The Baltimore Orioles five game winning streak came to an end on Sunday with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers (79-64). Pitching for the first time against the Orioles in his illustrious eighteen-year career, Clayton Kershaw (10-2) held the Birds in check, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits over 5.2 innings with a walk and 8 strikeouts. It was a two-out rally in the sixth inning that chased Kershaw off the mound.
In that sixth inning Baltimore strung together a single by Gunnar Henderson (1 for 4) with a pair of back-to-back doubles by Emmanuel Rivera (2 for 4) and Alex Jackson (1 for 4) to plate two runs with two outs.
The Orioles would put runners at the corners with one out in the seventh but that threat ended with back-to-back swinging strikeouts by Jeremiah Jackson and Ryan Mountcastle.
For the third straight game an Oriole player left early with an injury. Friday saw Dean Kremer leave with right forearm discomfort and Saturday’s victim was Samuel Basallo (right hand contusion). In the fourth inning today, starter Tomoyuki Sugano (10-8) had a Hyeseong Kim single hit and bounce off his right ankle; unable to put weight on it initially, Sugano left the game with a line of 4 runs allowed on 7 hits with a strikeout and three homeruns surrendered. He was tagged with the loss in the end.
Sugano gave up a lead-off homerun to Shohei Ohtani and then back-to-back homeruns to Ohtani and Mookie Betts to open the third inning.
Early reports are that the three injuries are mild but the next few days will determine if the players involved avoid time on the Injured List. This team can ill afford to lose any more players to injury especially with just nineteen games remaining in the bad dream that is the 2025 season. The Orioles may have to find an official bubble wrap sponsor.
2025 Record: 66-77
Next Game: Tues. 9/9 @ 6:35 pm vs. Pittsburgh Pirates