Stowers hits first major league home run and Santander produces walk-off win in 11th (updated)

A clubhouse that’s started to check the standings while it’s in the thick of a wild card race – likely a majority of players, if not universally – knew exactly where it stood tonight before the first pitch.

The Rays won. The Mariners won. Two teams gaining ground ahead of the Orioles.

The outcomes don’t really matter if the Orioles can’t take care of their own business, which is why they glance at the scores and lock in on their opponent.

Jordan Lyles surrendered a first-pitch home run tonight and cruised into the seventh, where the White Sox tied the game on two soft hits and a throwing error. They scored a run in the eighth against Dillon Tate, again doing damage within the bullpen, and came within a strike of winning in regulation. Of retiring the last 13 batters.

Down 0-2 against closer Liam Hendriks, Kyle Stowers hit his first major league home run with a shot to center field that tied the score. A rookie in his seventh major league game, with three hits in 23 at-bats and none in his last 13, handling some of the business.

Félix Bautista retired all six batters faced in extras without the automatic runner budging, and Anthony Santander singled on a deep fly ball to center field off Jake Diekman in the 11th to score Cedric Mullins and give the Orioles a dramatic 4-3 victory at Camden Yards.

The series win improved the Orioles’ record to 65-59 and kept them 2 ½ games behind for the last wild card.

"We've had a lot of exciting games, a lot of crazy ones, a lot of weird ones," Lyles said. "Weird series. They outhit us by a ton and we came away with two out of three."

Rougned Odor, in his first at-bat of the night, reached on a bunt in the 10th that was supposed to be a sacrifice, the single moving Austin Hays to third base. Ramón Urías bounced into a force at home, and Kelly retired the next two batters.

Adley Rutschman singled in the 11th to move Mullins to third base and set up Santander for his second career walk-off, on an 0-2 count.

Santander was just trying to find a pitch that he could carry.

"Eso es mucho correcto," he said, drawing laughter at his locker.

"The first swing, I was a little anxious, but luckily after a couple pitches I was able to settle in and find something good to hit and drive it up in the air," he continued, using interpreter Brandon Quinones.

"It's been so much fun. We have such a great team chemistry, like I say time and time again, and it's been one of the biggest reasons why we've been so successful this year and why we rally and play really well."

Players headed inside to eat, shower and board their bus for the airport. They have a flight to Houston, which owns the best record in the American League and was 41-18 at home before tonight. From there, they go to Cleveland, which leads the American League Central.

No one said it would be easy, but the traps can be deadly.

Stowers was able to stay in the box in the ninth because Adam Engel, a defensive replacement in left field, dropped a fly ball in foul territory.

"I just knew I had another chance, and that's all you can ask for," Stowers said. "It's just funny how baseball works sometimes, and I was able to capitalize on it."

Given new life, Stowers added a new statistic to his major league resume and reveled in his trip around the bases. He's the first Oriole to have his first career home run tie a game in the ninth inning or later since Rich Coggins on May 9, 1973.

"I kind of blacked out a little bit," he said. "I just knew that I was really excited. I haven't necessarily been swinging it my best the last few days, so to have a moment like that was really special. I stayed confident, I kept believing in myself every single at-bat, so it's really cool to have moments like that where it comes to fruition."

"Just happy for him," Lyles said. "Great kid. Hopefully, that gets things rolling for him. We love him in the outfield and we could use his bat."

"I think he was floating around the bases," said manager Brandon Hyde. "He came in the dugout so fired up, and the team was fired up for him and for us. We were so empty offensively for so long in that game and we finally got a little bit of life there in a timely spot.

"He's got huge power. There's no doubt about it. He's shown that in the minor leagues. It's a young player facing tough major league pitching right now. We're playing good teams and it's not easy."

How did Stowers imagine his first home run?

"I pictured it going over the fence," he quipped.

"To do it at home, super cool. To do it in a high-leverage moment off a really really, good pitcher to give this team more life and a chance to win the game, couldn't have asked for a better moment."

Asked about the dugout reaction, Santander said, "Oh man, the place was about to fall over. It was super exciting, a crazy moment. And the entire time I was calling it in my head to happen."

