Orioles drop López-Greinke pitchers’ duel vs. Astros, 3-1, for 12th loss in past 13 games

BALTIMORE — An Orioles team often starved for innings from its John Means-less rotation finally received some Tuesday night. It was not enough to win.

Baltimore lost to the Houston Astros, 3-1, at Camden Yards despite right-hander Jorge López providing what could be classified as the best start they’ve gotten from anyone other than Means, the All-Star left-hander who has spent most of this month on the injured list with a shoulder strain.

In pitching a season-high 6 ⅓ innings, López joined Means as the only Orioles starters to record an out in the seventh inning, while all other Baltimore pitchers have now combined for as many six-inning starts — eight — as Means did before getting hurt.

López followed that first out of the seventh by inducing a ground ball that MLB’s Statcast system gave an expected batting of .080, but Houston speedster Chas McCormick beat it out for an infield single that ended López’s night with the game tied at 1.

That speed again proved detrimental to the Orioles (23-50) when Myles Straw, who hit a wall-scraping home run off López in the second, blooped a fly ball to right against Hunter Harvey. DJ Stewart nearly snagged it with a dive, but the ball just escaped his grasp. Despite there being only one out, McCormick had taken off to the point that he was rounding third base by the time Stewart recovered the ball.

A clean catch likely meant an inning-ending double play. Instead, McCormick dove headfirst into home to beat Stewart’s throw and score the go-ahead run. Houston (45-28) added another run in the eighth to send Baltimore to its 12th loss in its past 13 games.

Another quiet night

A night after going hitless into the eighth inning, the Orioles again scuffled offensively, rarely threatening against veteran right-hander Zack Greinke and struggling to capitalize when they did.

A Freddy Galvis single in the second quickly quieted any thoughts of another no-hit bid, but it was one of their scattered five hits in Greinke’s 7 ⅓ innings. Even their game-tying rally in the third featured only one hit, with Pedro Severino walking, taking third on a Pat Valaika single and scoring when Cedric Mullins was forced to settle for a sacrifice fly after Straw made a diving catch in center.

Trey Mancini led off the seventh with a hard double to center. He ended the inning still at second. Stewart led off the eighth with a single to bring up the potential tying run, but after Severino lined out, Brooks Raley entered in relief of Greinke and struck out pinch-hitter Anthony Santander and Mullins.

Cole comes through

After stranding a pair of Harvey’s runners in the seventh, Tanner Scott loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth.

Manager Brandon Hyde turned to right-hander Cole Sulser, who struggled as the Orioles’ closer in 2020 but has found success in a less high-leverage role this season. Sulser retired the next three batters, with McCormick recording a sacrifice fly.

Sulser has a 2.39 ERA, stranding 60% of inherited runners; the league average entering Tuesday was about 35%.