The Orioles came out of their series with Atlanta having dropped two of three, and the weekend only sharpened the questions hanging over a club that remains below .500 with the trade deadline approaching next week.
Baltimore’s offense did itself no favors. The Orioles finished 22-for-107, a .206 clip, and went 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position.
Two of the losses were one-run games that went to extra innings, which made the missed chances loom even larger. For a team built around a young core, the bats are still the biggest reason the record looks the way it does.
Defense played a major role too. Jackson Holliday’s throwing error on Friday hurt Baltimore, and Sunday brought more trouble in the outfield, where sloppy play cost the Orioles two runs in the loss. Atlanta’s defense, meanwhile, helped swing Baltimore’s lone win.
The catching situation has become a problem on top of a problem. With Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo both out, Chadwick Tromp and Sam Huff have combined to go 1-for-24. Atlanta even chose to put the winning run in scoring position on Sunday rather than face Huff in the 11th inning.
Craig Albernaz also drew scrutiny for a few of his choices. He was criticized Friday for pulling Trevor Rogers after 88 pitches and then pitching to Matt Olson in the 10th.
But the move that stood out even more was pinch-hitting Coby Mayo for Tromp against a right-hander, which left Huff as the only option in the 10th against a lefty. Mayo can’t hit right-handers.
There were a few brighter spots. Dylan Beavers got a look in the leadoff spot, and that decision paid off with three hits and three walks over the weekend.
He also drove in the game-winning run Saturday. Gunnar Henderson continues to sit atop the list of disappointments, so a different look at the top made sense.
Brandon Young remains one of the more encouraging stories on the roster. Baltimore improved to 14-3 in games he has pitched, and he has now made 17 starts. That kind of production matters for a team that has had so many other things go wrong.
Shane Baz, by contrast, has been a tougher matchup for Baltimore. The Orioles fell to 6-15 in games he started, and he did not get much help from Colton Cowser and Beavers in the outfield. Baz has allowed 10 unearned runs this season, and Baltimore’s total of 65 unearned runs allowed in 2026 is the worst in the league.
Albernaz has also kept leaning on Rico Garcia, even after Garcia gave up a tying eighth-inning homer on back-to-back nights. The hope is that the 32-year-old can get back to where he was in the first two months of the season, but the numbers have been rough: a 6.27 ERA and seven homers allowed over his last 20 appearances.
Sunday’s 10th inning brought one more jolt when Pete Alonso was doubled off first on Henderson’s line drive. Alonso took the blame afterward and said, “This was on me - big time.” It was a bad break, though it was hardly the biggest issue Baltimore had over the weekend.
One of the stranger developments has been Christian Encarnacion-Strand emerging as the Orioles’ best hitter since the All-Star break. That says something good about him, especially with Blaze Alexander injured, but it also says plenty about how little the regulars have delivered when every win matters.
Albert Suarez gave Baltimore two scoreless innings Sunday, part of a solid bullpen effort after Baz failed to get through five innings for only the third time all season. Suarez had not pitched since July 8, a reminder of how well the rotation has held up.
And the broader picture keeps circling back to the same place. The Orioles stumbled again after David Rubenstein said, “We couldn’t be more pleased.
We’ve had some injuries, but that’s not Mike’s fault.” It echoed the flop that followed Mike Elias’ buyer proclamation in late June.
Baltimore is 168-188 since June 20, 2024.
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