Rockies score 3 runs in 11th inning to take series from Orioles

DENVER — If it hadn’t been for the greatest catch of Colton Cowser’s life, the Orioles might’ve walked out of Coors Field without a win.

As it is, losing two of the three games here is poor consolation — from a moment of magic to steal a victory in Monday’s opener to dropping the next two in dismal fashion. The Colorado Rockies closed out this three-game set with a 6-5 walk-off victory in the 11th inning Wednesday.

No lead is safe here. Baltimore (69-71) scored two runs in the top of the 11th and hoped that would be enough. But left-hander Grant Wolfram allowed three runs and the Orioles’ offense produced one of the most meager showings of any visiting team this season.

Colorado’s pitching staff allows more than six runs per game at home. Baltimore managed just seven runs across 27 innings prior to extra innings Wednesday.

The abysmal series puts a damper on what was still a winning road trip. The Orioles won six of nine games, including a sweep of the Athletics and a series win against the Cardinals. But this ending?

“Ultimately, good road trips right now, they’re OK but not good enough,“ manager Craig Albernaz said. ”When we have the lead, we have to close it out.”

Right-hander Andrew Kittredge closed out the first game of this series only because of Cowser’s leaping play at the wall. In a similar spot Wednesday, handling a one-run lead in the ninth because the Orioles scored all three of their runs in the third inning and couldn’t add on, there was no chance for Baltimore’s outfielder to rob the Rockies.

The lead almost vanished immediately, when Hunter Goodman demolished a baseball deep down the left-field line. The potential game-tying home run was ruled to have gone foul, however, and the proceeding video review upheld that call.

It was an eerily similar moment to Pete Alonso’s foul homer last month — only this one went in the Orioles’ favor.

But any relief that came from that foul ball soon evaporated. With two outs, Cole Carrigg came about a foot from tying the game himself. He powered a double off the wall in left-center. And, while Albernaz had left-hander Josh Walker up and warm in the bullpen, he stuck with Kittredge to face Zac Veen, a left-handed hitter.

Albernaz said he “liked the matchup” of Kittredge against Veen. “He got to a 1-2 count. And, also, we wanted Kitt. He’s done it before. Nail it down.”

Veen, however, has poor numbers against lefties. The sample is small, but the 24-year-old is hitless in 13 plate appearances against them.

Kittredge threw one slider down and in to Veen, which forced a swing for strike two. He went back to that same pitch again, only this time, Kittredge missed his spot badly. The next slider hung in the zone for Veen.

He crushed it for a game-tying double that hung a blown save on Kittredge.

“The slider just popped out of his hand, and it was a good pitch to hit,” Albernaz said. “And, like I said, just made a mistake.”

That was only the start of the mistakes. They continued with the baserunning decision from Jackson Holliday in the 10th. The ground ball from Alonso was a bouncer to the shortstop, and it all developed in front of Holliday, who began on second base as the automatic runner.

Holliday tried to force the issue. He was out at third.

The aggressive baserunning decision at the onset of extra innings proved a costly one. It struck down a runner in scoring position immediately, and the Orioles wound up not scoring in the top half of the frame.

“He was just trying to do too much there,” Albernaz said. “He said he knew right away when he broke where the shortstop was, and he was just being aggressive. He knew it right away, right as he came into the dugout. He knew he messed up, and we talked through it. He was trying to make something happen, but ultimately you’ve got to stay put and get the other guys a chance to drive you in.”

Despite that unforced baserunning error, a combination of Walker and right-hander Alex Hoppe held the Rockies scoreless in the 10th. It gave the Orioles a lifeline, and for a moment it appeared as if it might work out.

The Orioles scored twice in the top of the 11th through singles from Samuel Basallo and Blaze Alexander. It was a necessary breakthrough during a frustrating offensive series in which Baltimore finished with two runs in each of its first two games.

“You get some crazy innings here,” Alexander said. “No lead’s ever safe here, really. It’s a bloop and a blast. The gaps are huge here. Guys take extra bases. Yeah, man, definitely a fun place to play. It might get in some guys’ heads, the ball flies here. But I think we played well, well enough to win a series. Just a couple tough innings.”

The Orioles turned the lead over to Wolfram, who allowed an RBI single to TJ Rumfield right away. After that knock, a trainer checked on Wolfram. Albernaz said the left-hander was dealing with mild tightness that was “nothing out of the ordinary,” and Wolfram pitched through the end of the game with normal velocity.

With two outs, Adael Amador hit a ground-rule double that split the left-center gap. It sent Baltimore’s outfielders racing in this massive expanse of grass at Coors Field.

Had the ball stayed in play rather than bouncing into the bleachers, the Rockies likely would have tied the game. Rumfield was racing around the bags from first and looked destined to score. Instead, the ground-rule double meant Rumfield had to stop at third.

For a moment, it appeared as if the Orioles had lucked out once again, just as they had Monday. Instead, Brett Sullivan hit an opposite-field single to drive in both runners. He was soon met near second base for a Gatorade bath and wild celebrations.

The Orioles, meanwhile, trudged off the field, wondering how they had wasted left-hander Trevor Rogers’ career-high 11 strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings.

“It was probably the best fastball command in different parts of the strike zone that I’ve had all year, and just tip my cap to Sammy,” Rogers said. “We were locked in the whole night.”

The final stretch of the season now arrives. Following this three-city road trip, in which Baltimore finishes on a down note, the Orioles return to Camden Yards to run a gauntlet of contending teams. They play four games against the Boston Red Sox beginning Thursday, and the Cleveland Guardians — who currently hold the final American League wild-card spot — head to Baltimore on Monday.

There are no slouches the rest of the way. Only one opponent, the New York Mets, is really out of the postseason picture.

“You want to go up against the best to see where you’re at, and also, because they’re in the playoff hunt as well,” Albernaz said before Wednesday’s series finale. “To me, that’s where the best baseball is played, and that’s where our guys come out and play their best baseball. We’re excited. It’ll be fun.”

It may also be nervy for a team that is hovering near .500. The season is reaching a conclusion, and there remains much for which to play. And losses such as Wednesday’s do nothing to help.

“We didn’t get the job done today,” Rogers said. “Should have won the game. We didn’t. Very frustrated. We’re all frustrated right now, but we got to flush it as soon and quick as we can. We got some really important ballgames.”

This article has been updated.