Keegan Akin has been the reliever the Orioles have turned to most in their biggest spots since selling at the trade deadline. It didn’t work out this time.

Akin entered the 10th inning with two runners on and the game tied Sunday and allowed both a grand slam to catcher/first baseman Ben Rice and solo home run to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the New York Yankees beat the Orioles 7-1 to take three of four in their weekend series. Rice went 4-for-5 and drove in five of the Yankees’ runs in the contest.

“You go up and down the lineup, it’s an elite lineup, and they have a lot of matchups sitting on the bench on a nightly basis to where they can pop pinch hitters and make it tough on your relievers,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said of the Yankees. “Still liked our guys in the situations they got put in, and unfortunately just didn’t go our way.”

The Orioles (73-83) have operated with a makeshift bullpen over the season’s final two months, mix matching their way to an early offseason after trading relievers Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge as part of a deadline fire sale. Akin, the most experienced pitcher of the group, has been their de facto closer and produced uneven results.

Despite entering the game having converted five straight save opportunities, the left-hander didn’t have it Sunday. Akin fell behind 2-0 to Cody Bellinger and gave up a single to load the bases to set up Rice, who got a fastball right down the middle and clobbered it to right-center field. Chisholm then did the same two batters later on a slider down and in.

He recorded only one out before Mansolino brought in Yaramil Hiraldo, who allowed an RBI single to shortstop Anthony Volpe to charge three three runs to Akin. Two runs (one unearned) went to right-hander Kade Strowd, who walked superstar Aaron Judge on a 3-2 pitch to begin the frame.

“I don’t think you take a young kid and throw him to the wolves in that situation,” Mansolino of taking Strowd out for Akin in the 10th. “And then on top of that, our guy Keegan Akin, who has closed games for us for a while, he’s left-handed. I know Bellinger handles lefties well, but it’s also our guy in that spot. You don’t want to overexpose Kade, it’s not the right thing to do. Hindsight is 20/20.”

Kyle Bradish tossed six strong innings and Samuel Basallo launched his fourth career home run to provide the early highlights for Baltimore. Bradish struck out nine and allowed two hits and two walks, lowering his ERA to 2.25 in five starts since returning from Tommy John elbow surgery. Basallo accounted for the Orioles’ lone run off Yankees starter Cam Schlittler with a 420-foot solo shot to the right field flag court in the fifth.

“I think there’s definitely still some things we’re ironing out, but it’s part of it,” Bradish said of whether he has another gear to get back to his old form. “Got one more start left and take in the offseason and come in next season hopefully being back to who I am.”

New York tied the game 1-1 on an RBI single by Rice off Bradish in his final frame before the bullpens took over. Each navigated several jams across the late innings. The Orioles loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh. The Yankees put runners on second and third the following frame. But Dietrich Enns, Rico García and Strowd matched a parade of five New York relievers to help send the game to extras.

Baltimore’s offense was buried before it even came to the plate in the 10th, but the lineup struggled all afternoon. Outside of Basallo’s home run, the Orioles got a double by Jeremiah Jackson and singles from Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the day and left 10 runners on base.

The Orioles loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th for Ryan Mountcastle but Yankees reliever Camilo Doval struck him out swinging to end the game.

Postgame analysis

For Bradish, the 2025 season was about getting healthy and logging enough innings to give him something to build off heading into the offseason.

Mission accomplished, and then some.

Bradish still has one start left to make — projected to be the Orioles’ final game of the season — but has already shown plenty of signs he can still be the pitcher who placed fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2023. In fact, he’s looked even better.

The right-hander has averaged 12.6 swings and misses per start, up from the 10.5 he put up during that breakout campaign two years ago. He looked like he was taking a step forward last year while playing through a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament but Bradish hasn’t let over a year off from pitching stunt his development.

What they’re saying

Bradish on maintaining his velocity deeper in starts:

“I think just part of this process is getting the arm moving in between innings. The later I go in games, it’s a little tougher to kind of maintain that velocity but I think today was a step in the right direction. That last inning was still some [ninety-]fives and sixes.”

By the numbers

With three games still to play against them next weekend, the Orioles are 4-6 against the Yankees this season. They’ve been outscored 60-25 in those games. Baltimore had been a thorn in New York’s side the past two years, going 15-11 including an 8-5 mark in 2024.

On deck

The Orioles have the day off Monday before hosting the Tampa Bay Rays for their final home series of the season. Baltimore hasn’t yet announced its probable pitchers for the series but Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich would be on turn to start.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.