Means shines again in tough-luck loss to Texas

BALTIMORE -- When John Means briefly left the Orioles two weekends ago, he did so as the recipient of sobering news. For weeks, Means watched his numbers slide in the second half while pitching with the knowledge that his father, Alan, was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With the team’s blessing, Means traveled back to his hometown near Kansas City, planning to rejoin the club when the schedule would soon bring it that way as well.

Flash forward 10 days or so, and Means is pitching as well as he has all year despite that sizable personal challenge. The rookie left-hander shined again Thursday despite taking a hard-luck loss in a 3-1 defeat to the Rangers, excelling for the second straight start since returning to the mound.

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“I definitely have a different perspective on this game because of everything that’s going on,” Means said. “I try not to let this sport affect me a whole lot. I go out there pretty loose just because there are a lot more things that are a lot more important.”

Dueling with winner Kolby Allard most of the night, Means retired 18 of his first 19 hitters before Elvis Andrus singled to lead off the seventh and Nick Solak punched a go-ahead two-run homer two batters later. He was saddled with the loss after Baltimore saw rallies fizzle against Texas’ bullpen in each of the final three frames. O's batters finished 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded the tying run against Rangers closer Jose Leclerc in the ninth.

“He was just cruising into the seventh inning,” manager Brandon Hyde said of Means. “He was really throwing the ball well and left a changeup out over for the two-run homer. But that really wasn’t the story. He did a great job, but we just didn’t hit with runners in scoring position. We didn’t do a very good job with a situational hit tonight. We had our opportunities. He definitely deserved better.”

But that was largely the fault of the Orioles' offense rather than Means, who held Texas to two hard-hit balls (batted balls measured by Statcast at an exit velocity at or above 95 mph) across 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none, and he has not issued a free pass over his last 20 2/3 innings. Means owns a 2.45 ERA in that stretch, including a 2.63 mark since returning to the active roster. Means said that success amplified his displeasure with Thursday’s outcome.

“I think that’s what’s so frustrating, because I feel like my stuff is really, really good right now,” said Means. “I feel like with the way my stuff is working that I’ve got to finish that outing.”

Elsewhere in the O's clubhouse, the takeaways are different. Even in a loss, they see little resembling defeat in a teammate pitching with more than the weight of a jersey on his shoulders.

“He’s pitched really well a lot of the year, but tonight was a little different. He usually works pretty fast, but he was in total control. … Wish we could’ve gotten him the win tonight,” said Trey Mancini, who committed one of several baserunning blunders that doomed the Orioles’ chances late. “I have no idea what’s it like to be going through what he’s going through, but he did such a good job in Kansas City. That was one of the coolest things to be a part of for me in a long time, just to see him in the way he’s handled the whole situation. It’s extremely difficult. I’m really proud of the way he’s handled himself throughout the entire process, because I can’t imagine what he’s going through.”