Orioles rocked, while Blue Jays roll
O’s finish four-game series allowing a near-record 47 runs
Eventually, the Orioles’ continued drilling to new depths will find rock.
As awful as Sunday was, their ability to keep finding worse and worse ways to lose means even this 22-7 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays before an announced
8,474 at Camden Yards can’t quite be deemed the bottom yet.
After the Orioles (49-97) allowed 11 runs in each game of a doubleheader sweep Saturday, blowing seventh-inning leads in each, Toronto nearly matched that production in one inning in a game that was never close.
“We’re just not pitching very well against a good lineup,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “That game was over early. We had a tough time getting them out. It’s a good-hitting team, and we’ve got to pitch a little bit better.”
Rookie Zac Lowther loaded the bases with Toronto’s first three batters of the game on a single and two walks, hit the fourth with a pitch, then allowed a grand slam to
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to create an early 5-0 hole. He allowed a run in the second and was charged with one in the third after a leadoff walk came around to score on Spenser Watkins’ watch.
“I was pitching kind of scared, or not attacking them to good zones and getting ahead of guys,” Lowther said. “With a lineup like that, you have to get ahead and attack and I wasn’t doing it.”
Watkins allowed seven runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and recorded just one out — on a run-scoring single by Breyvic Valera where he got caught too far of the base. Orioles rookie Mike Baumann, fresh off an impressive debut Tuesday, took over and was charged with six runs in three innings of relief.
“It’s just tough all around,” Lowther said. “Those are really good friends of mine and good teammates of mine, so if I don’t do well, so be it. It just sucks seeing everyone kind of have not their best day.”
The Orioles allowed 10 runs in the third inning after giving up 11 in the seventh Saturday night. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles are only the third team ever to allow 10 or more runs in one inning in back-to-back games and the first since the 2005 Arizona Diamondbacks.
Eric Hanhold had the team’s first 1-2-3 inning in the seventh after allowing two runs of his own in the sixth. Conner Greene and Fernando Abad pitched scoreless innings to keep the game from getting even further out of hand.
Sunday was just the fourth time the Orioles have allowed 22 runs or more in a game since moving to Baltimore in 1954, with the most recent being the 23-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Aug. 10, 2019. The club record for most runs allowed in a game is 30 on Aug. 22, 2007, against the Texas Rangers, which also doubles as the most allowed in any major league game since 1900.
The Orioles narrowly missed setting the franchise record for most runs allowed in a four-game series since moving to Baltimore. They allowed 47 this week against Toronto, one short of the 48 allowed from Aug. 9-12, 1993, against the Detroit Tigers.