BALTIMORE — The overarching nature of a sleepy Sunday defeat to the Oakland Athletics is one loss in 162 games. But in September, there’s an increased significance on each outing, even when a series victory was already earned with wins on Friday and Saturday.
Especially when those outings come against a team sitting firmly in the basement of their division.
Before the game, manager Brandon Hyde emphasized how “today is extremely important, and I think everyone knows that.” He didn’t want his players to look ahead at the four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays that begins Monday — a series full of playoff implications.
There’s no knowing whether that matchup with the Blue Jays — the team currently occupying the American League’s final wild-card spot — played in the minds of the Orioles. But the 5-0 loss to the Athletics was uninspiring enough to warrant a turn of the page, even if it comes as a missed opportunity to keep pace with Toronto.
“We’ve had this opportunity a few times now lately, and can’t seem to quite finish,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Got to just bounce back, a big day tomorrow.”
The Blue Jays beat the Pirates on Sunday to close out their series against a bottom dweller with a sweep. The Orioles fumbled that chance and now trail their division rival by 2 1/2 games. Now Toronto arrives for a doubleheader Monday that could narrow that gap to just half a game.
“We have high expectations for each other,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “At the same time, I don’t think we put any pressure on each other, so I think that definitely helps us go out there and play our best.”
The quiet series-finale defeat came against right-hander Adrián Martínez, an Oakland rookie who had never worked as far into a game as he did Sunday, when he completed six innings against Baltimore. Martínez faced his toughest test in the first inning when a single from Adley Rutschman and double from Anthony Santander put runners in scoring position with one out. But a ground ball to shortstop Sheldon Neuse led to an out at the plate as Rutschman ran on contact.
Hyde said the decision to run on contact is situation by situation. “At worst,” he said, the Orioles still had runners on first and third with two outs. But Gunnar Henderson — who made two highlight-reel plays at second base to help starting pitcher Spenser Watkins — lined out to end the inning.
After Ramón Urías’ singled to begin the second, Martínez retired the next 10 batters he faced, leaning on a sinker-changeup mix to generate four strikeouts and soft contact. That streak ended with a Jorge Mateo walk with two outs in the sixth inning, and despite Mateo’s American-League-leading 30th stolen base, Martínez closed his outing by getting catcher Robinson Chirinos to pop out. Martínez allowed three hits and walked two in six scoreless innings.
“The offense was starting out really hot,” Mullins said. “We just couldn’t capitalize on it. After that, he looked like he just kind of settled in and was able to keep us at bay.”
Meanwhile, Watkins struggled for his second straight start. On Tuesday in Cleveland, Watkins gave up five runs — his most since returning from the injured list in June — through 4 2/3 innings. In those 11 appearances, he allowed two runs or fewer in seven of them.
But Watkins gave up four runs in his six innings Sunday. And while that output wasn’t the sort that should bury an offense, it turned that way. After Martínez allowed a single from Urías in the second, Baltimore managed five more baserunners the rest of the game. Two came in the ninth, with Anthony Santander singling and Urías walking before left-hander A.J. Puk closed the door.
The Orioles wereshut out for the eighth time this year and first since July 24. When Baltimore needed a roar — or even a growl — to finish a series sweep and keep pace in the wild-card race, it produced something more akin to a groan.
“One game doesn’t define a team,” Watkins said. “We’ve been proving that this entire year. Everybody wants to sit on us once we lose a game. I don’t think anybody here’s worried. We’re all still good, and yeah, we played a bad game, but it is what it is. Going into Toronto, everybody’s still hungry and we see that wild-card spot.”
Around the horn
— Right-hander Tyler Wells threw a bullpen at Camden Yards on Sunday to prepare for the next step of his rehab process from a strained oblique suffered in July. When he does return, Wells said he’d be open to a relief role if that’s what is required. “The starting rotation has done an absolutely phenomenal job,” Wells said. “Really proud of those guys. If they ultimately decide to put me in the bullpen, then so be it. I’d love to help those guys out too. They’ve been doing a hell of a job this year. Whatever they want me to do to help for a wild card push, then I’m all for it.”
— Right-hander Mike Baumann was added to the taxi squad Sunday in preparation for a spot start Monday in a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. Baumann, ranked as the 22nd-best prospect for Baltimore according to Baseball America, has allowed just two earned runs in his last 16 innings for Triple-A Norfolk. Hyde said he will check with right-hander Jordan Lyles whether he wants to start the first or second game.
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