Orioles Routed by Mariners 13-1 as Gibson Struggles and Bullpen Unravels

The Baltimore Orioles suffered their worst loss of the season Friday night at Camden Yards, falling to the Seattle Mariners 13-1 in a game that dragged on after a rain delay of one hour and 40 minutes.

Starter Kyle Gibson lasted only three innings, throwing 82 pitches and giving up five runs in the shortest outing of his Orioles career. He needed at least 34 pitches in each of the second and third innings. The game was still in its early stages as the clock neared 10 p.m.

The 12-run margin topped the previous low point of the season, a 12-2 defeat to the Texas Rangers on May 26. Baltimore (45-29) wore its City Connect uniforms in both blowouts. Manager Brandon Hyde was blunt in his assessment: "That was pretty ugly. Not our night."

In the second inning, Gibson left the bases loaded after allowing one run on a sacrifice fly by Tom Murphy, striking out Seattle's Julio Rodríguez, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, to end the threat. The following inning was costlier. After a leadoff walk and two singles, another sacrifice fly scored a run, and Murphy then hit a two-run homer over the left field wall. The first six hits against Gibson were singles, and nearly all were struck at 100 mph or harder, as was the home run. "I had a couple chances to make a pitch and get out of both those innings, and I just didn't do it," Gibson said.

Gibson said he offered to go back out for the fourth, but his night was finished. In 16 starts since signing a one-year deal with Baltimore, he has a 4.30 ERA. It was only his second start of the year without completing five innings and ended a six-start run of going into the sixth. Orioles starters had not allowed more than three earned runs in 12 consecutive games.

Mariners starter Logan Gilbert was dominant, giving up just one hit through six innings, a second-inning single by Austin Hays, the AL batting average leader. Teoscar Hernández added a fourth-inning homer off Logan Gillaspie to make it 6-0 for Seattle (37-37). Baltimore's only run came in the seventh, when Anthony Santander hit his team-leading 12th home run, following two scoreless innings from left-hander Cionel Pérez, whom Hyde called "one bright spot tonight."

Seattle then scored seven runs in the eighth against left-hander Keegan Akin, including five straight singles, lifting his ERA from 4.22 to 6.95. Rookie Josh Lester, who has played first, third and right field for the club, pitched the ninth. He allowed a leadoff double to Murphy but worked a scoreless inning, striking out Jarred Kelenic on a 62 mph pitch.

Gibson tried to keep perspective. "You're gonna lose 70 to 80 games depending on how well you play," he said, adding that the team has to "flush it and not let one loss turn into two."

Elsewhere, the Orioles traded right-hander Spenser Watkins to the Houston Astros for cash after designating him for assignment earlier in the week. Hyde said the team is "encouraged" by outfielder Cedric Mullins (groin strain) and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (vertigo), who are on rehab assignments with Triple-A Norfolk, and is "re-evaluating" right-hander Dillon Tate (elbow flexor strain). Right-hander Mychal Givens (shoulder fatigue) is scheduled for his next rehab outing Sunday. The teams meet again Saturday at 4:05 p.m.