The Orioles had a golden opportunity to keep building momentum today. Baltimore needed a victory against the last-place Athletics to win their eighth game in nine tries and their third consecutive series. Instead, the O’s will fly back east after losing two out of three against one of the worst teams in baseball.
Baltimore fell behind early for the second straight game, but it failed to overcome an early three-run deficit today. The offense fell flat, and the A’s capitalized on the early lead with a 5-1 victory.
The A’s did a majority of their damage early in the contest. Lawrence Butler got things started with a leadoff single, and Jacob Wilson followed with a ball up the middle. Wilson’s grounder deflected off of Baltimore starter Tomoyuki Sugano and deflected toward second base. Jackson Holliday fielded the ball and took the only available out at first while Butler reached second.
Sugano retired Brent Rooker for the second out and came within one strike of escaping the inning unscathed, but Tyler Soderstrom blooped a 3-2 curveball into center field for an RBI single.
Baltimore came right back and tied the game in the top of the second. Ramón Urías led off with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a ground out by Coby Mayo. After working a two-out walk, Emmanuel Rivera broke for second base hoping to draw a throw on the stolen-base attempt.
Catcher Jhonny Pereda fired toward third in a pickoff-style throw, but the ball trickled off Max Muncy’s glove. Urías hopped up and raced home, but Rivera decided to keep running. Urías barely reached home before Rivera was tagged for the third out. The play was enough to even the score at one but prevented an opportunity to take the lead.
The run in the first was the product of some bad luck, but the A’s got to Sugano in the second. Luis Urías punched a one-out single to left, and Pereda gave the Athletics the lead for good with a double down the line. Denzel Clarke put runners on the corners with a base hit to right field, and the Orioles followed with a defensive mistake of their own.
Sugano induced a sharp grounder from Butler that could have led to an inning-ending double play. Unfortunately, Gunnar Henderson failed to make the play at shortstop. Everybody reached base safely, and the A’s led 3-1. Jacob Wilson drove in the fourth run with a single to left field, and the Orioles converted their second opportunity for a double play.
Baltimore had a few chances as the game progressed but never capitalized. Dylan Carlson and Adley Rutschman singled in the third, but Henderson struck out and Ramón Laureano popped out to end the inning. Rivera struck out to end the fourth with Mayo in scoring position, and Henderson never scored in the eighth inning after reaching second base with nobody out.
The Orioles finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
A’s starter Jacob Lopez left after four innings, but Sean Newcomb earned the win with only one hit allowed over three scoreless innings of relief. Grant Holman and T.J. McFarland combined for a scoreless eighth, and Mason Miller retired the bottom of the order without issue in the ninth. Miller pitched in a non-save situation after Muncy launched a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.
Of all the losses from a disappointing season, this one stands out. The Orioles simply couldn’t afford to give away free wins after digging such a large whole to start the season. The A’s have some talented hitters with Rooker, Wilson, and Muncy, but Baltimore managing only one run against this pitching staff was unacceptable.
The Orioles will get a day off tomorrow to recover from the latest setback. Jordan Westburg should rejoin the team on Tuesday, while Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sánchez and Cedric Mullins are all expected back soon. Baltimore will take on Detroit for three games at Camden Yards.
