Tuesday night’s game at Camden Yards was delayed 56 minutes for “impending rain”. That rain never materialized but it did rain briefly later on in the game. In the end, the Baltimore Orioles lost 5-2 to the Chicago Cubs (51-40), the team’s second consecutive loss, to begin the penultimate series before the All-Star break. The Orioles are now 24-24 when playing at Oriole Park this season.
Shane Baz (4-9) produced a quality start, his 7th over his last 10 starts. Baz allowed 3 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 3 strike outs across 6.0 innings of work and threw 100 pitches (63 K’s) in the outing. A two-out walk in the third extended the inning, allowing the Cubs to score a run on an RBI-single by Alex Bregman. Baz surrendered 3 straight hits to open the fifth inning which resulted in a run for the Cubs and on an overturned call at first, Bregman once again knocke in a run on a forceout at second base.
Anthony Nunez came on in telief and allowed a run in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Meanwhile the Orioles’ bats were silent. The O’s managed just 3 hits over the first six innings of the game and wasted a runner on first and second, no out situation in the fourth; three swinging strike outs quelled that threat. Twelve of the twenty-seven outs recorded by the Orioles came via the strikeout. Adley Rutschman (2 for 4, 2 RBI) was the only starter to not strikeout.
It was Rutschman’s bases loaded single with two outs in the seventh inning that produced the Oriole’s runs.
As a team, Baltimore was 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position while stranding 7 runners on base.
Blaze Alexander, Pete Alonso, Samuel Basallo and Gunnar Henderson each singled to round out the offense on this night.
Can we please stop citing how far back the Orioles are in the Wild Card race? The Orioles have to jump over 5 teams for the last spot, two of which are in the AL East, and until they get much closer to a .500 record or show they can win more than three games in a row, that point is irrelevant. This Orioles team is simply not playoff caliber. There is not enough rum and cigars for Jobu to help this team.
2026 Record: 42-50
Next Game: Wed. 7/8 @ 6:35 pm vs. Chicago Cubs
