2-run homer in ninth sinks O’s

Merrifield’s blast off Givens spoils chance for rare come-from-behind victory

Closer Mychal Givens allowed a two-run, walk-off home run to Kansas City Royals leadoff man Whit Merrifield to give the Orioles a 5-4 loss Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, robbing the worst team in baseball of a rare come-from-behind win and opening up an even wider gulf between themselves and the second-worst Royals in the process.

The Orioles (40-96) had built their slim 4-3 advantage in the eighth inning on a home run by Trey Mancini and a runscoring double by Tim Beckham, who had four hits.

But Givens walked Brett Phillips to open the ninth, and two batters later, Merrifield ended it with his 11th home run of the season.

Beckham’s double down the left-field line only narrowly nicked the top of the wall on the hop, but stayed in the ballpark and allowed right fielder Adam Jones to score from first base in the Orioles’ two-run eighth. It was a rare moment of fortune for a team that’s specialized in the exact opposite, though it proved fleeting.

Mancini’s fourth home run in six games and 21st of the year tied the game at 3 earlier in the eighth inning, conspiring to take right-hander Dylan Bundy off the hook for a would-be loss that materialized seemingly out of nowhere.

Beckham was part of the Orioles’ opening salvo in the second inning, singling in between base hits from Chris Davis and Renato Núñez to load the bases for a sacrifice fly by John Andreoli. Beckham’s 10th home run of the season put the Orioles up 2-0 in fourth inning, though Bundy gave that cushion right back when Phillips homered in the home half.

Despite allowing his league-high 35th home run and tying a club record in the process, Bundy was otherwise strong early. He pitched out of jams in the second and third innings and had struck out eight while scattering six hits before things reversed on him in the sixth.

Bundy’s only walk of the day put Ryan O’Hearn on to open the inning, and he came around to score on a towering double by Brian Goodwin. Goodwin scored on a single by Rosell Herrera to put the Orioles down 3-2, and Bundy missed a chance to help his own cause on a soft comebacker from Phillips before Miguel Castro replaced him.

Castro stranded both runners Bundy saddled him with in the sixth and pitched a clean seventh inning to set up the Orioles’ comeback. Paul Fry pitched a scoreless eighth, but Givens couldn’t finish the job.