Orioles Foiled By Defensive Positioning In 3-2 Loss
HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore's Adam Jones was playing shallow in center field when 5-foot-6 rookie Tony Kemp came to the plate with no outs in the 13th inning.
Kemp proved he has plenty of power in his small frame when he connected on a ball off Dylan Bundy that sailed over Jones' head for his first career triple, and he later scored the winning run in a 3-2 victory by the Houston Astros.
"I don't know how many times that kid has hit the ball that far, but he crushed it," Jones said. "I was pretty shallow, but I gave it my best effort."
The Orioles walked George Springer and Jose Altuve to load the bases after Kemp's hit before Carlos Correa's RBI-single sent him home to snap Houston's four-game skid.
"He's a strong young man," manager Buck Showalter said of Kemp. "I wouldn't get caught up in the fact he isn't 6-foot-4. Even the shorter guys are strong up here. That's always a possibility."
Michael Feliz (2-1) struck out the side in the 13th for the win. Bundy (0-1) allowed a run on two hits and didn't get an out.
Pedro Alvarez and Manny Machado hit solo home runs for the Orioles. Luis Valbuena had a two-run homer for Houston in the fifth.
Houston used six relievers after starter Doug Fister left with two outs in the sixth, and they combined for 16 strikeouts. That tied a franchise record for most strikeouts by the bullpen in a single game that was set on April 25, 1962 against St. Louis.
"It's kind of something we have had a challenge with," Showalter said of the strikeouts. "Tonight, you're going to give credit to their pitchers. They are good. Ours are, too. They are saying probably the same thing over there, but they got the 'W,' so they aren't looking at it the same way."
Baltimore had runners at first and second with one out in the 12th, but Scott Feldman struck out Jones and Chris Davis to leave them stranded.
It's the longest game of the season for the Orioles, who had just two extra-inning games entering Tuesday, both of which were 10 innings.
Houston has played longer, beating the Indians 5-3 in 16 innings on May 11.
The Orioles had a chance to win it in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs, but Luke Gregerson struck out Joey Rickard to end the threat.
Chris Tillman yielded three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in seven innings.
Fister allowed three hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The Orioles had just one hit, a single by Jonathan Schoop in the second inning, before Alvarez sent one into the seats in right field to start the fifth.
Catcher Jason Castro helped Fister in that inning when he slid on his knees to make an acrobatic catch near Houston's dugout on a foul ball hit by Schoop for the first out.
Machado snapped out of an 0-for-11 slump in a big way when he hit a solo homer onto the train tracks atop left field to start the sixth inning to tie it at 2-2.
Colby Rasmus was ejected for arguing with the umpire after he struck out looking in the sixth inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Yovani Gallardo (right shoulder tendinitis) is expected to throw a simulated game on Saturday and will likely throw one more simulated game before beginning a rehabilitation assignment.
Astros: OF Carlos Gomez, who is on the disabled list with a bruised left ribcage, went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch as the designated hitter in the first game of a rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday. He'll play center field on Wednesday in Corpus Christi.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Tyler Wilson (2-2, 3.68) is set to start for the Orioles on Wednesday. Wilson looks to bounce back after allowing six hits and five runs in six innings of a 7-2 loss to Seattle.
Astros: Collin McHugh (4-4, 5.13) will make his 10th start on Wednesday. McHugh pitched well in his last outing, allowing five hits and two runs in seven innings, but took the loss as he was outpitched by Chris Sale in a 2-1 win by the Chicago White Sox.
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