A’s Prevent the Orioles From Flying Away with the Victory

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 08: Nick Kurtz #16 of the Athletics celebrates after hitting a triple against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 8, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images A new series means a fresh start. After losing two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Athletics began a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tupac bobblehead night at Camden Yards.

The A’s ruined the Orioles’ Tupac celebration, winning the first game of the series 4-3, thanks to timely hitting, arguably Jacob Lopez’s best start of the season and a bullpen that bent, but did not break. Orioles Waste Early Scoring Chance Yesterday, the A’s scored four times in the first inning against the Phillies’ pitcher. In contrast, Orioles’ starting pitcher Kyle Bradish retired the first six A’s hitters.

His counterpart, A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez got into some trouble in his first inning. He walked Orioles’ shortstop Gunnar Henderson and then catcher Adley Rutschman singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Somehow Lopez escaped the early jam unscathed by getting first baseman Pete Alonso to pop out and then right fielder Tyler O’Neill to ground out.

Buoyed by that escape, Lopez shut down the Orioles over the next three innings. Bradish Halts A’s First Rally With two outs in the third inning, Bradish hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch then A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz hustled down the line to beat the Orioles third baseman’s throw for an infield single, his team’s first hit of the game. Kurtz’s hit extended his on-base streak to 32 games, the longest active streak in MLB.