Hope turns to heartbreak as crazy 7th inning dooms Orioles to 13-3 loss vs. Nationals

May 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Andrew Kittredge (39) reacts after giving up a three run home run to Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images After coming inches away from tying the game in the top of the 7th, a seven-run bullpen blowup in the bottom of the inning sunk the Orioles, leading to a 13-3 loss to the Nationals in DC. The Orioles offense finally came alive in the 7th after a lackluster first six inning for the Baltimore bats.

Trailing 4-0, Samuel Basallo put the O’s on the board with his sixth home run of the season. The burly backstop turned on a first-pitch sweeper from Nationals’s starter Cade Cavalli, sending a screaming line drive over the right field fence for a solo blast. Tyler O’Neill then followed the rookie’s lead, blasting a middle-middle Cavalli fastball into the left field bleachers to cut the Washington lead to 4-2.

Basallo & O'Neill go back-to-back 💥 pic. twitter. com/eMEuHYW2JU — Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 16, 2026 The Orioles then sent all of Birdland on an emotional rollercoaster.

After Leody Taveras reached on a ground ball sinlge, it looked like Coby Mayo tied the game on a towering fly ball to left . However, the blast was said to have crossed the foul pole just inches into foul territory. Mayo would go onto strikeout, before Jeremiah Jackson barely missed a game tying home run on his own—with a deep fly ball to left center that was run down by Nats center fielder Jacob Young.