Orioles’ Three-Game Winning Streak Ends in 5-1 Loss to Angels as Missed Calls, Quiet Bats Doom Baltimore

The Baltimore Orioles saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday night with a frustrating 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. What looked like a favorable pitching matchup on paper turned into a night filled with missed opportunities, questionable strike-zone calls, and an offense that never found its rhythm.

Baltimore entered the game riding momentum after taking two of three from the Dodgers and opening the Angels series with a convincing 6-1 victory behind Kyle Bradish. Instead of building on that momentum, the Orioles managed just three hits and struck out eight times against rookie right-hander Ryan Johnson, who entered the night with an ERA north of 12.00.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 38-43 and once again highlighted the inconsistency that has plagued the club throughout the first half of the season.

Early Trouble for Baz

The Angels jumped on Shane Baz immediately.

After Zach Neto reached and worked his way aboard, Nolan Schanuel launched a two-run home run to right-center field in the bottom of the first inning, giving Los Angeles a quick 2-0 advantage. It was Schanuel’s sixth home run of the season and immediately put Baltimore in catch-up mode.

Baz settled down after the opening frame and at times looked much better than the final line suggests. The right-hander finished with five innings pitched, allowing eight hits, five earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts.

However, several borderline pitches throughout the evening failed to go Baltimore’s way. A number of at-bats that appeared ready to end on strike three instead continued, forcing Baz to throw additional pitches and giving Angels hitters extra opportunities. While those missed calls won’t show up in the box score, they certainly contributed to extended innings and additional traffic on the bases.

The fifth inning proved to be the breaking point.

Angels Capitalize in the Fifth

Holding the Orioles to a 2-0 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth, Baz appeared poised to keep Baltimore within striking distance.

Instead, Los Angeles pieced together a rally that turned the game.

The Angels strung together four consecutive hits, and Vaughn Grissom delivered the biggest blow with a two-run single that scored both José Siri and Zach Neto. Moments later, Jorge Soler added a sacrifice fly to center field, extending the lead to 5-0.

Several of the at-bats in the inning became lengthy battles after close pitches failed to get called strikes. The Orioles dugout showed visible frustration as the strike zone seemed inconsistent throughout the night.

Baz was charged with all five runs before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Suarez Keeps Baltimore Alive

One bright spot for Baltimore came from the bullpen.

Right-hander Albert Suárez delivered three scoreless innings in relief, allowing no hits while striking out three. Suárez’s effort prevented the game from completely getting away and gave the Orioles a chance to mount a late comeback.

Unfortunately, the offense never provided enough support.

Johnson Silences Orioles Bats

The story of the night was Angels rookie Ryan Johnson.

Making just his third major league start, Johnson completely shut down Baltimore’s lineup. The Orioles managed only one hit against him over six scoreless innings as he struck out a career-high eight batters. Johnson retired 16 of the first 17 hitters he faced and carried a one-hit performance into the seventh inning.

Baltimore’s only hit against Johnson came from Jeremiah Jackson in the sixth inning. By then, the Orioles were already trailing by multiple runs and struggling to generate any consistent offense.

The Orioles finished the night with just three hits:

• Gunnar Henderson: 1-for-4, run scored
• Jeremiah Jackson: 1-for-3
• Leody Taveras: 1-for-3, RBI

No Baltimore player recorded an extra-base hit.

Taveras Provides Lone Highlight

Baltimore finally broke through in the seventh inning.

Gunnar Henderson reached base and eventually scored when Leody Taveras lined an RBI single to center field, cutting the Angels lead to 5-1. That would be the Orioles’ only run of the night.

The rally quickly stalled, and the Angels bullpen slammed the door over the final three innings.

Ryan Zeferjahn struck out the side in the eighth, while Sam Bachman closed things out in the ninth.

Turning Point

The Orioles had a chance to weather the early deficit after Schanuel’s first-inning homer.

The fifth inning changed everything.

A combination of extended at-bats, missed strike calls, and timely Angels hitting transformed a manageable 2-0 game into a 5-0 hole. Against a pitcher who was dominating Baltimore’s lineup, that proved insurmountable.

By the Numbers

• Orioles: 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors
• Angels: 5 runs, 8 hits, 0 errors
• Shane Baz: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• Albert Suárez: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K
• Ryan Johnson: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K
• Leody Taveras recorded Baltimore’s lone RBI
• Orioles had their three-game winning streak snapped

Final Thoughts

This felt like a missed opportunity.

The Orioles entered the night facing a rookie pitcher with an inflated ERA and a last-place Angels club. Instead, Baltimore’s offense disappeared, the strike zone became a source of frustration, and the Angels took advantage of every extra chance they were given.

Baz was not at his sharpest, but the box score does not tell the entire story. Several key at-bats were extended by close pitches that could have ended innings. The Angels capitalized on those opportunities, while Baltimore never managed a response offensively.

The Orioles will now try to salvage a winning road trip in Wednesday’s series finale before heading home.

MSB Player of the Game

Albert Suárez — 3.0 scoreless innings, 0 hits allowed, 3 strikeouts.

MSB Turning Point

The fifth inning. What was a 2-0 game quickly became a 5-0 deficit after a series of extended at-bats and timely Angels hits.

MSB Grade

D+

The bullpen did its job, but three hits and one run against a struggling rookie starter is simply not good enough. Baltimore wasted a chance to climb closer to .500 and could never recover from the early deficit.