This would have been storybook.

It had the makings of a Hollywood production as the 21-year-old grabbed a bat in the seventh inning. He strode to the plate as a pinch hitter with the game-tying run at first base. And the Orioles fans at Camden Yards rose to their feet to shower the newly extended catcher with their appreciation.

Samuel Basallo struck out.

Wait, what?

That’s not how a screenwriter would’ve written it — the hitter, Basallo, swinging through strike three. But this is baseball, where events rarely go as intended and storybook moments are never simple. When Basallo lofted a pitch down the left-field line only to have it fall a few feet foul, a groan lifted around Camden Yards. The groan returned after strike three.

Basallo got another at-bat in the ninth inning, but he struck out that time too.

But what the Orioles ensured Friday by signing Basallo to an eight-year contract worth at least $67 million was that this Camden Yards crowd will have the pleasure of rising to its feet in anticipation of many more Basallo plate appearances in the future.

It didn’t work out in that magical sort of way most in the park would’ve hoped. That’s OK. Should the Orioles pick up the 2034 club option that is part of his contract, Baltimore will see Basallo until he’s at least 30. There’s value in anticipation — on Friday and long into the future.

“I know the fans in Baltimore have been waiting for this for a while,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “It’s exciting for Sammy. We hope it’s one of many.”

As it turns out, Baltimore lost to the Houston Astros 10-7 in a game full of big swings and few precise pitches. After Basallo’s strikeout in the seventh, the Astros scored three runs in the eighth to distance themselves once more.

It was that sort of game — when Baltimore drew closer, Houston pulled away again. In the fifth, for instance, the Astros answered the Orioles’ three-run frame with a three-run homer from Christian Walker against right-hander Yennier Cano.

The trio of eighth-inning runs for Houston came after Mansolino brought in right-hander Corbin Martin. The Astros countered with two left-handed pinch hitters, and Victor Caratini’s two-run double preceded Jeremy Peña’s run-scoring knock.

In the bottom half of the frame, Vimael Machín made his late addition count. When he checked in as Baltimore’s third baseman, he became the 63rd player used this season, setting a franchise record the 2021 team once held.

Then Machín, a 31-year-old who lit up spring training and Triple-A, homered on the first pitch he saw.

“All I wanted to do was get a good pitch to hit, obviously, and do damage,” Machín said. “It’s been since 2022, I believe, so being back here, I’m not gonna lie, I was kind of nervous on deck.”

Still, that wasn’t enough, and part of the issue revolves around Cano’s performance out of the bullpen. His regression is concerning but not entirely confounding.

The right-hander, two years removed from a breakout campaign during which he earned All-Star honors, has lost some of his command. The sinker that helped produce a 63.5% ground ball rate last year isn’t as effective. Batters are hitting grounders 55.7% of the time, but they have increased their pull-side air percentage to 14.5% — a major indicator of powerful swings, such as Walker’s.

Worse, the changeup has turned from an advantage to a hindrance out of his hand. Opponents entered with a .395 average and .632 slugging percentage against the changeup, compared to a .230 average last year and a .202 average in 2023. The whiff rate on that pitch has dropped from 40.2% in 2023 to 29% this year.

Statcast listed both pitches to Walker as changeups, given the slower velocity. But Mansolino said there was concern about Cano’s sinker velocity, and given the spin rate of those changeups, it seems likely those offerings shy of 93 mph were sinkers.

Walker throttled the thigh-high pitch — whatever it was — to further tank Cano’s season.

“The people who have been here over the years, we’ve got a lot of faith in him. We’ve seen him so good,” Mansolino said. “He’s one of the guys, when there’s a big spot, that he’s one of the first names in that bullpen that we think about.”

Cano held a 0.00 ERA on May 3. In his 34 2/3 innings since then, he has produced a 7.27 ERA. It’s only another concern for a bullpen that faces an extensive rebuilding process this offseason, particularly after the Orioles traded four relievers and lost right-hander Félix Bautista to a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff that may take over a year from which to return.

That’s no easy task. And, on top of that, the Orioles must address their rotation.

Left-hander Cade Povich didn’t perform at his best Friday, allowing four earned runs (six total) in 4 2/3 innings.

Povich faced a lineup made up completely of right-handed batters, and barring the late traffic against him, he kept himself reasonably competitive. The four runs that crossed in the third were helped by two throwing errors, one of which came from Povich and one from third baseman Luis Vázquez.

But the major blow in that frame came via a missed spot. Povich hung a curveball to Peña, who blasted it for a three-run homer.

“I was falling behind a little too much,” Povich said. “I was able to work my way back, and then with the home run, I worked myself into a full-count situation. Don’t want to get a walk and load the bases. Obviously, I don’t want to give up a home run, either. Trying to make a pitch, a good pitch in the zone. It was in the zone, just not a good pitch.”

The Orioles got themselves back into the game against right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. through Alex Jackson’s RBI single and Jeremiah Jackson’s two-run double in the fourth. The latter Jackson came through again with an RBI groundout as part of a two-run sixth. That marked his first multi-RBI game in his 17th contest for Baltimore.

There was plenty of offense. There was even a chance for the storybook conclusion of a wild day for Basallo. But Baltimore’s fans will have to wait at least another day for that fairy tale to be written — and there’s plenty of time for one.

News and notes

• Coby Mayo was hit on his right hand with a fastball in the ninth inning, but the Orioles said X-rays didn’t indicate a fracture.
• The Orioles placed infielder Jordan Westburg on the 10-day injured list for a sprained right ankle suffered Monday in Boston when he rounded second base. To replace Westburg, Baltimore selected the contract of Machín. The 31-year-old Machín excelled for Triple-A Norfolk this season, with a .285 average and .814 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
• The Orioles placed right-hander Brandon Young on the 15-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. He left in the sixth inning of his start Thursday after covering first base and coming up limping. Right-hander Matt Bowman, a reliever, had his contract selected. The rotation hole may be filled by right-hander Kyle Bradish, who is expected to return from a lengthy elbow rehab next week.

This article has been updated.