Well, I haven’t looked at the replay, honestly,” Hyde said. “Ced normally scores on a base hit to right, I think he probably had to freeze, thinking it’s a line drive, so he’s got to freeze to make sure at first. But he’s a great baserunner, so give the guy credit for making a heck of a throw. I think Mounty just probably read that a little bit late.”

The previous two nights -- particularly in the series opener -- the O’s ran into outs on the bases. It’s one aspect of some uncharacteristic play of late that, according to Hyde, centers on the team not playing as one unit.

“I think our guys are very, very aware that we should’ve won that game handily,” Hyde said. “And I think some guys are individually frustrated with their performances right now, and we just have to get back to a team concept, honestly, and they know that. …

“We’ve got to play better baseball going forward, and our guys know that.”