In a game that lacked a quantity of hits, a combined total of seven, it was the quality of those hits that mattered in the end as the Baltimore Orioles fell 4-2 to the Cleveland Guardians (12-10) on Saturday.
The Orioles tallied four hits while the Guardians tallied three. Both teams hit a pair of homeruns in the contest, the difference being that Cleveland matched Baltimore’s two solo shots with a three-run homer as well as a solo one.
Taylor Ward doubled in the first inning but was stranded there after swinging strikeouts by Pete Alonso and Dylan Beavers. This trio of players would factor into a scoring opportunity again in the third inning. Gunnar Henderson singled and went to third on Ward’s grounder to Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, whose errant throw to second went into right field. Thanks to that error Ward reached second. Alonso and Beavers both subsequently struck out swinging to end the threat.
Leody Taveras homered 399 ft.to right in the fourth inning to open the scoring for the Orioles and Henderson finished it with his 368 ft. homerun to right in the eighth inning.
Cleveland parlayed a Rhys Hoskins walk and a Daniel Schneemann single into a two-out, three-run homerun by Brayan Rocchio in the fifth inning. That homerun ultimately pinned the loss on Orioles’ starter Dean Kremer (0-1).
Kremer deserved better for his quality start (6.0 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K) but was let down by the Baltimore bats.
Albert Suarez relieved Kremer and served up a lead-off homerun to Bo Naylor in the eighth; it was the only hit he allowed in 2.0 innings of work. The Orioles flamed out in the ninth on strikeouts by Beavers, Colton Cowser and Taveras.
For the game, Baltimore batters struck out 16 times (59% of their 27 outs) with Alonso and Cowser leading the way with four strikeouts each. This type of offense will not win many games, that is a fact.
2026 Record: 10-11
Next Game: Sun. 4/19 @ 1:40 pm @ Cleveland Guardians
