The Orioles have found a very specific kind of frustration this season: getting to the doorstep of a four-game winning streak and then slamming the door on themselves.
That happened again in the series finale against the Reds, when Baltimore’s bats went quiet in a 3-2 loss that dropped the club back to seven games under .500. It was the seventh time this season the Orioles had a chance to win four straight, and the seventh time they came up short.
That’s not just a quirky footnote anymore. It’s become one of the defining oddities of the 2026 Orioles.
Every other major league team except the Giants has managed at least one four-game winning streak this season. Even the Rockies, who own the worst record in baseball, did it.
So did every other last-place team - the Red Sox, Royals, Angels, Mets, and Reds - and most of them pulled it off twice. Baltimore, despite being better on paper than those clubs, still hasn’t been able to string together even that modest run.
The missed chances have piled up in bunches. The Orioles had two shots at four in a row in April and lost both.
They got another crack at the end of May and let it slip away. June brought three more opportunities, all wasted.
Then came July, when Baltimore opened the month 3-0 and seemed set up to finally break through. Instead, the same pattern showed up again.
It keeps coming back to the same issue: the Orioles can’t seem to put together complete baseball for long enough. One night it’s defense.
Another time it’s sloppy fundamentals or shaky pitching. Against Cincinnati, it was the offense that vanished.
Whatever the culprit, the result is the same. Baltimore has dug such a deep hole that a real run is going to be necessary just to stay in the conversation, and a four-game streak would only be the beginning.
Five, six, or seven would be better. Right now, that feels like a big ask.
There are six games left before the All-Star break, which means the Orioles are already locked into finishing the first half with a losing record. The only question is whether that record looks merely ugly or fully out of reach by the time the break arrives. That will come down to what happens over their six-game homestand against the Cubs and Royals.
For what it’s worth, Baltimore has been better at home than overall, with a 24-23 record at Camden Yards. So yes, they could win a few. Maybe even four.
Almost certainly not four in a row, though.
On the news side, Roch Kubatko’s mailbag at School of Roch touched on Heston Kjerstad, Mike Elias’ job security, and whether Han or Greedo shot first.
Craig Albernaz said that “Everything is on the table” when asked about the Orioles’ closer situation, though it looked like there was only one obvious answer when Baltimore needed someone to finish the job in Cincinnati.
The Baltimore Banner also noted that Albernaz’s choice to leave Kyle Bradish in after he reached 102 pitches didn’t age well, since Bradish immediately allowed the run that ended up deciding the game.
Today is Manny Machado’s 34th birthday. The former Orioles star is now in his eighth season with the Padres and owns a career 61.9 WAR, though he has struggled this year with a .187 average and .675 OPS. Other Orioles birthdays on the calendar include the late Baltimore-born outfielder Barry Shetrone and infielder Frank Kellert, who was part of the original 1954 team.
July 6 also has a few notable Orioles moments attached to it. In 1966, Boog Powell tied an American League record by driving in 11 runs in a doubleheader.
He had four RBIs in the opener, then added seven more in the nightcap, including a grand slam, an RBI double, and a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth. Baltimore still lost that second game, 9-8.
In 2016, the Orioles won a wild one at Dodger Stadium, beating the Dodgers 8-6 in 14 innings. Both teams struck out 18 times, all nine Orioles starters struck out at least once, and Chris Davis did it four times.
Mark Trumbo hit two homers to reach a league-leading 26, and Jonathan Schoop delivered the go-ahead two-run single in the 14th. The Dodgers had run out of position players and sent pitcher Chris Hatcher to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, where he grounded out to end it.
And on July 6, 1967, Baltimore beat the White Sox in Chicago, 3-1. Dave McNally threw a complete game, with Dick Kenworthy’s solo homer accounting for Chicago’s only run. Solo shots from Paul Blair and Sam Bowens gave McNally the support he needed, though the defending champs still sat four games under .500 at the time and eventually finished 76-85.
In Other News...
Contender Now Linked To One Orioles Bat Fans Feared Losing
The trade deadline is starting to draw some familiar names into the rumor mill, and for Orioles fans, one of the more uncomfortable ones is a bat they have grown attached to. CBS Sports Mike Axisa recently pegged Taylor Ward as a possible fit for a Phillies club that has improved under Don Mattingly and looks like a buyer, with the appeal tied to his on-base ability and right-handed swing even as his home run total has dipped.
For Baltimore, the intrigue is less about Philadelphias needs than what Ward represents if the market keeps warming up. He is viewed as the kind of rental a contender can chase before he reaches free agency after the season, which is exactly the sort of profile that tends to stir deadline noise around a player who has become part of the Orioles everyday picture. The question now is how aggressive that pursuit gets, and whether Baltimore is forced to weigh short-term value against the kind of return that could make moving him easier to stomach. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Taylor Ward Problem At The Worst Time
Taylor Ward gave the Orioles exactly the kind of early boost they were hoping for, working his way on base at a strong clip and producing enough in April to look like a real middle-of-the-order fit. Since then, though, the bat has cooled, and the difference has shown up in both his power and his ability to get on base, which has made his once-promising start feel more fragile as the calendar moves toward the trade deadline.
That slide has already been noticed outside Baltimore, too. ESPNs latest trade-chip rankings have Ward slipping from 12th in the first edition to 24th now, a reminder that his market is changing along with his production. The Orioles would love to see him straighten things out over the next stretch, not just because they need the offense, but because a stronger finish would give them a much better position when the deadline conversations really start to heat up. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Bullpen Concerns Just Grew As Another Lineup Shuffle Looms
The Orioles bullpen picture took another hit with Keegan Akin now seeking a second opinion on his left elbow, while Colin Selby remains on the 60-day injured list and Ryan Helsley is still working through treatment on his right elbow. For a club already trying to patch together innings, the latest medical updates only add to the pressure on a relief group that has been asked to absorb a lot this season.
At the same time, Baltimore is trying to manage the rest of the roster with an eye on a Cubs matchup that brings a left-handed starter into the mix. The lineup card reflects that balancing act, with the Orioles turning to several younger bats and moving pieces around as they look for the right combination, even as the bullpen uncertainty keeps hanging over the day. [Read more 🡒]