BALTIMORE — There was plenty of blame to go around for the Yankees’ latest loss, most of it surrounding an anemic performance by the offense.
But in the end, after Aroldis Chapman walked Ramon Urias to force in the winning run of a 2-1, 11-inning loss, the Yankees were upset with home plate umpire Tom Hallion.
Jose Trevino and Aaron Boone argued with Hallion that Chapman’s 3-2 slider should have been called a strike. Instead, it forced in ghost-runner Austin Hays.
Boone was ejected at the conclusion of the game.
The final inning started with Hays at second.
Clarke Schmidt got Jorge Mateo to line to shortstop — after two failed bunt attempts — before Anthony Bemboom walked. Schmidt also walked Kelvin Gutierrez to load the bases.
Chapman was then called in, a night after walking all three batters he faced against the Blue Jays before being bailed out by Michael King.
With the infield in, Chapman struck out Cedric Mullins for the second out.
After getting ahead of Urias 0-2, Chapman got to a full count before walking him to force in the winning run.
It was the first matchup between the teams this season after the Yankees failed to capitalize on cellar-swelling Baltimore last season, winning 11 of 19 games — which is fine, but not good enough, given the state of the Orioles in recent years.
The Orioles entered Friday winners of just one of their first six games this year and while the Yankees lost the game in the bottom of the 11th, they had other chances to put themselves in a better spot.
It was another lackluster night for the offense, which has scored more than four runs just once this season, in an Opening Day, 11-inning win, when the Yanks scored six.
On Friday, 13 consecutive Yankees were retired by Baltimore’s bullpen until Giancarlo Stanton was credited with a single when ghost-runner Anthony Rizzo ran into his grounder to shortstop in the 11th.
And Joey Gallo ended the inning by hitting one just in front of home plate, as he searches for his first RBI of the season.
Jordan Montgomery tossed five scoreless innings, as the left-hander showed no ill effects from the bruised left knee he suffered in his previous start, when he took a 102 mph comebacker from Boston’s Xander Bogaerts.
The Yankees left two on in the first inning after Rizzo led off the game by getting plunked and moved to second on a Stanton single. Josh Donaldson flied out and Gallo and DJ LeMahieu grounded out.
Montgomery also stranded a pair in the second, with some help from LeMahieu at third. Robinson Chirinos hit a grounder down the line, where LeMahieu backhanded the ball in foul territory and made a strong throw to first, where Rizzo made a nice scoop to end the inning.
LeMahieu made two more good plays in the third inning.
But the Yankees’ offense continued to struggle with runners in scoring position.
After they loaded the bases with one out in the sixth with a leadoff single by Donaldson, a one-out hit by LeMahieu and a walk to Gleyber Torres that knocked out Baltimore starter Jordan Lyles, Aaron Hicks grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Yankees entered the game just 9-for-50 with runners in scoring position while the Orioles were the worst in the majors at 5-for-55. Hicks’ double play made them 1-for-7 on the night.
Wandy Peralta replaced Montgomery to start the bottom of the sixth and survived a pair of hard-hit balls to pitch a scoreless inning.
He allowed a leadoff double down the right-field line to open the seventh and Hays moved to third on a passed ball by Higashioka and scored on a single by ex-Yankee prospect Jorge Mateo to tie the score at 1-1.
Mateo, though, was thrown out at second by Gallo, trying to stretch the hit into a double.
Peralta was finally pulled after a walk to Chirinos, replaced by Jonathan Loaisiga.
The right-hander walked pinch-hitter and former Yankee Rougned Odor to put runners on first and second for Mullins. Loaisiga whiffed Mullins on a 3-2 sinker for the second out.
After falling behind Urias, 3-1, Loaisiga came back to strike him out looking.
Baltimore threatened again In the eighth off Miguel Castro.
He followed a leadoff walk to Ryan Mountcastle with a two-out walk to Hays. Higashioka’s second passed ball of the night moved the runners up to second and third, but Castro struck out Mateo.