Ruiz homers, but offense squanders chances

The Kendall Graveman sinker broke Chance Sisco’s bat, resulting in a weakly hit, inning-ending bouncer to the right side. Two innings later, Rafael Montero’s 95 mph fastball did the same, getting in enough on Sisco for the Orioles catcher to roll it over for an easy out. With both grounders, the Orioles watched two of their three bases-loaded rallies fizzle Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park, those missed opportunities at the root of their 5-2 loss to the Mariners.

• Box score

Through one lens, they were indicative of what’s been a particularly slow start for Sisco, who is hitting .162 with one walk in limited action. Zooming out further, they were reflective of a larger trend. Managing one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position on the evening, the Orioles stranded 12 men on base against Graveman, Montero, starting pitcher Justin Dunn and two others. They went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position Monday, stranding six, and are now hitting an MLB-low .205 in such situations on the year.

“For me, the best teams that hit with runners in scoring positions are the teams that commit to going to the middle of the field and the other way,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We just have a lot of big swings. Some nights it looks really good. Other nights, against guys with good stuff, it’s tough to drive in runs.”

As much as anything, that lack of situational hitting has dragged down an O’s offense that features MLB hits leader Cedric Mullins at the top of the lineup, but collectively ranks 29th in on-base percentage. The only outliers are Mancini (three hits Tuesday; .371 with RISP) and Mullins, who also stranded the bases loaded against Dunn in the second inning. It made it difficult to generate offense outside Rio Ruiz’s solo homer behind Jorge López and four relievers, before Kyle Seager (home run, go-ahead sac fly) and Kyle Lewis (three-run homer) broke the game open in the eighth.

“We had so many chances to score and just didn’t get the big hit. We had traffic on the bases multiple times and just couldn’t drive them in,” Hyde said. “We beat ourselves by not being able to push runs across earlier in the game.”

López still a little short

For López, his 4 2/3-inning start Tuesday continued a different frustrating trend. The righty has now fallen short of completing five innings in five of six starts this season, faltering in the fifth in several of them.

The difference Tuesday was plain to see: López held the Mariners to Seager’s solo homer and one other baserunner over the first four innings, then allowed three of his first four hitters in the fifth to reach, via two walks and a single. Hours later, López was still searching for answers.

“The last couple outings, it’s been the same and same and same,” López said. “It’s frustrating. Everybody wants me to get seven innings and we win that way, because the bullpen is more comfortable. I have to do a better job.”

Perhaps a look into López's splits hint at an explanation, if not a solution.

Here are López's splits by inning:

1st inning: Opponents hitting 3-for-21 (.143), 6K
2nd inning: 3-for-21 (.143), 8 K
3rd inning: 6-for-23 (.261), 5 K, 2 HR
4th inning: 5-for-23 (.217), 2 HR
5th inning: 8-for-15 (.533), 6 BB, 3 HR

And his splits by time through the order:

1st time through: .137 BA, 0 HR, 16/3 K/BB
2nd & 3rd time through: .339 BA, 5 HR, 9/8 K/BB

“I’d love to get a lead so I can try to get him through that fifth,” Hyde said. “It would be nice. But we’re just not allowing that to happen.”