The Baltimore Orioles had everything going for them late in Saturday night’s game with the Washington Nationals (42-42). They had the momentum of a game-tying eighth inning rally, they had a Camden Yards crowd of 29,616 behind them and they were facing RHP Justin Lawrence, a waiver claim with an 8.04 ERA, making his Nationals’ debut. In the end, the Orioles were shut down with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th inning when Samuel Basallo grounded out to second to give the Nats a 4-3 win in 10 innings.
This loss in a one-run game was the team’s fourth in their last five such games; the Orioles are 6-13 (.316) overall in one-run games this season.
Making his 500th consecutive start, Pete Alonso (1 for 4, BB) did all he could by knocking in Chadwick Tromp with an eighth inning double, a shot to the left field corner that just missed being a homerun, and by scoring the tying run on pinch hitter Basallo’s single.
The Nationals took advantage of starter Brandon Young in the second inning by scoring a run on a Daylen Lile ground-rule double and a Jorbit Vivas RBI single. Vivas was allowed to advance to second base as the Orioles had no one in position to cut off Taylor Ward‘s throw from left field.
Luis Garcia Jr touched Young for a lead-off homerun in the fifth. Young’s night was done after the fifth ended having allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8 on 93 pitches (62 K’s).
Blaze Alexander gifted the Nats their third run in the sixth. Alexander committed a fielding error on a Vivas grounder to third and then compounded that foible with his throw that sailed wide of first base (throwing error), allowing Vivas to advance to second. Vivas scored an unearned run on a Drew Millas RBI-single.
Washington scored the eventual winning run on a Lile RBI-single that scored the ghost runner Dylan Crews with Ryan Helsley (0-4) pitching.
The Orioles scored their first run of the game on a Tromp RBI single that plated Jeremiah Jackson. The next four Baltimore batters struck out in a run of seven consecutive Orioles retired. Nine consecutive Orioles were then retired after Jackson’s single ended the seven batter’s run of outs, meaning 16 of 17 batters were retired before the two-run eighth.
The teams did match each other with put outs at home. The Orioles with a Tyler O’Neill thow to Jackson to Tromp the cut down Millas in the sixth and the Nats with a CJ Abrams throw to Millas that eliminated Jackson on a contact play in the 10th.
With the win, the Nationals reached the .500 mark, a mark that continues to elude the Orioles.
2026 Record: 39-45
Next Game: Sun. 6/28 @ 1:35 pm vs. Washington Nationals
