Orioles Are Beatdown Again In The Bronx Across The Board

The baseball dichotomy that is the 2026 Baltimore Orioles is on full display in the Bronx, far more of the negative than the positive.

One sequence Saturday afternoon, in the third inning with New York ahead, 1-0, pretty much sums it up. Kyle Bradish, slumping badly, got Yankees sensation Ben Rice to chase a nasty curveball in the dirt for a strikeout with runners on second and third. Then he and catcher Adley Rutschman were crossed up, mighty Aaron Judge whiffed on an inside pitch that inexplicably hit the backstop and Jose Caballero scored from third, anyway

Bradish, whose fastball velocity dipped and command has faltered since returning from Tommy John surgery late last season, escaped further damage in the inning despite throwing 36 pitches … Before unraveling in the fourth, uncorking yet another wild pitch (it’s become an epidemic for the former Cy Young contender) and throwing a meatball that slumping Trent Grisham mashed 412 feet for a two-run homer. It ended up, 9-4, in New York’s favor, leaving Baltimore 15-18 (0-7 vs left-handed starters)

“I’m not concerned on my end,” rookie skipper Craig Albernaz said, “it’s more frustrating, because that group is really talent and I feel like we should not be three games below .500. nd that’s on me and I’ve got to do a better job of leading these guys and getting the most out of them.”

This had all the hallmarks of The Elias Way - the fatal flaws of baseball czar Mike Elias dogging this team daily. Of course they didn’t hit lefty Ryan Weathers, because they haven’t hit lefties in years and of course they had no RISP situations against a starting pitcher, because that doesn’t happen much, either. And, yeah, no one was on second base on a flair to the gap, gifting Cody Bellinger a double at one point, and we already covered the cross-up.

Oh, and Tyler O’Neill showed again in the seventh why he shouldn’t play right field anywhere (but he makes $18M a year and the team has one quality defensive OF on the entire roster and Elias seems to really want this to work) with a run-scoring error. So, the Orioles largely embarrassed themselves again with fundamentally-challenged play against the AL’s premier team, but that’s just what they do.

For the third straight outing an O’s starter couldn’t get past the fourth inning, an underbelly of the bullpen is starting to hang out (exacerbated by a recent Injured-List stint for their closer), and they face dominant lefty Max Fried Sunday while Trey Gibson makes his MLB debut for The Birds. It’s going to take some serious reversals across the board to avoid a four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.

Veteran starter Chris Bassitt spoke between games of Thursday’s doubleheader about the pitching staff being “too cute” and needing to turn it around. Since then the bottom has fallen out, and for all the promise that Bassitt’s start offered, the concern around Bradish trumps all of it.

He doesn’t resemble his pre-injury form whatsoever. Bradish came into this game with the league batting over .500 against his fastball and slugging over .750 against it, and he walked four more batters in four innings of work, with an ERA now soaring to 5.03 with a WHIP of 1.82. Whether it’s mechanical or mental or both, it’s troubling.

“Those conversations are ongoing,” Albernaz said when asked about mechanical issues. “We’re trying to problem solve.”

Can’t Deliver In The Clutch

The Orioles offensive approach was far too meek, again. Gunnar Henderson continues to look lost at the plate, striking out twice more, and unable to advance the runner after a game-opening walk from Taylor Ward. He has seemed to lack focus at times in the field as well (like not covering the bag) and is clearly pressing. He has two strikeouts or more in eight of the last 14 games and his OBP has sunk to .275.

Pete Alonso, the longtime Met returning to The Big Apple, smashed another home run, but also hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the sixth and the O’s down five. The Orioles were pathetic with runners in scoring position again and walks and shoddy fielding helped the Yankees pull away late.

“The past three games or so, it hasn’t been us,” Albernaz said of the woeful at bats and taking too many called strikes.

Bird Seed

The Orioles continue to juggle pieces in the pen, with the lack of depth from starters a big issue. They hope to get Albert Suarez back if he clears waivers after he was DFAd Saturday after a mop-up outing Friday. Tyler Wells has been very strong lately, but he’s pitched a lot and he has options, so he is in AAA now so that far lesser arms (but fresher!) could join the team (Nick Paquet). Dietrich Enns also returned from the IL … Lefty Keegan Akin has not been sharp since returning from the IL and gave up a lefty-lefty homer (albeit a Yankee Stadium cheapy) to Bellinger. Reliever Anthony Nunez faced four batters and couldn’t get anyone out … Blaze Alexander now sports an OPS of .449. Yikes … Colton Cowser was again on the bench and with another lefty tomorrow, that trend is likely to continue at least one more game. His OPS is .492.

Subscribe On YouTube For The Best Orioles And Ravens Coverage:

Add us as a preferred source on Google