Orioles Fall to Rockies 4-2 as Costly Seventh Inning Ends Four-Game Winning Streak

DENVER — The Baltimore Orioles fell to the Colorado Rockies 4-2 Tuesday night at Coors Field, ending Baltimore’s four-game winning streak and dropping the Orioles back below .500.

Baltimore entered September with legitimate momentum and an opportunity to take advantage of a struggling Colorado club. Instead, the Orioles let a winnable game slip away when a defensive mistake and a two-run home run turned a tie game into a two-run deficit in the seventh inning.

The Orioles fell to 69-70 with the loss and dropped 1½ games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the race for the final American League Wild Card position. Colorado improved to 53-86 and snapped a franchise-record 10-game home losing streak.

Rockies Strike First Against Bradish

Colorado took a 2-0 lead during a two-out rally against Orioles starter Kyle Bradish in the second inning.

Adael Amador, who had been recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, opened the scoring by launching a solo home run. Zac Veen followed by driving a ball off the wall for a triple, and Jake McCarthy brought him home with a single up the middle.

Bradish prevented the inning from becoming more damaging and eventually worked through five innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on six hits before turning the game over to Baltimore’s bullpen.

Baltimore cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third.

Carlos Narváez singled to open the inning before advancing to third on a one-out single by Pete Alonso. Gunnar Henderson then hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman TJ Rumfield, who stepped on first and eventually caught Alonso in a rundown.

Narváez crossed the plate before Alonso was tagged, allowing the run to count and putting Baltimore on the board.

Orioles Miss Major Opportunity in Fifth

The Orioles had an excellent opportunity to take control two innings later.

Baltimore loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, forcing Colorado starter Gabriel Hughes from the game. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer called on left-hander Brennan Bernardino to face Henderson.

Henderson popped out, leaving all three runners stranded.

Hughes finished with 4 2/3 innings pitched while allowing one run on four hits.

In a game decided by two runs, Baltimore’s inability to capitalize on that situation became one of the biggest moments of the night.

Holliday Ties It — Then Everything Changes

Jackson Holliday provided the Orioles with their biggest offensive moment in the seventh inning.

With two outs, Holliday drove a Jaden Hill pitch over the right-field wall for his seventh home run of the season, tying the game at 2-2.

It appeared Baltimore had found another way to battle back.

Holliday finished the night with three hits and was Baltimore’s most productive offensive player.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, the momentum disappeared almost immediately.

Mickey Moniak reached base in the bottom of the seventh when Holliday committed a fielding error at second base. One out later, Rumfield connected against Orioles rookie Luis De León and launched a two-run home run into the Colorado bullpen.

Just like that, a 2-2 game became 4-2.

The home run was Rumfield’s 14th of the season and ultimately became the game-winning hit. De León, 23, was making his Major League debut.

Baltimore could not mount another comeback.

Jordan Romano retired the Orioles in order in the ninth, striking out two hitters and earning his 14th save.

Bradish Keeps Orioles in the Game

The final result should not overshadow what Bradish accomplished.

It was not a dominant outing, but Bradish kept Baltimore within striking distance after Colorado scored twice in the second inning. He completed five innings and allowed only those two runs despite surrendering six hits.

That gave the Orioles more than enough opportunity to win the game.

Baltimore simply could not produce enough offense.

At Coors Field — traditionally one of baseball’s most favorable environments for hitters — the Orioles managed only two runs. One came on the unusual third-inning sequence involving Narváez and Alonso, while the other came from Holliday’s solo home run.

The Orioles also wasted their bases-loaded opportunity in the fifth.

Wild Card Race Gets Tighter

That makes this loss particularly frustrating.

Baltimore entered Tuesday having won four consecutive games and eight of its previous 10. Monday night’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Colorado had pushed the Orioles to 69-69 and only a half-game out of the final AL Wild Card position.

One night later, the situation changed considerably.

The Orioles are 69-70 and 1½ games behind Cleveland for the final postseason spot. They are also entering a considerably more difficult portion of their September schedule.

After finishing the Colorado series, Baltimore returns home for four games against the Boston Red Sox before hosting Cleveland for three games. Those games could have enormous consequences in the Wild Card race.

That is why opportunities against Colorado cannot be wasted.

MSB Take

This one hurts because the Orioles had done the difficult part.

They survived falling behind 2-0, Bradish kept the game manageable, and Holliday delivered a clutch home run to tie it in the seventh. At that point, Baltimore had turned another frustrating night into a completely winnable baseball game.

Then one defensive mistake opened the door and Colorado immediately walked through it.

Holliday should not be made the villain because of the error. He had three hits and supplied the home run that got Baltimore even. Young players are going to make mistakes, and his overall performance was one of the bright spots of the night.

The larger concern is Baltimore scoring only two runs at Coors Field and leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.

The positive side is that the Orioles are still right in this playoff race. A month ago, simply talking seriously about Baltimore playing meaningful September baseball would have felt ambitious. Now every game matters, and that is exactly where a team wants to be heading into the final weeks of the season.

But meaningful September baseball comes with a different standard.

Games against teams well below .500 have to become wins more often than not, especially with Boston and Cleveland waiting on the schedule.

Baltimore has already shown that it can put together a legitimate run. Tuesday was a stumble, not a collapse. The Orioles now need to make sure it remains only that.

Up Next

The Orioles and Rockies will decide the three-game series Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.38 ERA) is scheduled to start for Baltimore. Former Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (12-8, 5.23 ERA) will start for Colorado, giving Baltimore a familiar opponent in a game the Orioles badly need before returning home.