The lows just continue for the Baltimore Orioles. Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was the team’s 81st of the season, making a losing season a certainty. It also was the team’s 14th loss in a row, their second such losing streak of the 2021 season. Finally, it made the team the third team since 1901 to have two losing streaks of at least 14 games in the same season. To put this “feat” in perspective, the last team to have those two losing streaks in the same season was the Boston Braves in 1935, a team that featured a 40 year-old Babe Ruth.
Once again, Cedric Mullins (1 for 4) led off the game with a homerun, his 6th leadoff homer of 2021 and his 21st of the season, making him the team leader in homeruns.
Not to be outdone, Ryan Mountcastle (1 for 4) hit his 20th homerun of the season in the 8th inning, a 383 ft. shot off former Oriole Shawn Armstrong. He is the eighth Oriole rookie to hit 20 homeruns in a season and the first since Trey Mancini did it in 2017.
Jorge Mateo went 1 for 4 with a run scored to extend his hitting streak to 9 games.
Maikel Franco went 2 for 4 with a double while Austin Hays went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.
Pedro Severino (DH) and Austin Wynns each went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI.
Spenser Watkins made his 8th start of the season and lasted just 4.0 innings for the third time in his last 5 starts. He allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 2 , struck out 2 and took the loss, making him 2-5 on the year.
In what has become a familiar pattern, the Orioles used four relievers to finish out the game. Paul Fry continued his struggles in relief. He was charged with 3 runs allowed, 1 earned, and walked 2 without recording an out.
Cesar Valdez allowed the Rays 8th run during his 2.0 inning effort; he gave up 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 2 in the 7th and 8th innings.