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Orioles tie record for most single-season HRs allowed

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The Baltimore Orioles' dismal campaign continues, as their pitching staff allowed the team's 258th home run of the year on Wednesday, tying the single-season record the 2016 Cincinnati Reds previously held alone.

Right-hander Aaron Brooks surrendered the record-tying homer off the bat of Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield in the third inning.

The Orioles tied the record in their 127th game of the 2019 campaign, giving them 35 games to set a new all-time high.

The silver lining of Wednesday's contest is that Merrifield's solo homer was the lone run Baltimore allowed in its 8-1 victory.

The Orioles entered the tilt allowing 2.08 HR/9 this season, which sits way atop MLB's leaderboard, with the Seattle Mariners in second place while surrendering 1.72 HR/9. Prorated over an entire season, Baltimore's pitching staff is on pace to give up 337 homers in 2019.

Collectively, the Orioles' pitching staff has been worth more WAR than the 2016 Reds, a club that authored a 4.91 ERA and 5.24 FIP, and was worth 0.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. This season, Baltimore has posted a 6.04 ERA and 5.83 FIP, with the team's staff worth 1.5 WAR.

"We've given up a ton of homers," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told The Associated Press postgame. "What's the record ... 258? So, if it's 259 or 330, I don't care. I just want us to get better on the mound and obviously finish this year and go into next year trying to do a better job of keeping the ball in the ballpark and staying off the barrel, but home runs are up. ... We're all tired of seeing them and hopefully we can get better going forward."

The Orioles will resume their slog toward the dubious record on Thursday when they begin a four-game series against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays.

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