Orioles stumble to lopsided loss, closing Diamondbacks series with a dud

PHOENIX — Two things can be true about the Orioles after their tepid series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

There remains faith within the clubhouse that Baltimore can turn this season around — after all, it’s only April 9.

And there can also be a justifiable level of concern from a fan base watching a starting rotation that lacked a major offseason signing struggle through the first four series, all while the offense scuffles to find any semblance of consistency. The latter was most on display in Wednesday’s 9-0 loss to the Diamondbacks.

The Orioles (5-8) fell three games below .500 for the first time since July 8, 2022. And Baltimore has yet to win a series this year.

The series finale at Chase Field became the Orioles’ most lopsided loss of the season. And, for as complete a performance as Baltimore received in Monday’s 5-1 win, the next two days brought a 180-degree shift.

Despite that, the overwhelming response from manager Brandon Hyde and players is that this is no time to panic. There’s logic there. Baltimore has 149 games still to play. But, given the inconsistent second half of 2024, there are external worries aplenty, even if those don’t extend into the clubhouse.

“I think we’re OK,” right-hander Dean Kremer said. “No need to hit the panic button yet. We’ve still got 150-something games left. So, I mean, I’m quite confident in our group here that, once everybody kind of gets going at the same time, it’s going to be a runaway train.”

There has been ample focus on the Orioles’ pitching staff, and for good reason. When Zach Eflin landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a lat strain, it removed the lone starter to complete six innings in every appearance this season. The problem is exacerbated because of elbow inflammation for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez that shut him down during spring training. Rodriguez is only now throwing bullpen sessions again.

Without Eflin in the near term, the rest of the healthy starting pitchers have been thoroughly unreliable thus far. Tomoyuki Sugano’s 2.89 ERA is strong; apart from him, the healthy group of four has one six-inning outing among them, belonging to left-hander Cade Povich. Kremer (8.16 ERA) and Charlie Morton (8.78) have especially struggled early.

Kremer got out to a fine start through the first four innings, although he hung a splitter to Corbin Carroll for a solo homer in the third as part of the two runs against him.

But the right-hander’s outing unraveled in the fifth, and it began with two belt-high cutters that Geraldo Perdomo turned into a single and Pavin Smith lifted for a two-run homer. The next batter, Josh Naylor, clobbered another splitter for a long ball.

“It’s getting hit, but I still feel like I’m putting it in good locations,” Kremer said of his splitter. “Sometimes they don’t get hit, and sometimes they do get hit. Just knowing when to mask it behind some other stuff.”

Kremer finished his day with six runs against him in 4 2/3 innings after left-hander Cionel Pérez allowed an inherited runner to score.

“He’s getting hurt with the long ball with balls that are middle-middle,” Hyde said of Kremer. “The lefties today took some good swings off him. He wasn’t getting the split down real low. He wasn’t getting the chase with it.”

The deeper hole dug in the fifth left the offense far out of it. But even a closer score line might not have changed much. Baltimore’s batters managed four hits against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt in six scoreless innings.

That has been a theme for the Orioles. In eight losses, Baltimore has scored two runs or fewer in six. With four hits Wednesday, the Orioles have been held to five or fewer in five of those eight losses. And, although there have been breakout games, such as a six-homer performance on opening day, there hasn’t been sustained production through the first 13 games.

“He’s got good stuff. He had command of all his pitches and hit a couple balls hard, just at people,” said infielder Ryan Mountcastle, whose 108.7 mph rocket was caught at third base.

Added infielder Jackson Holliday: “Sometimes, when we get off to a little bit slower starts, it’s harder for us to come back.”

After their series loss to the Diamondbacks, the Orioles boarded a flight back to Baltimore. They’ll have plenty of time to ponder what it might take to begin clicking during a much-needed day off Thursday.

Hyde and several players said the extra day could offer them all a chance to regroup ahead of a series against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend at Camden Yards. It’s early in the year, but these games in April count as much as games in September.

“This wasn’t our best road trip,” Hyde said. “Didn’t catch a lot of breaks. Just feels like things didn’t go our way a lot of the time. We’ve got to take a breather tomorrow and expecting a good homestand.”

This story has been updated.