Bautista threw 18 pitches and let only one ball out of the infield, after working 1 2/3 innings Tuesday night and throwing 27. 

"I didn't even ask him. He was going back out, especially with how few pitches he threw in the 10th," Hyde said. "Especially with that part of the order, you want your best guy against that group of really good hitters.

"I started seeing some Rookie of the Year stuff, and he definitely should be in the consideration with our catcher. There's no doubt about it, what these two guys are doing."

Lyles completed seven innings for the fifth time this season and allowed one earned run, two total, with nine hits. He threw 95 pitches and couldn’t talk his way into the eighth.

Gilman School graduate Gavin Sheets doubled off Tate with one out in the eighth, and José Abreu bounced a two-out single into left field to give the White Sox a 3-2 lead.

The Orioles fell behind in the top of the first inning in every game of the series. Andrew Vaughn ambushed Lyles tonight, carrying a fastball onto the roof of the grounds crew shed.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Vaughn is the first White Sox player to hit a leadoff home run in his first career start atop the order since Jim Morrison in 1979, Tony La Russa's first game as manager.

Santander countered with a two-run shot off Lance Lynn in the bottom half, a line drive onto the flag court for his team-leading 23^rd homer of the season.

One run was unearned after the first of Abreu’s two errors on the night. Lynn threw 30 pitches in the inning, walking Ryan Mountcastle with one out and striking out Kyle Stowers and Austin Hays.

The rest of the game nearly passed without the Orioles pushing across another run. They didn’t get a runner past first base until Stowers homered for their fourth hit. Twelve in a row retired.

Mullins singled in the third and was caught stealing. He was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fifth, the last Oriole to reach before Stowers’ heroics.

Lynn was up to 46 pitches through the second, including 10 to Jorge Mateo, whose at-bat was extended after Abreu dropped a foul popup. The veteran right-hander completed six innings at 100 pitches, receiving a visit from the training staff with two outs.

"It's a pretty young lineup out there against Lance Lynn," Hyde said. "He knows what he's doing and he had his way with us for a while in that game. But fortunately we pulled it out."

Lyles retired eight in a row before Romy González, who began the game on the bench, singled in the seventh on a shallow fly ball to center field and Elvis Andrus reached on ground ball off Mountcastle’s glove.

Josh Harrison grounded into a force, but Terrin Vavra’s attempt to turn a double play resulted in a throwing error that tied the game.

The White Sox also spent the series stranding runners and slamming balls against the left field wall.

Vaughn was denied his second home run in the third inning, settling for a double. Sheets singled again, and Luis Robert grounded into his second double play to bail out Lyles.

Lyles stranded two runners in the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth. Mateo ended the sixth by ranging up the middle to make a sliding stop of Eloy Jiménez’s ground ball, spinning and throwing him out.

Complicating Chicago’s attempts at a comeback was third baseman Yoán Moncada’s removal after the top of the fifth inning due to left hamstring tightness.

There were no bigger complications than Stowers, Bautista and Santander. The 29th comeback win of the season. Clinching the Orioles' third consecutive winning month for the first time since 2016.

"It's been incredible," Santander said. "We've just got to continue working hard like we've been doing every single day. We want to finish the year strong, and the only way we're going to do that is continuing working hard and showing up with a great mentality and a great effort that we're trying to put forth every day that we step on the field."

"A lot of fun," Lyles said. "Just showing up to the ballpark late in the season knowing you're playing for something is special. It makes it very fun and easy to come to the ballpark every day. You can't wait to get there. These guys are just so enjoyable to be a part of. It's a good time to be an Orioles fan."

Down on the farm, shortstop Jackson Holliday made his Carolina League debut tonight at Single-A Delmarva and produced a run-scoring double in the sixth inning. He also walked and had two RBIs.

Gunnar Henderson started at third base for Triple-A Norfolk, returning to the left side of the infield.

Mike Baumann tossed five scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

Connor Norby homered twice and drove in five runs for Double-A Bowie, and Colton Cowser went 4-for-5 with two RBIs.