Baltimore Orioles Fall To The Angels In a Poor Offensive Performance

The Orioles will have to rely on more than one minor league catcher to bring them to the playoffs, especially when the pitching can't back them up

Jun 27, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brandon Young (63) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Orioles entered Thursday one game behind the Texas Rangers for a third-place wild card spot in the American League. The O’s are competing with the Guardians and Mariners for the final place as September approaches.

With a 10-game road trip looming, a sweep over the lowly Angels would have pulled them within a game of .500 for the first time since May. Alas, it was not to be as the Orioles lost, 4-1, to Los Angeles at Camden Yards, succumbing to their usual woes.

Starter Brandon Young struggled with command and racked up nearly 100 pitches without completing five innings. Baltimore’s struggling lineup continued to flounder, and they persist with egregious mistakes in the field and on the base paths.

Young Couldn’t Get It Done

The righty standout starter gave up six hits and three runs through four and a third, punching out four along the way. This is his first full season in MLB, it was hot and humid for an afternoon start, and he is hitting new highs in innings pitched at this level.

The runs came across the plate with Zach Neto’s three run homer to the opposite field in the third. Young also faced some issues on the field as well, recording an error via a wild throw to Pete Alonso at first that would lead to Neto’s blast. Young’s pitch count ultimately shortened his time on the mound, ending his outing with 98 pitches thrown.

Manager Craig Albernaz told to the media after the game, “He threw way more pitches than he needed to,” in a nod to their defensive woes.

Hitting Struggles Continue

This O’s roster is notorious for not being able to hit starting pitching and today was no exception.

The Angels started Ryan Johnson, a righty out of Dallas Baptist that entered todays game with an ERA well over seven (he also went straight to the majors after being drafted in 2024).

The only run scored against him came from a Yohel Pozo solo home run in the third. The newly acquired catcher was DFA’d by the Cardinals on July 17, and this is his first start behind the plate since the O’s picked up Carlos Narváez as a part of the Adley Rutschman trade.

However, at least recently, the Orioles have been able to put up their runs on the bullpen. The same cannot be said about their performance today, as the lineup only scavenged one hit across four relievers. Even their best hitters were simply outplayed, possibly due to the lack of strong contact or hitting into double plays. They did walk eight times in the game, but none of these runners ended up scoring.

Albernaz said: “We just couldn’t get that big hit that we needed.”

Bad Fundamental Baseball

The Orioles lost this game in the second inning. It all started to go downhill when Jackson Holliday lost the ball in the sun on a pop-up. While he may not be a primary shortstop, it’s little things like wearing his sunglasses on his hat instead of his face that contribute to his defensive struggles this season.

The closest they got to gaining momentum was right after the Pozo homer. After Christian Encarnacion-Strand was hit by a pitch, Holliday came to the plate with the bases loaded. In just one pitch, he grounded out to second to end the inning. Holliday is now 0 for his last 14 at the plate.

The issues don’t stop at the plate and the field but extend to the basepath as well. Dylan Beavers got caught stealing second and Gunnar Henderson got thrown out at home after a wild pitch. It becomes more obvious each game that there needs to be changes made fundamentally, whether it’s from a coaching standpoint or not.

“As soon as he stopped,” Albernaz said of Henderson hesitating, “he just has to stay … You just have to go back.”

The O’s hit the road again, this time to Arlington to face the Rangers, one of the teams they hope to surpass in the Wild Card. They play three games there and then head to Minnesota for the Twins series. The road trip concludes with a four-game series against the Rays. These very well could be the deciding games in whether the Orioles see a postseason appearance.

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