Shane Baz and the Orioles come out on the losing end of a pitchers’ duel vs. Yankees

A good, old-fashioned pitchers’ duel found its way to Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday night. Neither team’s pitching staff seemed willing to give in. And the smallest mistake, like a pitch in the wrong location, could result in the decisive blow in a matchup between two teams in the wild-card picture.

So in the seventh inning with the bases juiced, something had to give. Orioles left-hander Josh Walker, appearing for the fourth time in five days, was one pitch away from stranding a pair of inherited runners from Shane Baz.

Then, he left a sinker over the heart of the plate that Trent Grisham laced into center field. Walker watched behind home as those inherited runners crossed the plate. He smacked his glove in disgust as the Orioles fell behind 3-1 to the Yankees.

“Games like that happen where one or two things don’t go your way,” Baz said. “It’s just two good teams playing each other.”

In the bottom of the frame, Walker stood with a towel draped over his shoulder and his hands on his hips, hoping a Yankees pitcher would suffer a similar fate.

The first two runners reached in the seventh. Manager Craig Albernaz considered letting pinch hitter Jeremiah Jackson bunt. Facing a deep Yankees bullpen, Albernaz let Jackson swing away. He struck out. And after Jackson Holliday flew out, Pete Alonso lined out to right field. The Orioles wouldn’t score over the next two frames either, suffering their second straight loss.

When the Orioles left for their recent 10-game road trip, they were three games below .500 and just a game out of the third wild-card spot. They returned home still three games below .500 but tied for the final playoff berth and well aware of what’s at stake.

“Every loss sucks, it doesn’t matter what time of year,” Albernaz said. “We know where we’re at, time of year and in the race. It’s one of those things where losses, they always hurt, but for us, we’ve just got to turn the page and focus on tomorrow.”

Take a look at Baz’s final line on Tuesday and it would belie the eye test. Baz was at his best, striking out a season-high 10 batters.

It was a step forward after his last outing when he only completed three innings and allowed five runs against the Twins. He flushed that start and wanted to move on.

His fastball velocity in Minnesota was down from his season average, but returned to normal Tuesday. That pitch’s effectiveness, coupled with his improved command of his knuckle curve, kept a Yankees lineup stacked with lefties off balance.

“If you go back and watch, all those are probably like middle-down,” Baz said of his knuckle curve. “They’re not glove side or arm side, they’re just down. And I think it just makes it really hard to hit that and my fastball when they’re kind of playing off each other in that lane.”

His first time through the order, Baz struck out six hitters. In the third inning, Grisham hit a solo homer that gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. New York was aggressive against Baz after their first trip through the order, ambushing the right-hander earlier in the count. Still, Baz only allowed two hits and two walks through the first five innings.

Then, in the sixth, he struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a fastball for his 10th strikeout, only the fourth time he’d reached double-digit strikeouts in his career.

“Just that one mistake, the changeup that came back in to Grisham,” Albernaz said. “Outside of that, he was outstanding. Especially the last outing in Minnesota, it was good to see him back out there pounding the strike zone with really good stuff.”

New York left-hander Carlos Rodón, who was on the injured list for over a month, pitched four innings of one-run baseball, allowing a solo homer to Coby Mayo in the third inning. Mayo, who has 17 homers this season, has hit 13 against left-handed pitchers.

But once Rodón exited, the Yankees benefited a bullpen that ranks second in baseball in ERA and fourth in WHIP. Over the next five innings, five New York pitchers combined to allow four batters to reach base.

Albernaz emptied his bench hoping any matchup would go to Baltimore’s advantage. None did. And while the Orioles bullpen nearly matched the Yankees, Walker’s mistake proved to be the difference in the end.

“It’s been our mantra all year to turn the page quickly and focus on the next day, so it’s nothing new for the guys in this clubhouse,” Albernaz said. “We’ll be ready to go tomorrow and go out there and compete.”

Note: The Orioles project that right-handed reliever Félix Bautista (right shoulder surgery) and utilityman Blaze Alexander (left hand fracture) will begin rehab assignments within the week. Alexander has been out since July 12, while Bautista hasn’t pitched in a game since July 2025.