Orioles show little life, boo birds come out in 6-2 loss to Athletics

BALTIMORE — The Orioles fell behind two batters in Saturday and never made it a game. Shane Baz allowed five runs, and the offense narrowly avoided its first shutout of the season in a 6-2 loss to the Athletics. A three-run home run by designated hitter Brent Rooker off Baz in the third was the biggest blow of the afternoon for the A’s, who clinched the series and handed the Orioles (17-23) their third straight loss to drop them to a season-worst six games below the .

500 mark. First baseman Nick Kurtz hit the first of his two doubles to lead off the game, and catcher Shea Langeliers drove him in with a single in the next at-bat, giving the Athletics an early lead they never relinquished. Baz had a difficult time fooling A’s hitters, generating just seven whiffs on 100 pitches and allowing three walks and five hits in 4 2/3 frames.

His day ended on a pitch-clock violation for a walk, failing to make it through the fifth inning for the first time in eight starts this season. The right-hander has allowed five runs in each of his past two outings to open May, raising his ERA from 4. 50 at the end of April to 5.

48. The Orioles’ offense never provided him with any run support as Athletics starter Aaron Civale earned the win by pitching five shutout innings. The Orioles had a chance at putting up a crooked number when they loaded the bases with no outs for the middle of the lineup to open the fifth, but Civale struck Adley Rutschman out swinging and induced two shallow flyouts to left field by Pete Alonso and Samuel Basallo to escape the jam.