O's 'struggle all around' vs. Rays, fall out of first place 

BALTIMORE -- All Gunnar Henderson could do was stare out at center field in disbelief. Then, the frustration boiled over, as the Orioles’ star shortstop slammed down his helmet, damaging the ear flap.

A go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth inning on Saturday evening at Camden Yards was taken back by a remarkable leaping catch by Rays center fielder Jose Siri. The momentum had shifted. The O’s never took it back.

“It’s definitely not fun whenever a three-run homer turns into an out,” Henderson said.

It also hasn’t been fun for Baltimore that whenever it takes the lead in the American League East, it can’t seem to pull away. No matter how well the Orioles begin to play -- as they had prior to Saturday’s 7-1 loss to the Rays -- they hit another bump and allow the Yankees to respond.

The O’s (82-61), who had won four of five before Saturday, fell back into second place in the AL East. They trail the Yankees by a half-game. The rivals have traded spots for the past two months, with neither pulling ahead by more than two games since July 10.

What does Baltimore need to do to seize control of the division and win its second consecutive AL East title?

“Just play ball. There’s not really a secret formula,” Henderson said. “Just go out there and continue to play hard. It’s bound to flip around at some point.”

Time is running out, though. The Orioles have only 19 games remaining in the regular season, and while it feels like a sure thing they’ll be heading to the postseason, there’s a big difference between heading into October as a division champion and going as a Wild Card team (especially for the clubs who end up in the final two berths in each league).

The top AL Wild Card will host a Wild Card Series. The top two division winners -- which will likely include the AL East champion -- get time to rest before hosting the first two games of the AL Division Series.

It would take a sizable fall for Baltimore to drop to the second or third Wild Card, considering it sits well above Kansas City and Minnesota in the standings. However, there have been concerns for the banged-up O’s, who -- like Saturday -- have struggled to seize any momentum.

For one, the Orioles’ bats have been inconsistent. They’ve scored only three runs over the first two games of their series against the Rays (70-72), and their only offense on Saturday came via a leadoff home run by Cedric Mullins in the sixth.

Henderson nearly gave Baltimore a 3-2 lead in the fourth, before Siri’s catch preserved Tampa Bay’s 2-0 lead, which it never lost.

“We scored one run,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “You've got to take advantage of opportunities there early to swing the game, get a little momentum going early. But we just didn't do it.”

That wasn’t the only issue.

“Just kind of a struggle all around today, honestly,” Hyde added. “We wasted opportunities offensively, and we made a mistake defensively and gave up too many runs.”

The Orioles have been feeling the loss of several key players out due to injuries. Lately, they’ve been missing first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who was playing Gold Glove-caliber defense before hitting the IL with a left wrist sprain on Aug. 26.

Ryan O’Hearn is filling in at first, but he committed a two-out error in the seventh that allowed two runs to score, pushing the Rays’ lead to 5-1. It was his second error in as many days and his third in five games.

Baltimore’s offensive and defensive woes -- as well as a tough bullpen showing -- spoiled another solid performance from right-hander Zach Eflin. For the first time in six outings since being traded from the Rays to the Orioles on July 26, the 30-year-old right-hander did not record a quality start, but he allowed only three runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Eflin has been consistent, though Baltimore’s play has not been. However, he’s confident in a strong finish that will finally allow the O’s (24-23 in the second half) to build some momentum toward October.

“I think it’s just honestly maintaining positivity and showing up every day expecting to win a baseball game. It’s really all we can control,” Eflin said. “There’s no lack of energy or effort or anything. It’s more so just getting the job done. I’m not worried at all. I think we’re going to be just fine.”