Orioles waste Ryan Mountcastle grand slam and big early lead in 12-9 loss to Nationals
An Orioles pitching staff that manager Brandon Hyde described pregame as hanging on by a thread lost grip completely and let go of a significant lead in a 12-9 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
Staked to a 6-1 lead thanks in part to rookie Ryan Mountcastle’s first-inning grand slam, the Orioles watched it disappear and then some thanks to a Josh Harrison grand slam off rookie Bruce Zimmermann before Adam Plutko and Tanner Scott were battered in relief to make for a miserable afternoon in front of 15,440 fans at Nationals Park.
Despite the promising start, the Orioles have now lost a season-high five straight games and 12 of 14.
Only the uninitiated when it comes to these rebuilding Orioles will have seen them take a 1-0 lead four pitches into the game on a Cedric Mullins single and a double by Freddy Galvis and build that to 5-0 with Mountcastle’s blast and thought a comfortable win awaited, as possible as it seemed then.
Zimmermann allowed a run in an ominous second inning that featured some mental lapses and miscommunication for Zimmermann and the infielders, but Galvis drove home Anthony Santander to restore the Orioles’ five-run lead before things fell apart.
Galvis failed to turn a double play in Washington’s third inning, one that was punctuated by a grand slam by Harrison to make it a one-run game. Zimmermann left having allowed five runs in three innings, his ERA rising to 5.59.
Plutko, who began the year as the Orioles’ most consistent reliever, allowed hits to the first four Nationals he faced in the fourth inning, All four came around to score, with the final three scoring on Ryan Zimmerman’s three-run home run.
Three more runs came around to score for the Nationals in the seventh inning, the final on a two-out error by Maikel Franco.
Some welcome offense
Mountcastle’s grand slam was his fifth home run of the season and the hardest-hit ball of his big league career at 113 mph. His swing did the maximum amount of damage, but it was Santander who looked a constant threat.
Santander, who was activated off the injured list Friday, had a three-hit day including a double and a home run. Hyde has been practically begging for production from outside the top few spots of the lineup. Franco added two hits, and Pat Valaika added a consolation two-run double in the eighth inning.
