Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals (43-42) ended in favor of the visitors 6-4. With the loss, the Orioles dropped this part of the “Beltway Series” 1 game to 2 and finished the home-and-home series with a 2-4 record.
Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish (5-8) simply didn’t have it on this day. The righty allowed 4 runs, 3 of which were earned, on just 1 hit given up while walking 5 and striking out 2 in 4.0 innings. Bradish was relieved by Tyler Wells after he walked James Wood to open the fifth inning. The first two innings were clean for Bradish as he needed 25 pitches to retire all 6 batters faced. It all went awry in the third inning however, with Bradish needing 33 pitches to navigate the inning. He finished the appearance having thrown 85 pitches (40 K’s).
Orioles’ pitchers were victimized by Washington’s young (age 26), seven year veteran Luis Garcia Jr. Garcis Jr went 3 for 5 with a double, 2 homeruns, 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. The first baseman went 7 for 11 with 2 doubles, 3 homeruns, 4 runs scored and 6 RBI for the series even though he was a pinch hitter (0 for 1) in Friday night’s game. Garcia Jr would have beaten the Orioles by himself on Sunday.
The game started on a high note with Pete Alonso‘s 437 ft. two-run homerun to straight away center field in the first inning with the ball landing just below the batter’s eye. The irony of that was the fact that the on-screen superimposed ad was for the MD Lottery’s Fast-Play game and the homerun earned the Lottery’s Fast-Play contestant of the day $500.
Jackson Holliday‘s seventh inning two-run homerun drew the Birds closer to the Nats but in the end was not enough.
Colton Cowser had quite the day, going 2 for 3 with a run scored with the bat and making three highlight plays in center field on defense, throwing in an outfield assist for good measure. In the fourth inning Cowser made a running catch on a Keibert Ruiz hit to the left center field gap, stole a homerun from Dylan Crews with a leaping catch above the wall in center field in the fifth and fielded a Ruiz single in center and threw a bullet to second to victimize Ruiz once again, assisting with the out on his attempt to extend the hit into a double.
The game was not without a defensive lapse, however. Coby Mayo‘s errant throw to first in the third inning on a Mead grounder to third base was unable to be picked by Samuel Basallo at first base, allowing Garcia Jr to score an unearned run.
As much as I hate to say this, I think it is time to accept the Orioles for the team they are, a bipolar team without an identity that will hover below the .500 mark all season. With all the talk about the mediocre American League being anybody’s to win and the Orioles sitting fifth at 3.0 games back in the Wild Card race, this team as it stands now is simply not a playoff caliber team.
2026 Record: 39-46
Next game: Mon. 6/29 @ 6:35 pm vs. Chicago White Sox
