Orioles can’t back up Corbin Burnes — again — and lose to Blue Jays, 3-2, in 10 innings
BALTIMORE — Playing extra innings for the third time in five games, the Orioles couldn’t match the Toronto Blue Jays’ 10th-inning rally Monday as they spoiled Adley Rutschman’s first career multi-home run game and six innings of one-run ball by Corbin Burnes in a 3-2 loss at Camden Yards.
Burnes tossed his third consecutive quality starter but was stuck with a no-decision after his offense once again failed to provide him with much run support. The right-hander entered the contest on a personal two-game losing streak after Baltimore had failed to score in either contest. Though Rutschman’s homers did put him in line for the win, Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho tied the game with a solo shot in the eighth and drove in the winning run with an RBI groundout in the 10th.
Rutschman, who also homered against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, was the Orioles’ only source of offense. The 26-year-old overtook Anthony Santander for the second most long balls on the team with eight. Through 40 team games — about a quarter of the season — he is batting .309 and is on pace for a career-high 32 home runs and 101 RBIs. Over the past 50 years, only three catchers have hit .300 with more than 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season: Iván Rodríguez, Mike Piazza and Javy López.
As for the rest of the Orioles’ offense, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was the only other hitter to record a hit with a groundball single in the first inning. O’Hearn came inches away from following Rutschman with back-to-back home runs in the fourth but was robbed by Varsho, who made a leaping grab to pull the ball from back over the center field wall.
Burnes gave the Orioles a chance to win. He limited Toronto to six hits and one run while striking out two and walking two, and he handed a 2-1 lead over Craig Kimbrel. But while Kimbrel, pitching in the seventh again after being removed as closer, cruised through his third straight scoreless outing to keep the lead intact, typically reliable Yennier Cano coughed up the lead.
Cano, who had allowed only one run in the eighth inning all season, got ahead of Varsho 2-1 but left a changeup over the heart of the plate, and the 27-year-old didn’t miss it. After he then allowed consecutive walks, Manager Brandon Hyde pulled him after he walked two straight batters for Danny Coulombe, who improved to 11-for-11 in stranding inheriting runners and sent the game to the ninth tied at 2.
Baltimore’s offense couldn’t string together a rally, however, and Jacob Webb found himself on the losing end when Hyde sent him out for the 10th. With Cavan Biggio on second base as the designated runner, the Blue Jays successfully moved him to third before Varsho, facing Keegan Akin, drove in the go-ahead run on a groundball to the right side.
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