Adley Rutschman made his Camden Yards return feel like a full-circle moment almost immediately, then doubled down on it with another swing that left the ballpark buzzing. The former Orioles catcher homered twice against his old team, but Baltimore still came out on the wrong end of a 6-5 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 19,720.
The night started with the kind of reception that only grows louder as the player walks closer to the plate. Rutschman came up from the on-deck circle, brushed the front chalk line with his right foot, waved, backed toward the edge of the dirt circle and tipped his helmet toward the Orioles dugout. Moments later, he sent one into the seats.
Baltimore celebrated him again after the first inning with a video tribute that had Rutschman smiling, clapping and waving from the field. He made the heart gesture toward the person filming him for the team’s social media account and watched highlights from his promotion out of Triple-A Norfolk, his debut, a Home Run Derby swing and the cigar-and-champagne celebration after a playoff clincher.
Then the game took over.
Brandon Young hung a 1-1 curveball to Rutschman in the first, and the three-time All-Star turned it into his 39th career homer at Camden Yards. Young would later give up another long ball to him in the sixth, this one on a first-pitch sinker, for Rutschman’s fifth career multi-homer game and his second this season. The other came April 24 against Boston.
Young lasted 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and four hits while striking out seven over 98 pitches. He got through the fifth cleanly, struck out Mickey Gasper to open the sixth, then watched Rutschman launch again. Young also worked around a few traffic jams early, walking a batter in the third and issuing a walk and hit-by-pitch in the fourth.
The Orioles had built their early lead on Rutschman’s first homer, but it disappeared fast. Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo singled off left-hander Jake Bennett, and two deep fly balls to center - the last from Pete Alonso - pulled the game even.
Luis Robert Jr. then led off the fourth with his first Orioles home run, coming in just his second game after yesterday’s two-run double against the Rockies. Alonso followed with his 33rd homer after a 4-for-29 stretch over his previous eight games.
Baltimore had chances to keep the night from slipping away. Rutschman was denied a hit in the fourth when Leody Taveras made a sliding catch in shallow right.
The Orioles also got a jolt in the eighth when Jahmai Jones opened the inning with a pinch-hit single off Luis De León. Rutschman reached on a force and advanced to second on Alexander’s throwing error, but De León struck out Wilyer Abreu before Nick Sogard ended the inning’s suspense.
Yennier Cano came on with Rutschman on second and two outs, and Sogard unloaded a sinker 395 feet to right-center for the go-ahead two-run homer. It handed De León his second major league loss in two appearances and snapped Cano’s streak of 48 consecutive appearances without allowing a homer.
The Red Sox added to the damage in the ninth when Roman Anthony homered off Albert Suárez. Baltimore answered with Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s two-run shot off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half, but the comeback stopped there.
The Orioles dropped their third straight and fell to 69-72, still 1 1/2 behind the final Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays are a half-game back, and the Rangers could join them if they manage to protect a lead against the Rays.
After the game, Rutschman’s appreciation for Baltimore was clear.
“The people in Baltimore have always treated me with an unbelievable amount of respect and love, and I’ve always felt that when I’ve been here,” Rutschman said earlier today. “So just a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who’s supported me in my journey from 2019 to a month ago.”
There was more happening beyond Camden Yards, too. Anthony Eyanson, the No. 2 prospect acquired from the Red Sox in the Rutschman trade, allowed one run in six innings for Double-A Chesapeake, walking none and striking out eight. Vance Honeycutt added three hits and an RBI.
At High-A Frederick, Boston Bateman gave up three runs and four hits in three innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. Enddy Azocar had two more hits and drove in a run after being named South Atlantic League Player of the Month for August, and Yasmil Bucce hit his 10th homer and finished with three RBIs.
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