ORIOLES @ASTROS
Tonight, 7:15 TV: Chs. 45, 5 Radio: 105.7 FM O’S SHUT OUT: Orioles can’t cash in on late opportunity in 2-0 setback to Astros.
HOUSTON — The Orioles’ May swoon continued in Texas on Friday night with a 2-0 loss to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
The Orioles’ fifth straight loss was also their 11th in 14 games. Fifteen of their past 16 games have been decided by two runs or fewer, with 10 of those games being losses.
Astros starter Joe Musgrove (4-4), who entered the night with a 5.63 ERA and was coming off an outing in which he allowed seven runs over three innings, held the Orioles scoreless for seven innings. The Orioles, who dropped into third place for the first time this season, managed just four hits off Musgrove. Orioles right-hander Kevin
Gausman (2-4) pitched his third quality start in his past four outings, the only damage done against him in 62⁄ innings being 3 two solo homers.
Four of the Orioles’ seven hits were doubles, all of which came with less than two outs in an inning. But the Orioles (25-21) were a combined 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position after opening the game hitless in their first seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
The first six hitters in the Orioles’ batting order were a combined 2-for-24 with seven strikeouts.
The Orioles had their scoring opportunities late, loading the bases with no outs against righthander Chris Devenski in the eighth inning, but failed to score.
After Hyun Soo Kim opened the inning with a double, Jona
than Schoop reached on an infield single and J.J. Hardy loaded the bases with a bunt single.
But the Orioles couldn’t bring a single runner home with the top of the order up. Seth Smith struck out for the fourth time on the night, Adam Jones hit a fly ball to left that wasn’t deep enough to score Kim from third and Manny Machado sent a first-pitch delivery to the warning track in right to end the inning.
Orioles can’t capitalize: The Orioles received one-out doubles in both the third and fourth innings Friday, but couldn’t score in either frame against Musgrove.
Machado doubled into leftcenter field to lead off the seventh, but Musgrove retired the next three hitters to escape that jam. Gausman dodges damage: Gausman limited the Astros to one run in the third, the only damage coming on Jake Maris
nick’s solo homer to left. But Gausman paid the price of needing 33 pitches to get through the inning.
Gausman endured t hree counts of six or more pitches, and the Astros fouled 10 pitches in the frame to get his pitch count up.