The Baltimore Orioles are reeling after a brutal 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees, marking their second straight defeat against their rivals. This one stings, big time, especially when you consider how it all unraveled in the late innings.
That Replay Call Is Gonna Haunt Them
Man, you talk about a gut punch. The game was knotted at 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th with two outs when Pete Alonso stepped up. Lefty Brent Headrick threw a hanging slider, and the Polar Bear just mashed it toward the left field foul pole. From the broadcast, it looked incredibly close, and the on-field ump called it a foul ball. The O’s challenged it, no brainer, because those replays? They absolutely made it look like that ball sailed right over the top of the pole. We’re talking a go-ahead solo shot right there. But New York, the replay center, decided to decline the overturn. Just unbelievable. Alonso then struck out, and the game went to the 8th still tied. How do you not get that call right when the video evidence is screaming at you? That could’ve changed everything!
The 8th Inning Collapse Was Just Brutal
And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, the 8th inning happened. Cam Sanders took the mound, and things immediately went south. Luis García Jr. lined out to start, but then Sanders plunked Heliot Ramos and walked Jazz Chisholm. Suddenly, the go-ahead run is in scoring position. He managed to strike out Spencer Jones, but then grazed pinch-hitter José Caballero, loading the bases. Manager Craig Albernaz had seen enough and pulled Sanders, bringing in Yennier Cano for a high-leverage mess. Cano threw a sinker in on George Lombard Jr.’s hands, who tapped it weakly down the third baseline. Coby Mayo had no play, and just like that, the Yankees grabbed a 4-3 lead. Then Cano bounced a splitter past Austin Wells, Yohel Pozo couldn’t find the ball, and Chisholm sprinted home for the Yankees’ fifth run. It was a complete disaster, a total meltdown.
Offense Went Silent When It Mattered Most
It’s tough to watch an offense that can’t string hits together. Yeah, they took a 1-0 lead in the first without a hit, thanks to some smart base running after walks by Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson, ending with a double steal. And Alonso crushed his 14th opposite-field homer in the 3rd, and Dylan Beavers tied it with a solo shot in the 6th. But outside of those blasts? The offense was just stagnant, plain and simple. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and struck out a mind-boggling 11 times. Even getting the tying run on base in the bottom of the 8th with a Samuel Basallo single and a Dylan Beavers walk didn’t help, as Leody Taveras popped up to strand both guys. Facing closer David Bednar again in the 9th, there was no comeback. Colton Cowser grounded out, Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out, and Jackson Holliday lifted a lazy fly out to seal the second straight loss.
This team has gotta find a way to generate sustained offense and get some consistency, especially with runners on. They need to bounce back from this double whammy against the Yankees, or these early season losses are really going to sting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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