ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Orioles right-hander David Hess took the slow walk off the Tropicana Field mound as Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" echoed throughout the stadium. Hess' outing Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays matched up far closer to the song's title than its status as a one-hit wonder.
The Rays pounded Hess in their 8-1 victory, striking for six runs in his two-plus innings. Hess faced 13 batters, with 11 putting the ball in play at more than 97 mph, nine smashing 100-mph drives, eight recording hits and none striking out. In all, Hess allowed an average exit velocity of 102.3 mph, the highest of any starting pitcher in the majors this season, per Statcast data.
Three of those hits went over the fence. Brandon Lowe provided Tampa Bay an early lead with a three-run homer in the first inning, and Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Diaz ended Hess' outing with consecutive home runs to begin the third.
The Rays (14-4) were unrelenting in dealing their damage. Reigning American League Player of the Week Austin Meadows began the bottom of the first with a 115.4-mph single. Choi followed Tommy Pham's 102.3-mph flyout with a 97.1-mph single before Diaz lined out at 105.6 mph. Lowe then redirected a Hess changeup, sending it over the right-field fence with an exit velocity of 108.9 mph.
Tampa Bay added another run in the second inning when Kevin Kiermaier's 105.5-mph double preceded Mike Zunino's 98.5 mph RBI single. Willy Adames then doubled at 101.2 mph, which Meadows exceeded with a 104.2-mph liner into a shifted Baltimore infield; shortstop Richie Martin snared it and threw to third for a double play as Zunino jogged toward home. The inning ended on Pham's 86.1 mph flyout, the softest contact Hess allowed.
Choi and Diaz cranked their homers at 107.3 and 107.9 mph, respectively. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde made his way to the mound to pull Hess, cuing the song that defined the right-hander's outing.
After not allowing any home runs in his first 9 1/3 innings of the season, including 6 1/3 no-hit frames against the Toronto Blue Jays in his first start, Hess has given up seven in his past 11 2/3 for the Orioles (7-12). His past three starts, those following the no-hit bid, have seen him post a 9.24 ERA.
The Orioles relievers faced similar trouble. The Rays finished with 16 batted balls of at at least 100 mph, nine of which went for extra-base hits.
Between Choi and Diaz's homer, there were some fireworks between the Orioles dugout and home-plate umpire C.B. Bucknor.
During Diaz's at-bat after Choi's solo shot, Bucknor turned toward the third base visitors' dugout and issued an ejection, though it prompted confusion from the Orioles. Field coordinator Tim Cossins, who handled managerial duties after Hyde was ejected Monday against the Boston Red Sox, was ejected for seemingly arguing about Bucknor's strike zone, one that led to three looking Orioles strikeouts in the top of the inning. But Hyde was standing in front of Cossins in the dugout and seemed to believe Bucknor instead ejected him, though he had no idea why.
TV cameras caught Cossins in the dugout repeatedly saying, "I said it," toward Bucknor, trying to clarify the confusion. Four pitches later, Diaz homered.
The Rays' opener strategy proved effective Wednesday, with Ryne Stanek striking out three around a Dwight Smith Jr. double and Yonny Chirinos cruising through five one-hit innings as the Orioles went six innings without a run.
But Rio Ruiz smashed the shutout bid and a Wilmer Font fastball in the seventh, sending a projected 375-foot shot over the right-field fence for his second home run.
Ruiz also walked against Chirinos in the fourth, the Orioles' first free pass among their first 47 plate appearances in the series. The Rays also broke out a four-outfielder alignment for Ruiz's at-bat in the ninth; he struck out to end the game.
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