HOUSTON — Tony Mansolino grew a wry smile as he considered the bane that has become Ramón Urías, only two weeks after he wore a different shade of orange. Neither ball off Urías’ bat was hit particularly well. They got the job done for his new team, the Houston Astros, anyway.

On Friday, Urías’ dribbler to the third-base side of the mound broke up right-hander Brandon Young’s perfect game in the eighth inning. And Saturday, in the 12th inning, Urías hit what could’ve been an inning-ending double play that instead turned into a walk-off fielder’s choice, capping the Astros’ 5-4 victory in a wild game.

“It’s a crazy game the way things tend to work out,” said Mansolino, the Orioles’ interim manager. “I don’t think Ramón wanted to hit either of those two balls the way he hit ’em and, for some reason, it just worked out for him, unfortunately.”

The Orioles bid Urías adieu in a move that left the utility infielder “in shock,” and while he hasn’t particularly impressed at the plate in these two games against Baltimore, he spoiled perfection and sealed a wacky win with his 12th-inning ground ball to third.

With the benefit of hindsight, third baseman Jordan Westburg should’ve thrown home. The bases were loaded with one out and left-hander Keegan Akin on the mound. Westburg would have had plenty of time to throw to the plate for the second out, prolonging the game. Mansolino, an infield specialist as a coach, said throwing to second was a rare mistake for Westburg.

“I’m sure Westy would love to have that one back,” Mansolino said, especially because the on-deck batter for Houston was a pitcher. The Astros had given up their designated hitter spot during substitutions, and they were out of bench players to pinch hit.

“He has a right to make a mistake every once in a while,” Mansolino said. “He doesn’t make very many.”

To get to that point, the Orioles and Astros traded as many duds as they did blows.

The game featured left-hander Cade Povich’s best stuff of the season, even as his command wavered. It included a double from Dylan Beavers, which one-hopped the right-field fence for his first career hit. It contained two impressive innings from left-hander Dietrich Enns, who forced Houston into scoreless 10th and 11th innings.

“I mean, no, but God had better plans in store,” Enns said when asked if he could’ve envisioned a high-leverage role after arriving two weeks ago in a for-cash trade from Detroit.

The unpredictability of Saturday’s loss was perhaps the only predictable facet of this game, considering how Mansolino is employing a cast of characters not expected to be integral players at this stage of the season.

But, for all the highs, the lows stood out, too. The Orioles finished 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and they were 0-for-11 after the ninth inning. That put pressure on their pitching staff, and while Enns produced two scoreless frames, it ended with Akin and Urías.

“We just didn’t get it done those last few innings,” Mansolino said. “You can think about that last play and how that worked out, but the reality is we had three innings with a runner on second base to score a run and we didn’t get it done.”

Getting there was a trip. The decision from Mansolino to run out right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo for the ninth inning underscored what has been apparent for weeks. The Orioles, for better or for worse, will be using inexperienced players in unusual spots.

In the ninth, it worked out as well as one could’ve hoped. Hiraldo pitched a scoreless frame that included outs against Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, the most dangerous hitters in the Astros’ lineup.

Enns, a journeyman whose path to Baltimore included a stop in Korea, came through by stranding two runners on base in the 10th. A glove-flip out from first baseman Coby Mayo helped end the 11th. But the luck ran out there because Baltimore couldn’t bring home a run in extra innings.

Baltimore relied on performances from many inexperienced options in the second game of its three-game series at Daikin Park, and it’s likely to remain that way for the remainder of the season. The Orioles are out of it. What this has become, in a way, is a tryout for 2026, when they aim to compete again.

“I feel like I’ve settled in well with the team,” said Enns, who is making a strong impression. “The guys are great in the ’pen. Getting to know everybody, and just trying to go out there and do my job whenever it’s called.”

Povich covered five innings with more good than bad on his line. Second baseman Jackson Holliday and outfielder Dylan Carlson — the latter of whom, with six years of experience despite being 26, is the comparative veteran — pulled two-run homers.

But some of the Orioles’ more established stars couldn’t come through in the top of the 10th with an automatic runner on second. Holliday and Westburg struck out, and after Gunnar Henderson walked, Adley Rutschman flied out.

There were still moments to admire, though, such as the two homers, a debut knock and parts of Povich’s five innings.

At times, Povich was great. At others, he lacked control. That is the Povich experience — the stuff is there; the ability to throw it in or near the zone isn’t always. He tied his career high with 10 strikeouts and set a career high with 18 whiffs.

“To be able to strike out 10 against this team and have my stuff where it is definitely gives me confidence for the future,” Povich said. “Definitely happy with what I saw from that today and being able to get out of situations that I put myself into.”

But Povich allowed the first five batters to reach in the fourth, with three singles and two walks. He showed growth in the way he rebounded, striking out Altuve for the second time and forcing an inning-ending double play.

And he allowed the Orioles to remain close enough to get back into it.

“Give the guy credit,” Mansolino said. “He ended up going five innings, gave up three runs to a pretty good team and kept us in the game.”

The power production came from unlikely sources. Holliday, despite a team-leading 15 homers, hadn’t hit one since July 23. He entered Saturday with a .140 average and .392 OPS this month. And Carlson had faced an even larger slump. He experienced an 0-for-35 streak from late July to last week. In his past five games, however, Carlson has seven hits and appears to have turned the corner.

They provided Baltimore the offensive cover to come from behind. Carlson’s shot in the fifth inning pulled Baltimore within one. In the eighth, Holliday pulled a hanging slider from left-hander Bennett Sousa out of the yard.

And an inning later Beavers didn’t waste time against one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. He swung at the first offering from right-hander Bryan Abreu, a low fastball, and yanked it to right field for a leadoff double. He reached third because of a passed ball. But three strikeouts — Mayo, Daniel Johnson and Carlson — left him there.

The ball from Beavers’ hit was saved and he said he’ll give it to his dad, Scott.

“Once I saw a couple pitches, I started to feel a little better in there, more confident,” Beavers said. “I think the more at-bats I stack, the better I’ll feel in there.”

It was a hectic game, with good and bad commingling into a narrow loss. And it was Urías, the former Oriole, who ended it.

News and notes

• So long as outfielder Colton Cowser passed his final checks Saturday, he will be activated off the concussion injured list. Mansolino said, once that occurs, Cowser will mostly play center field to account for Beavers mainly slotting into a corner spot.
• The Aberdeen IronBirds threw a combined no-hitter Saturday, with Luis De León, Jacob Cravey, Zane Barnhart and Carter Baumler each handling innings against Hudson Valley. It was the third time in four seasons the IronBirds have combined to produce a no-hitter.

This article has been updated.