Grayson Rodriguez has had to be patient.
Patient, while his elbow recovered from more-than-usual soreness that landed him on the injured list right after he had the best start of the season.
Patient, while the Orioles sat through an almost three-hour rain delay wherein it did not ever rain hard enough to warrant any stoppage of play.
And patient, yet again, when a weak infield single broke up his no-hitter bid in the sixth inning. Because of where it fell, It was a difficult play for second baseman Jorge Mateo to make, but it was a frustrating way for what could have been a special night to end.
Rodriguez, in his first start since April 29, pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just the one hit while walking three and hitting one batter.
“Felt great,” Rodriguez said. “Arm has been feeling good for the past week, so feeling ready to attack the rest of the season.”
And, although he exited with a 2-0 lead, the Orioles bullpen couldn’t hang on. The pitchers had a “gloomy morning” watching clubhouse favorite Mike Baumann get designated for assignment, then proceeded to give up a combined four runs in the Orioles’ 4-3 loss to the Mariners at Camden Yards.
For Rodriguez, though, this was at least a step back in the right direction. He flowed right through a nine-pitch first, running into a bit of command trouble in the second when he hit Dylan Moore with a pitch then walked Dominic Canzone. He got out of the inning, then cruised for the next three before the sixth came around.
He struck out Luis Urías swinging to begin the inning, then walked Josh Rojas. Julio Rodríguez then hit that infield single for the first — and only — hit Rodríguez would give up. He got the last out, then was removed after 82 pitches, the Orioles keeping a tighter leash on him in his first start back.
“Way more than I anticipated,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Grayson Rodriguez’s performance. “The guy missed a couple weeks, we were going to keep him right around that 80-pitch mark, and the guy threw six shutout innings and 82 pitches. I thought his fastball command was a little erratic early but he made pitches when he had to, a big punchout to end the sixth. It was great to see him back out there.”
Danny Coulombe — who has been stellar, especially in high-pressure situations — was not his sharpest in the seventh. He was credited with two earned runs, enough for the Mariners to tie the game.
Things didn’t get any better from there. Yennier Cano came out for the eighth, giving up a single and an RBI double as the Mariners took the lead. He lasted just one-third of an inning before Cionel Pérez took over and allowed the Mariners to score on a double to make it 4-2.
Pérez at least made it through the ninth, saving the Orioles from having to plow through another arm. Gunnar Henderson hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, his 14th, to bring the Orioles within one, but Adley Rutschman struck out to end the game.
“We just made a couple bad pitches there in big spots,” Hyde said of the bullpen. “They have been excellent this year. I couldn’t ask for anything more out of those guys. It was just one of those nights where we couldn’t quite close it down.”
