Orioles hear some boos as they stumble to 6-2 loss to Athletics

This is not a boo-happy town. Orioles fans, in general, have seen worse than whatever is occurring on the field. Living through three 100-loss seasons will steel one to bad baseball.

But, when the Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning and then promptly stranded those three runners Saturday, frustration was audible. It came out in the form of boos for a team that is playing uninspiring baseball.

In front of another strong crowd at Camden Yards, the Orioles slumped their way to a 6-2 loss to the Athletics. Baltimore has yet to win a series against a team with an above-.500 record, and this dropped the Orioles to 17-23 — with eight losses in their last 10 games.

“I think all around — hitting, pitching, defense — I just think everything needs to be better," outfielder Taylor Ward said.

Baltimore will try to avoid a sweep Sunday against the Athletics (21-18) before the American League-leading New York Yankees descend on Oriole Park.

The Orioles have allowed three or more runs in 25 straight games, which is their longest streak since 2019. They’re the only team in Major League Baseball not to record a shutout.

There were plenty of frustrating moments to be had, but the fifth inning was most acute. It started innocuously — Jeremiah Jackson blooped in a single — but then it quickly became Baltimore’s best opportunity to cut into a deficit.

Gunnar Henderson stayed on a two-strike breaking ball and drove it for a double, and Ward walked to load the bases.

There is no one the Orioles would rather have up in that spot than Adley Rutschman and Pete Alonso, two of their best hitters. But Rutschman, who doubled earlier, struck out. And Alonso popped out into shallow left field. That brought to the plate Samuel Basallo, a left-handed hitter against right-handed starter Aaron Civale.

Basallo had already singled twice, and with Civale’s pitch count rising, the Athletics began warming left-hander Hogan Harris. Instead, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay stuck with Civale, and it worked. Basallo, too, popped up into shallow left.

“Civale did a great job,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “That cutter, especially to lefties backdoor, he was getting up and in to the lefties, mixing in the curveball. He had the guys off balance. I mean, we had 11 punchouts, and it feels like almost all of them were looking. His command was really sharp tonight.”

The boos came — not for Basallo or Alonso or Rutschman individually. They’ve all been bright spots this season. The boos came for the overarching nature of baseball in Baltimore.

“I think we all want to do more,” Ward said. “It’s just baseball. Maybe we all just need to take a breather, but just gotta be better for sure.”

It took until the eighth before the Orioles prevented a shutout through Colton Cowser’s pinch-hit, two-out, two-run single. But right-hander Andrew Kittredge gave back a run in the top of the ninth.

The Orioles were immediately on the back foot Saturday with right-hander Shane Baz on the mound. He allowed a double to Nick Kurtz to lead off the game, and Kurtz scored on Shea Langeliers’ single. Kurtz reached twice more against Baz, and Langeliers finished with a pair of RBIs.

Baz said he “made a couple mistakes” to Kurtz and Langeliers, “and they didn’t miss them.”

It was Brent Rooker’s swing in the third that did the most damage against Baz, though. After Kurtz walked and Langeliers singled, Rooker drove an up-and-away cutter to right field for a three-run homer.

In the first eight appearances of Baz’s time in Baltimore, his 4 2/3 innings Saturday marked his shortest start. But Baz has allowed four or more runs five times and his ERA is 5.48. At least at this point, he isn’t living up to the contract extension he signed early this season.

Baz said he prefers to look forward rather than dwelling on the past, but he called this stretch “embarrassing.”

“You want to play better. And I think we’re doing the right stuff in between starts, just game planning-wise, to have more success,” he said. “I’m just kind of turning the page here and looking forward to the next one.”

But he isn’t alone in these struggles.

Although the Orioles’ offense has yet to be shut out itself, the state of the rotation has left much to be desired. Even after right-hander Kyle Bradish pitched seven innings with three runs against him in Friday’s loss, the Orioles entered Saturday’s game with a 4.99 ERA from their starters, which is tied for the third worst in baseball.

The offense could’ve broken through against Civale at plenty of points, of course. Henderson beat out an infield single to lead off the first, but Ward grounded into a double play that prevented Rutschman’s double from scoring a run. In the second, Basallo’s single was followed by three strikeouts.

So the boos that came out after the fifth were an accumulation of moments Saturday. They were an accumulation of moments this season. And, unless things change, this won’t be the last time they’re heard.