Hello, friends.
The short-lived winning streak is over. The Orioles have a remarkable talent this year of really putting up a crushing loss right after putting something positive together for a few days. They’ve yet to win more than three games in a row this season. That will continue to be the case for at best several days more. The latest three-gamer came to an end with last night’s 8-1 loss to the Red Sox. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
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The game was a return to some of the rougher parts of this season. Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt labored through three innings; there was clear concern about something to do with his health. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz indicated that Bassitt was dealing with lower back tightness. I’m sure trying to pitch through that was tough. There have also been plenty of games this year where Bassitt pitched badly and there was no indication of any kind of injury.
There was no immediate sign from the team whether that might be an ongoing concern for Bassitt. If they think he needs the injured list, they’ll probably pull the trigger on that immediately, so they can get an extra reliever for the next few days and bring up somebody who might be within the window where they can’t come back to MLB except if replacing an injured player.
Another unfortunately familiar thing about last night’s game was the downsides of playing the infielder Blaze Alexander in center field. There was at least one supremely botched play from Alexander that led to further Red Sox offense within an inning. Stop putting infielders in the outfield! It shouldn’t be hard. But the apparent fanatical devotion to trying to press the platoon advantage has continuing downsides. At least Alexander is hitting a little better lately, so he’s not a total lost cause out there, only most of one.
All of this came while the offense was facing a left-handed starting pitcher in young Red Sox starter Payton Tolle. The Orioles broke the winless curse against lefty starters a while ago, but they haven’t gotten themselves back to a good place just yet. It doesn’t feel a whole lot better with the knowledge that, unlike many of the lefties who’ve worked the O’s over this year, Tolle has actually been good. He has a 2.28 ERA following last night’s outing. Must be nice to just draft a guy like that in the second round and have him turn into a solid major leaguer within two years.
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After last night’s loss, the team is 7-14 when facing a lefty starter. This is another enduring challenge for the team, represented most dramatically in the person of Tyler O’Neill. The right-handed batting O’Neill is hitting .106 against lefties this year. It’s unreal. He sits at -1.1 bWAR through 92 games as an Oriole.
As with any other loss, last night’s setback was just one game. The Orioles have a chance to make us feel better as soon as today if they can play a better game. Taking a road series by winning today in Boston would ease the sting of what happened on Wednesday. The problem with hoping for this outcome is Trevor Rogers, who has spent the 2026 season getting punished for every bit of good fortune he had in 2025. Or, more likely, he just hasn’t been pitching well. The recent improvement from much of the starting rotation has left him behind.
Don’t show up at 7 o’clock for the game. It’s a 1:35 start time in the getaway day. As of this writing, there’s no listed Red Sox starting pitcher. They may use an opener or something. I don’t know. I try not to spend unnecessary time thinking about the Red Sox.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Samuel Basallo says one plate appearance led to his breakout. Here’s how. (The Baltimore Banner)
In Basallo’s recounting, drawing a walk on April 20 was the start of something great. From that game through the start of last night’s game, he was OPSing over 1.000, so the story checks out.
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“No elephants in the room”: Orioles players detail the value of Pete Alonso’s leadership (The Baltimore Sun)
I’ll feel better about the $31 million a year once he hits some more dingers. But, everyone seems to agree that this sort of leadership is what the Orioles were lacking, and that’s worth something.
Next step for the Orioles: Play better on the road (Steve on Baseball)
The Orioles are 19-15 at home, and after last night, are 10-18. If they were .500 on the road, they’d be 33-29 instead. Things would probably feel better if they’d managed four more road wins.
Frederick outfielder RJ Austin’s calling card is versatility (Baltimore Baseball)
The draft picks ahead of last year’s third rounder have understandably gotten a lot of attention. This Vanderbilt product could still make an impact.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
In their 62nd game last year, the Orioles lost to the Athletics, 5-4, leaving their record at 25-37 for the season. Dean Kremer gave up five runs in 5.1 innings, which meant home runs by Dylan Carlson and Jackson Holliday weren’t enough. The 2026 Orioles are currently 29-33. They continue to remain four wins better than last year’s team. They’re going to need more improvement eventually or this thing will end up at 79 wins.
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There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2009-10 pitcher Cla Meredith, 2012 pitcher J.C. Romero, 1986 infielder Ricky Jones, and 1954 infielder Billy Hunter. Hunter passed away in Lutherville last year at age 97.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: revolutionary war loser George III (1738), actor Keith David (1956), and actress Angelina Jolie (1975).
On this day in history…
In 1411, French king Charles IV granted a monopoly to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for the process of ripening cheese in nearby caves. The legally distinct Roquefort cheese continues to exist in European Union law today.
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In 1745, Prussian monarch Frederick II led his forces to victory over the Austrians in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg, part of the War of the Austrian Succession. This decisive victory was one of those that led to Frederick getting “the Great” appended to his name.
In 1919, Congress approved the Nineteenth Amendment, which would guarantee suffrage to women. The amendment was then sent to the states for approval.
In 1942, Japanese carriers began to attack an American base at Midway Island, the start of a four-day battle where the American navy sunk all four Japanese carriers.
In 1989, protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were violently suppressed by the Chinese army, leaving as many as 10,000 dead.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 4. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
