Orioles make 2 costly late-inning mistakes in 2-1 loss to Blue Jays

Michael Howes, The Baltimore Sun on May 28, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BALTIMORE — For the first time this week, the late-inning magic swung away from the Orioles.

Adley Rutschman tapped his helmet in the eighth inning. Bases loaded. Full count. A pitch from Anthony Nunez to Yohendrick Piñango was called a ball, and the Orioles challenged it through the ABS system.

When the call was upheld on Camden Yards’ new 7,466-square-foot scoreboard, the visiting Toronto fans got their moment of celebration as George Springer jogged home from third with the go-ahead run in the Blue Jays’ eventual 2-1 win in Friday night’s series opener.

Baltimore had traffic all night. It just could not bring enough of it home.

The Orioles stranded seven runners, went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left multiple scoring chances short of the hit that could have changed the game. After Colton Cowser delivered walk-off home runs Sunday against the Tigers and Monday against the Rays, Baltimore’s late-inning swings could not produce the same result.

A sloppy baserunning error from Pete Alonso didn’t help, either.

Nunez entered for his first inning of relief in the eighth and quickly allowed a double to Springer. Nathan Lukes followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Springer to third before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was intentionally walked. Nunez then walked Daulton Varsho to load the bases, struck out Kazuma Okamoto and got ahead of Piñango with a first-pitch strike.

Then came four straight balls, the final one surviving Baltimore’s challenge and forcing in the deciding run.

The Orioles had their own chance in the bottom half. Tyler Ward and Alonso both reached between a Gunnar Henderson strikeout, but Rutschman grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Ward at third, and Alonso was picked off at first to end the threat.

Cameron Weston, making his first major league appearance, worked around a walk in the top of the ninth to give Baltimore one more chance. But after Cowser reached on a forceout, Jackson Holliday grounded out to end the game.

The Orioles managed just one hit through the first three innings. Toronto had three, but only one did damage: Andrés Giménez’s 412-foot solo homer to right-center field in the third inning.

Baltimore had its first missed chance before that.

Ward led off the first with a single, then reached third an at-bat later when Gunnar Henderson’s grounder to Okamoto was bobbled in the infield. Henderson reached second on the error as Ward advanced to third.

Two in scoring position. No outs.

The Orioles did not move either runner. Rutschman lined out to Giménez before Alonso and Coby Mayo struck out swinging to end the threat.

An Oriole would not reach base again for the next two innings. Mayo broke the drought in the fourth, launching a 400-foot homer to center field to tie the game at 1. It was his sixth homer of the season and the deepest opposite-field home run of his career, leaving the bat at 110.3 mph.

Starter Chris Bassitt escaped trouble in the fifth after Ernie Clement reached third with one out. Bassitt induced a lineout from Springer and a groundout from Lukes to keep the game tied.

Baltimore appeared to have another scoring chance in the bottom half. Blaze Alexander hit a ground-rule double with two outs, then reached third on a wild pitch by Patrick Corbin. Ward walked and stole second, but Henderson lined out to end another scoring push.

Corbin was pulled the following inning after Rutschman opened the frame with a soft single. Right-hander Braydon Fisher replaced him after Corbin allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four.

With a right-hander on the mound, the Orioles pinch-hit Samuel Basallo for Mayo. Basallo didn’t start Thursday, marking consecutive days off the bench with left-handers on the mound. The pinch-hitting decision did not work, with Basallo grounding into a double play. Weston Wilson replaced the catcher the following inning.

Bassitt, who pitched for the Blue Jays in the previous three seasons and made five appearances in last year’s World Series loss, was pulled after the sixth inning for left-hander Grant Wolfram. He finished at 80 pitches, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out two.

Manager Craig Albernaz noted pregame that while emotions would naturally be high against Bassitt’s former team, Bassitt’s familiarity with Toronto’s hitters was “a wash.” The Blue Jays know him well, too.

Right-hander Jeff Hoffman replaced Fisher in the seventh, while Cowser entered in right field for Tyler O’Neill. Leody Taveras and Cowser struck out before Holliday singled and stole second. Alexander could not keep the two-out rally alive, striking out to leave another runner in scoring position.

Right-hander Louis Varland entered in the ninth for Toronto after Tyler Rogers held Baltimore scoreless in the eighth. Taveras singled with one out before Cowser grounded into a forceout. Holliday’s groundout a moment later ended the game, moving Baltimore to 4-7 in one-run games this season.