Orioles blow two leads, lose 6-5 to Royals on walk-off wild pitch

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 21: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals scores against Adley Rutscman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium on April 21, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Orioles coughed up two different leads on Tuesday night as starter Shane Baz was, yet again, inconsistent, and the team’s bullpen had a rare stumble. All of it led to a frustrating 6-5 loss to the Royals, evening up the series at one game apiece.

The Orioles’ half of the second inning felt like a game-changer in the moment. They made Royals starter Kris Bubic throw a ton of pitches. Jeremiah Jackson saw five pitches before singling, Weston Wilson walked after nine pitches, and Leody Taveras lined out on the seventh pitch of his at-bat.

That all happened before Coby Mayo gave the O’s an early lead with his first home run of the season, a 114-mph bomb that went 439 feet down the left field line. Swings like that are why the organization continues to believe in Mayo. View Link Normally, when someone throws 38 pitches in one inning, they aren’t in for a long night at the office.

Bubic would prove otherwise. The southpaw rebounded from the nightmarish second frame and then delivered four consecutive scoreless innings to protect the Royals bullpen for as long as possible. That is both an indictment of the Orioles’ offensive showing for much of this game, but also an impressive bit of veteran moxie from the 28-year-old Bubic.