One swing of Kyle Tucker’s bat turned what would have been one of the Orioles’ best wins of the season into one of their worst losses.
Félix Bautista entered his office Tuesday evening with a three-run lead — an advantage almost insurmountable against a pitcher having the type of season Baltimore’s closer is. But the 6-foot-8 right-hander allowed three of the first four Houston Astros batters to reach, bringing up Tucker with the bases loaded. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, the two-time All-Star turned on a center-cut 100.4 mph fastball and deposited it into the right field bleachers.
The grand slam was enough for Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who slammed the door in the ninth, as Houston won, 7-6, and ended Baltimore’s four-game winning streak. Pressly retired Jordan Westburg, Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn in order to end the game.
“Honestly, I just think it wasn’t my day,” Bautista said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones.
The last time Bautista had allowed a run was June 24, as the second-year reliever posted one of the best first halves by a closer in Orioles history to earn an All-Star Game appearance. Entering Tuesday, Bautista had surrendered just five earned runs in 52 2/3 innings. He gave up four — just enough for the Astros to win — in Tuesday’s loss, his second of the season.
“It happens to everybody. It is what it is. He’s a great pitcher,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who homered in the loss. “He’s going to bounce back.”
Bautista entered Tuesday with 17 straight scoreless appearances and a 0.85 ERA, 0.854 WHIP and 102 strikeouts. In his past 28 2/3 innings, the 28-year-old had given up just one run while allowing 10 hits, walking five and striking out 54.
“He’s not going to be perfect, which he really has been almost the entire season,” said manager Brandon Hyde, who was ejected in the sixth inning.
The only other time in his career Bautista surrendered four runs was also against the Astros in an 11-10 loss on Sept. 24, 2022 — his last outing allowing multiple earned runs.
The blown save — Bautista’s sixth of the season compared with 30 saves — dampened what would’ve been an impressive victory. Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman hit early home runs, Jorge Mateo made a highlight-reel catch at his new spot in center field, and starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez outpitched Houston ace Framber Valdez.
But Tucker’s big swing erased those contributions, dropping the American League-best Orioles to 70-43.
“That’s once in a lifetime right there,” Rodriguez said about Bautista blowing a three-run save. “That’s a generational closer, so for that to happen is pretty rare, definitely not something that’s going to keep happening. Kyle Tucker’s obviously a good hitter, but that right there is pretty rare.”
Facing Valdez, who threw a no-hitter last week, Mountcastle ensured that wouldn’t be the case Tuesday. The first baseman clobbered a 472-foot home run — the longest by an Oriole at Camden Yards since 2008, the earliest tracking data is publicly available — to give Baltimore an early 2-0 lead. Rutschman then took Valdez deep in the second for another two-run shot to extend the lead to five. The Orioles’ other two runs came off James McCann’s bat, as the backup catcher drove in Ramón Urías, who left the game in the seventh with left heel discomfort, on a ground ball in the second and Westburg on a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Mountcastle’s home run, his 14th of the season, cleared not just the Orioles’ bullpen in left-center field but also the visitors’ bullpen.
“I knew I got it pretty good, and then once it went over the other bullpen, I was I guess a little shocked,” Mountcastle said. “I knew I hit it well, and definitely got a good pitch to hit.”
Since returning from the injured list after a bout with vertigo, Ryan Mountcastle is slashing .409/.459/.652 — good for a 1.111 OPS — in 75 plate appearances. He was slumping before he went on the IL in early June with an OPS below .700, but now that figure is up to .778.
The early lead appeared to be plenty for Rodriguez and the Orioles’ bullpen. The 23-year-old rookie delivered another solid start as he’s displayed improved command and confidence since returning from Triple-A to begin the second half of the season. Rodriguez allowed two runs in six innings — his second time completing the sixth in his past three starts after not doing so in his first 12. He was aided by a leaping catch at the wall by Mateo, a shortstop starting just his second game at center field since becoming an Oriole.
In his five starts since rejoining Baltimore’s rotation, Rodriguez has a 3.45 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, pitching at least five innings each time.
“It’s a big confidence booster,” Rodriguez said about his success against the defending-champion Astros. “Like I said, that’s a good lineup, so just being able to go out, go six innings, keep ‘em to two runs, that’s huge from my standpoint. The defense played awesome, hat’s off to Mateo for making a spectacular catch. The defense is there for me, and I’m glad that they can back me up.”
Both runs he allowed were in the third inning, with Tucker singling home José Altuve and Yainer Díaz driving in Alex Bregman on a sacrifice fly. Peña then put the Astros (65-49) down 6-3 with an RBI single off Yennier Cano in the eighth to score Tucker, who led off the inning with a walk off Mike Baumann. Tucker went 2-for-4 with a walk to boost his OPS to .889.
The ninth started shakily for Bautista, who walked Jon Singleton and gave up a single to Altuve. After striking out Bregman on a 101 mph fastball, Yordan Alvarez nearly tied the game with a homer to left-center field, roping a misplaced 101.7 mph heater off the wall. Mateo wasn’t able to re-create his catch from earlier in the game, missing the ball as he jumped on the warning track. Nine pitches later, Tucker slammed another poorly located fastball.
“I tried to locate it up and in,” Bautista said of the pitch to Tucker. “Unfortunately it just got too much of the middle of the plate, you know, middle-middle. I just didn’t execute that pitch.”
Astros at Orioles
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out of market only)
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Astros at Orioles
Thursday, 12:35 p.m.
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out of market only)
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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