BOSTON—One of the Orioles’ best pitching prospects had a rough afternoon at Fenway Park. Mike Baumann, who the Orioles had hoped would have a nice introduction to the major leagues this month, gave up five runs in relief as the Boston Red Sox beat the Orioles 9-3 before 30,027 on Saturday.
The Orioles (47-101) lost for the seventh time in their last eight games, and for the fifth straight time in Boston. Since sweeping the first three games of the season at Fenway Park, the Orioles are 1-11 against the Red Sox.
Baumann’s major league debut on September 7th went smoothly. He allowed an unearned run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings, picking up the win against Kansas City.
In Toronto’s 22-7 rout of the Orioles on Sunday, Baumann was tagged for six runs in three innings, and in his third outing, he allowed five runs on six hits in two innings as his ERA rose to 11.42.
“It’s professional baseball. You’ve got to learn from outings. You’ve got to learn how to adjust,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “This isn’t the easiest league or division to break in, especially this team of a year against a team chasing a postseason berth. They’re going to come out. They’re going to punch you in the mouth.
“Even though Baumann gave up the runs today, I’m happy with his stuff. His fastball, throwing it 95, 96 today with a 90 mph slider, that’s going to play.”
The Orioles jumped on Carl Pivetta quickly. Cedric Mullins led off with a double down the left field line, and Ryan Mountcastle’s 30th home run, both on the first pitch, gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Anthony Santander also hit the first pitch for a single and Pivetta walked Austin Hays, but he promptly pitched out of the inning.
With a 2-0 lead, Zac Lowther proceeded to waste it. He allowed three funs on five hits in the first with Kiké Hernández scoring on Rafael Devers’ single, and Devers and Xander Bogaerts coming home on Bobby Dalbec’s two-run double and a 3-2 Boston lead.
“You hope it’s a learning experience and a learning process for some of these young guys who are pitching in tough environments,” Hyde said. “Pitching against teams that are in a pennant race. Zac had it rough early in the game. I thought he settled down and got a little better in second and third inning.”
Austin Wynns hit his fourth homer in the top of the second for a 3-3 tie.
Cedric Mullins, who has 29 home runs, singled after Wynns’ home run, and stole second and third base. He now has 30 stolen bases and needs just one homer to become the first Oriole with 30 home runs and stolen bases.
After Dalbec’s double, Lowther retired eight straight batters before walking Dalbec and Christian Vazquez and being replaced by Conner Greene, who recorded the final two outs.
Lowther allowed three runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings, and his ERA is 9.61.
“Trying to roll with the punches,” Lowther said. “My stuff isn’t where I want it to be, really continuing to battle through some of the command issues I’m having but being able to go out there and throw against a team like the Red Sox, it’s tough, and you just have to take it head on. I have a lot of guys in my corner, and they’re giving me a lot of support, and that helps.”
Devers doubled against Baumann with one out in the fifth. Bogaerts’ single scored Devers, and Boston (84-66) had a 4-3 lead after five.
Baumann (1-1) had a rough sixth inning, as the Red Sox lead grew to 8-3. Hunter Renfroe’s run-scoring double and Bogaerts’ three-run home run, his 22nd gave Boston the five-run lead.
Kyle Schwarber scored on Vazquez’s double play in the eighth, and it was 9-3.
Pivetta was pulled after 3 2/3, and Darwinzon Hernández, Tanner Houck (1-4), Hansel Robles and Garrett Richards combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.
“It was a good game until the sixth,” Hyde said. “The guys they threw against us today have really, really good stuff.”
Notes: Trey Mancini, Pedro Severino and Ramón Urías, all of who have been dealing with nagging injuries did not play. “We’ve got two weeks to go,” Hyde said. “They’re not going to clear up overnight. It’s going to be something that’s going to linger probably to the end of the year for all of those guys. We’re going to have to try to manage and give guys rest when they rest. …Hyde said that with just two weeks left in the season, he doesn’t have his starting pitchers penciled in for the rest of the season. He’ll go series-by-series, he said. No starts have been scheduled for Dean Kremer or Bruce Zimmermann. Both have starts on Saturday night, Kremer for Triple-A Norfolk and Zimmermann for Double-A Bowie. …Alexander Wells (1-3, 7.76) faces Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.52) on Sunday.
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