By MATT WEYRICH The Baltimore Sun
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MILWAUKEE — So, the Orioles do know what completing a comeback looks like.

Despite blowing leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3, Baltimore showed the kind of fight that had been largely absent throughout its eight-game losing streak to keep coming back and beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-4, with a four-run rally in the 11th inning. The win handed interim skipper Tony Mansolino the first victory of his MLB managerial career.

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The Orioles (16-32) were previously 0-27 when trailing after the sixth this season and had not completed that late of a comeback since Aug. 23, 2024.

Félix Bautista, who has now allowed at least one run in four straight appearances, entered the game with a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth and got the Brewers down to their final strike before third baseman Caleb Durbin forced extra innings with a go-ahead single. Pitching on consecutive days for the first time this season, Bautista issued two walks before allowing the hit.

It set up a back-and-forth couple of extra innings. The Orioles jumped ahead on an RBI single by Ryan O’Hearn, who had four hits and two RBIs on the day, in the 10th, but Bryan Baker coughed the lead back up in the bottom half of the frame on a single by Jackson Chuorio. Baltimore then fired right back in the 11th on a run-scoring single by Jackson Holliday before Adley Rutschman blasted a three-run homer for his first long ball in just over a month.

Seranthony Domínguez then finally finished the job, stranding the automatic runner at third base for his first save of the season.

Baltimore squandered several chances for sustained rallies and stranded 11 base runners on the day but came alive in the eighth just enough to get starter Tomoyuki Sugano off the hook for a tough-luck loss. With the Orioles trailing 2-1, Gunnar Henderson led off the frame with a single off Brewers reliever Nick Mears and moved to third on a double by O’Hearn. Cedric Mullins then tied things up with a sacrifice fly to set up a break-through moment for Heston Kjerstad.

After he went 0 for 3 with a strikeout to begin the game, it was a welcome sight for everyone in the third base dugout to see Kjerstad catch a 2-1 fastball from Mears and poke it to the opposite field to score Henderson from third.

Sugano continued his excellent start to his first MLB campaign, allowing two runs over six innings for his fifth quality start in his last seven tries. The 35-year-old rookie had already played the role of stopper earlier this month, when he put together perhaps his best start of the season against the Los Angeles Angels to end a five-game skid, and he once again pitched deep enough and effectively enough to give the Orioles’ offense a fighting chance.

He had a 1-0 lead to work with early after O’Hearn put the Orioles in front with an RBI single in the fourth and cruised through the first five frames — the lone blemish against him was Durbin showing his base running smarts by scoring from second base on a swinging bunt by Brice Turang in the fifth. Sugano fielded the soft grounder and took the out at first but Durbin never stopped running, rounding third and beating the throw home.

Sugano’s lone mistake of the afternoon was a cutter he left over the middle of the plate for Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who crushed it for a solo home run that put Milwaukee ahead 2-1 in the sixth.

That score held early thanks to the efforts of Andrew Kittredge and Gregory Soto. Making his Orioles debut after being activated from the injured list Wednesday morning, Kittredge set the Brewers down in order in the seventh, averaging 94.7 mph on his fastball and throwing six of his eight pitches for strikes. Soto then followed with a scoreless eighth before giving way to Bautista, and the chaos that ensued.

Instant analysis

After years of getting sparse opportunities and dealing with poor injury luck, Kjerstad has gotten his chance to stick in the major leagues this season. He just hasn’t taken advantage.

It’s been a trying season for Kjerstad, who entered Wednesday’s contest with just three RBIs over his past 24 games. While extended absences for Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill have created plenty of opportunities for the 2020 No. 2 overall pick to earn his place in the major leagues, Kjerstad has struggled at the plate and graded out poorly in the field.

Even with his RBI single Wednesday, Kjerstad is hitting .203 with a .583 OPS on the year. Even the power, his highest-graded trait as a prospect, has gone missing as his exit velocity has regressed. However, the Orioles will likely be able to give him plenty of runway to turn things away given the way their season is going. A timely hit like the one he collected Wednesday is as good a place as any to start.

The Orioles will look to win back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks Thursday when they open a four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox. Cade Povich is hoping to build off a promising outing against the Washington Nationals as he takes the ball opposite Lucas Giolito, who has a 7.08 ERA in four starts since returning from his second major elbow surgery.

Around the horn

— Grayson Rodriguez is “very close to throwing,” executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday. The right-hander shut down his throwing progression in mid-April because of a lat strain after suffering an elbow/tricep injury during spring training. Elias cautioned that the Orioles want to be careful with him and didn’t specify a targeted return date.

— Infielder Jordan Westburg (hamstring strain) isn’t expected to return until the calendar turns to June, Elias said. He suffered a setback last week after reporting to Triple-A Norfolk with plans of starting a rehabilitation assignment and had to stop his running program.

— After leaving Tuesday’s loss with left ankle discomfort, outfielder Ramón Laureano is day-to-day and the injury is considered “very mild and minor at the moment,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said Wednesday. Laureano suffered the injury trying to make a diving catch in right field, catching too much of the ground and taking an awkward spill.

— Charlie Morton is scheduled to return to the Orioles’ rotation this weekend against the Red Sox. Baltimore named him its probable starter for Friday after the veteran right-hander made six of his past seven appearances out of the bullpen. Morton will follow Povich on Friday, Zach Eflin is on track for Saturday and Dean Kremer is slated for Sunday.