The Orioles got a quality start from Shane Baz and still had nothing to show for it.
Baz opened the night with back-to-back loud swings against him, a 393-foot fly ball from the first batter he faced and then a second-pitch homer by Mickey Gasper onto the flag court in right. After that, though, he settled in and gave Baltimore exactly what a team needs from its starter: 6 1/3 innings, one run allowed, and enough stability to keep the game within reach.
It didn’t matter. The Orioles’ offense went silent again in a 1-0 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 19,821 at Camden Yards, leaving Baltimore at 69-73, shut out for the fifth time, and stuck on a four-game skid. The club went back to the clubhouse 2 ½ games behind for the last Wild Card and waited on the result of Game 2 of the Guardians-Tigers doubleheader.
Baz finished with four hits allowed, two walks and six strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.91. He retired six straight after Gasper’s homer and did damage control in a few tense spots, including a third-inning jam after Eli White’s one-out single and Jackson Holliday’s fielding error put runners on. He also worked around a leadoff walk in the fourth and more trouble in the sixth, when Gasper singled to start the inning, Leody Taveras’ error kept the inning alive, and Wilyer Abreu drew a one-out walk.
Craig Albernaz turned to Alex Hoppe after Trevor Story’s one-out single in the seventh. The Red Sox loaded the bases, and Adley Rutschman got ahead 3-1 before flying out.
Ranger Suárez had already done his part, throwing seven scoreless innings while allowing five hits. He finished after 91 pitches, having retired seven of the final eight batters he faced.
The bigger picture for Baz has been the same story all season: not enough support. Entering the game, his 3.27 run support average ranked second-worst in the majors. In his last eight starts, the Orioles have scored just 10 runs while he’s been on the mound.
Baltimore’s best chance to crack the board came in the third, when Coby Mayo kept the inning moving with an infield single that pushed Blaze Alexander from first to third. Mayo has been crushing left-handed pitching this season, but this time he chopped a grounder to the right side at just 47.7 mph, finding open space because Nick Sogard had ranged too far up the middle.
That set up a lineup sequence the Orioles had to love: Mayo, Robert and Pete Alonso. Instead, Robert lined out to center at 112.4 mph, and the inning passed with the Red Sox still up 1-0.
Mayo’s hit extended his hitting streak to a career-high nine games. He came up again in the fifth with two on and two outs, but grounded out on the first pitch.
Gunnar Henderson made a change before the game, though it had nothing to do with his swing. He swapped his walkup song from Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” to “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Montgomery native and John T. Morgan Academy graduate in Selma had been 2-for-16 over his previous four games after going 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs Sunday in Sacramento.
Against Boston, he flied out in his first at-bat, singled on an 0-2 count in the fourth, bounced out in the sixth and struck out in the ninth.
The late innings brought a different kind of heat. Josh Walker struck out three in the eighth and stranded two, then Blaze Alexander opened the bottom of the inning with his third single and was erased when Robert hit into a double play.
Alexander slid hard into second, Nick Sogard didn’t like it, and both benches and bullpens emptied. Alexander had to be restrained, waved both arms over his head and motioned to the crowd to stand up.
The teams were still chirping again after the top of the ninth.
There was already a fresh flashpoint from the night before, when Jahmai Jones slid aggressively into Alexander and triggered a crucial throwing error.
In the minors, High-A Frederick pitcher Harrison Kreiling was placed on the injured list earlier in the day. The Orioles acquired Kreiling in the Taylor Ward trade with the Mariners.
He had a 6.75 ERA in four starts with Class A Delmarva and allowed two runs in 2 1/3 innings in his lone appearance with the Keys. Michael Forret, reacquired by the Orioles in the Tyler Wells trade with the Rays, gave up two runs and three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in three innings.
In Other News...
Taylor Ward Has Already Become A Mariners Frustration
Taylor Wards move from Baltimore to Seattle was supposed to give the Mariners a bat that could steady the lineup after the deadline deal that sent three prospects back to the Orioles. Instead, his start in Seattle has only sharpened the hindsight around the trade, because the production the Mariners were counting on has not followed him west. For Baltimore, the deal already looks like one that brought in a useful package of young talent while moving on from an outfielder whose value had been climbing.
What has made the early returns sting for Seattle is how sharply Wards offense has dropped off compared with what he showed in Baltimore. His lower OPS and bWAR with the Mariners have turned the trade into an easy target for criticism, especially as the deadline moves are being graded in real time around the league. For the Orioles, it is the kind of transaction that can age well if even one of those prospects develops into a meaningful big-league piece, while Seattle is left waiting for Ward to justify the cost. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Young Core Is Suddenly Facing A Debate Fans Feared
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Rutschmans move to the Red Sox in August only sharpened the conversation around what the Orioles actually have now versus what they were supposed to have. Some of the young bats have flashed the upside that made the organization so optimistic, while others have had a harder time turning promise into consistency. For a fan base that spent years waiting for this exact moment, the debate is no longer about whether the talent exists - it is about which pieces can still be counted on to carry the group forward. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Just Got Another Reason To Believe In That Trade
The trade deadline deal already looked promising on paper, and these past few weeks have only added to the buzz around the Orioles side of it. Eyanson, now Baltimores No. 2 prospect, keeps piling up impressive outings in Double-A, most recently striking out eight over six innings even in a 5-4 loss. For a pitcher in his first professional season, the early returns have been hard to ignore.
Since the move, Eyanson has turned in 40 strikeouts against just eight walks over 27 innings, and he has fanned at least seven hitters in every outing. The 2025 third-round pick has shown the kind of consistency that tends to make a front office feel better about a deadline swing, even if the full payoff is still ahead. For Orioles fans, it is another reminder that this trade may have given the organization a real arm to dream on. [Read more 🡒]