Orioles’ chances take another hit with 6-5, 10-inning loss to Brewers

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If this is playoff baseball, it sure is exciting — at least for a neutral observer.

It’s full of second-guessing and big calls and clutch hits. It’s a roller coaster that Orioles fans won’t remember fondly from the failed endeavors of 2023 and 2024.

No, this isn’t the postseason. But that’s how the Orioles are treating it in their minds — and with certain managerial actions — because, to have any hope of making it into October, Baltimore must win as many of these final nine regular-season games as possible.

The Orioles fell short in the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Although they forced extra innings, the Orioles lost, 6-5, in the first of these do-or-die contests.

On Saturday they’ll do it all over again. And Sunday, and so forth, because until their tragic number is zero — until they’re officially eliminated — these games matter as much as the winner-take-all kind of October.

“Losing right now is tough,” said Coby Mayo, who finished with three doubles. “Obviously, we did a great job rallying back, and you’re going to have those games where you rally back and lose. You’re going to have the games where you rally back and win.”

The Orioles settled on the former, not the latter. With this loss, those chances appear ever more marginal, although the Orioles remain three games back of the wild card with eight games left.

Fighting back in this doesn’t count for much anymore with under two weeks remaining in the season. Still, the Orioles didn’t roll over when William Contreras hit an RBI double and Christian Yelich added an RBI single to establish the Brewers’ two-run lead in the top of the ninth. Against right-hander Trevor Megill, Gunnar Henderson led off the bottom half of the frame with a single and Mayo pulled his third double down the left-field line.

That created a no-out, two-on situation for the middle of Baltimore’s order. And, although the Orioles struggled to plate runners earlier (apart from Pete Alonso’s three-run homer in the third), sacrifice fly balls from Samuel Basallo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand tied this game, forcing extras.

There, Sal Frelick hit the go-ahead RBI single but Milwaukee didn’t add on. That left the door open for Baltimore, but unlike in the seventh inning, manager Craig Albernaz opted against bunting with Jeremiah Jackson in an attempt to move the automatic runner to third.

“We felt more comfortable with J.J. swinging than getting the bunt down,” Albernaz said. “We all talked, and we liked the matchup and taking our shot to win the game.”

The shot didn’t work. Jackson struck out, and two flyouts followed to end it.

That stood in contrast to the seventh inning.

Only once in Basallo’s professional baseball career has he successfully laid down a bunt attempt. It came in 2024 when he was playing in Double-A. This young hitter, who was signed to a contract extension because of his power, is not a small-ball player.

In the seventh inning of a tie game, though, Albernaz said, Basallo approached him about the option of bunting against left-hander DL Hall.

“He came up to me when Coby was on second base, and he was like, ‘Hey, if it’s first and second, can I bunt?’ I said ‘absolutely,’” Albernaz said. “It was a tough lefty matchup. I get where he was coming from, and Sammy had a great team at-bat earlier in the game, getting a runner over to third. And against that matchup, you know, he wanted to bunt, and I was all for it.”

The outcome was part of an underwhelming scoring opportunity, which was part of an overall lack of run production when opportunities were nigh. Apart from Alonso’s game-tying three-run home run in the third inning, Baltimore’s chances came and went until the ninth-inning rally.

Basallo’s bunting endeavor didn’t work. He missed the first attempt and fouled off the second. He fouled off a two-strike swing, then struck out. Encarnacion-Strand followed with another strikeout, and pinch hitter Rece Hinds grounded out to end the threat.

When asked if the decision from Basallo to bunt rather than swing away was based on the catcher’s lingering shoulder discomfort, Albernaz said he “can’t speak to what’s in Sammy’s head.”

“If our players want to give up themselves for the team, with first and second, I’m always for it,” Albernaz added.

Using Hinds there also was meaningful in the top of the ninth. Playing center, Hinds attempted to cut off Contreras’ liner into the gap. Perhaps, if he had, the Orioles could’ve held Brice Turang at third. Instead, once Hinds couldn’t pick the bouncing ball, Turang scored easily from first as the go-ahead run against right-hander Rico Garcia.

The other runs came much earlier against left-hander Cade Povich. The starting pitcher, recalled Friday, allowed a slow, dribbling infield single and a walk with two outs just prior to facing Jackson Chourio. Then Povich fell behind, three balls to none. He attempted to sneak a changeup through the strike zone, but Chourio wasn’t fooled.

“Don’t know how many 3-0 changeups I’ve thrown — but wasn’t expecting that result,” Povich said. “Try to trust it, threw it for a strike and what happened happened. But I think controlling the walk beforehand is what frustrates me the most.”

The young Milwaukee star blasted it for a three-run homer to center field. Alonso, however, soon matched Chourio with his own three-run shot, hit on a line to right field.

There is no room for silver linings in MLB, especially at this time of year. Apparently, however, the way the Orioles battled back in the game twice before losing the first of a nine-game sprint impressed Brewers manager Pat Murphy deeply.

“I don’t know what place [the Orioles] are in or where they’re at in the standings, but to have those guys playing the way [Albernaz has] got those guys playing, the commitment and the way the fans are into the game, they’re playing like a first-place team,” Murphy told reporters regarding a team currently in last place in the American League East. “That guy managing the team over there, he’s got their attention. That was special.”

This article has been updated.