BALTIMORE — The Orioles have largely avoided these sorts of games, which is why they’re playing meaningful baseball in the middle of August for the first time in years. But with anemic offense coupling with a bullpen that has cracked two days in a row, their playoff aspirations took another hit Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.
For the second straight game, Baltimore wasted a strong outing from a starting pitcher and the bullpen allowed the opponent to push that game out of reach. On Wednesday, it was a series-finale loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in which six runs crossed in the seventh inning. On Thursday, it was two solo home runs off right-hander Joey Krehbiel that put the Cubs ahead — just far enough ahead to withstand an immediate answer from the Orioles in the bottom of the eighth inning
With the two long balls in the top of the eighth from Rafael Ortega and Willson Contreras, Chicago held on for a 3-2 victory at Camden Yards in a makeup game for a rainout on June 8.
