BALTIMORE — For all the obvious reasons, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was smart to pass on Blue Jays Cy Young candidate Robbie Ray’s invitation to come to the pitcher’s mound as the two jawed at each other.
Had their profane shouting match in the second inning actually come to blows, he might not have been around when Anthony Santander delivered the blow that changed the game for the Orioles — a three-run, go-ahead homer in the seventh to help the Orioles to a 6-3 win Friday night before an announced 11,751 at Camden Yards.
The shouting match between Ray and Hyde, seemingly over the left-hander’s slow work-rate on the mound, was just one of several bizarre aspects of a game that featured five errors and plenty of odd moments along the way.
It started simply, though. Cedric Mullins homered to begin the Orioles’ first inning and rookie Ryan McKenna followed it up quickly with a two-run home run of his own. The Orioles had Ray on the ropes for more in the second when he and Hyde went at it, and then their bats went quiet.
All the while, right-hander Chris Ellis did well to keep down a Toronto lineup that just pounded its way to a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees and didn’t trail once in that series. Friday night’s loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Blue Jays, which brought them within a game of the Yankees for the second American League wild-card spot.
Ellis, the waiver claim from the Tampa Bay Rays who out of necessity slid right into the rotation for the Orioles, has looked like a shrewd pickup.
Even though he had some tense moments in leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth, he completed five innings, allowing one run on five hits, striking out four and walking four. In four starts, he has a 2.55 ERA. Only John Means and Matt Harvey had put together four-start stretches that good for the Orioles (46-94) this season.
But soon after he exited in the fifth, the Orioles’ lead evaporated in sloppy fashion. Fernando Abad allowed a leadoff double to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who tried to take third on a chopper up the middle two batters later. Jahmai Jones fielded it cleanly and tried to cut Gurriel down at third, but his throw skipped past Kelvin Gutiérrez.
As Abad rushed to cover, he ended up shoulder-tackling Gurriel on his way home. A throwing error on Gutiérrez throwing home allowed the batter, Randal Grichuk, to get to third. He scored two batters later on a double by Marcus Semien off Conner Greene.
The Orioles didn’t threaten to regain their lead until the seventh inning, when Mullins reached on an error, Trey Mancini walked, and Santander scored them both with his 15th home run of the year.
Santander, who has had an uneven season for the Orioles, hadn’t homered in his past 13 games.
Cole Sulser recorded the save by pitching the eighth and ninth.
Progress to 30-30
Mullins’ first-inning home run was his eighth such blast of the season and No. 28 overall, and when he reached again in the eighth inning, he stole his 27th and 28th base of the season. The attempt to cut him down at third hit him in the helmet.
If Mullins reaches 30 in each category, he’d be the first in Orioles history to do so. As it stands, he’s the first with at least 28 of each in franchise history.
Harvey, López done for season
Hyde said before Friday’s game that right-handers Harvey (knee) and Jorge López (ankle) wouldn’t pitch again this season, though he had plenty of praise for each and said he’d welcome both back in 2022.
Harvey went on the injured list with knee soreness after making his 28th start of the season Tuesday, while López sprained his ankle on Monday while covering first base.
