PITTSBURGH—The Orioles fought back after getting no offense through six innings, tying the game in the ninth and going ahead in the 10 before finally losing in the 11th.
Oneil Cruz’s single against Jonathan Heasley scored automatic runner Henry Davis to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 victory before 24,089 at PNC Park on Saturday.
Heasley (0-1) retired Ke’Bryan Hayes when Cedric Mullins made a sensational diving catch in center. Cruz then lined a single to right to score Davis.
For the second straight game, Oriole starter Tyler Wells gave up early runs and had no offensive support. The Orioles did nothing against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Bailey Falter for six innings, but scored two runs in the seventh, one in the ninth and another in the 10th. The Orioles had just four hits, none with runners in scoring position.
Falter didn’t allow a hit for five innings, and his only hit was when Jorge Mateo dropped a ball in front of Pittsburgh centerfielder Jack Suwinski for a double.
Falter pitched six scoreless innings, walking one and striking out one.
Wells allowed three runs in the second on an RBI single by Rowdy Tellez and a two-run home run by catcher Joey Bart.
He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three.
In Wells’ first start on April 1st, he allowed four runs, three earned, in two innings as the Orioles lost 4-1.
The Orioles scored twice against Ryder Ryan in the seventh. Anthony Santander led off with a walk and took third on Jordan Westburg’s double, the Orioles’ first legitimate hit. Austin Hays, who is hitless in 16 at-bats, hit weak grounder that scored Santander on an infield out, and Mullins delivered a sacrifice fly to score Westburg.
Westburg singled with one out in the ninth against David Bednar. Ryan O’Hearn followed with a single to center. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Westburg scored on a head-first slide when Cedric Mullins bounced to first and the throw from Rowdy Tellez was not in time.
Colton Cowser hit for catcher James McCann and grounded to third. Jared Triolo’s throw home was in time to catch O’Hearn.
Tony Kemp, who was the automatic runner on second to start the 10th, moved to second on an infield out by Gunnar Henderson and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adley Rutschman against Luis Ortiz to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead.
Kevin Reynolds, the automatic runner scored in the bottom of the 10th, scored on a bases-loaded walk by Edward Olivares against Mike Baumann, who didn’t retire a batter. Danny Coulombe relieved Baumann with the bases loaded after the walk and retired Tellez on a pop to first. JTriolo then bounced to third, and Ramón Urías fired home to Rutschman for the forceout. Coulombe finished his great escape by striking out Bart to send the game into the 11th.