Orioles spoil Shane Baz's complete game in 2-1 loss to Rangers

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Aug 7, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ARLINGTON, Texas — August hasn’t been kind to the Orioles’ offense.

Over the team’s first five games this month, the unit averaged just 1.8 runs while going 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position. Despite manager Craig Albernaz shaking up the lineup Friday, it was more of the same as Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas bullpen combined to narrowly outpitch Shane Baz in a 2-1 win for the Rangers.

No starter on the Orioles’ staff has received less run support this season than Baz, who was once again in familiar territory Friday with Eovaldi going on runs of five and nine straight batters retired. Baz was just as dominant for most of the night, but Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson punished a cutter at the top of the zone for a two-run home run in the sixth and Baltimore (56-60) never answered.

Baz shook off the homer and pitched the deepest he has into any game this season, allowing just three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over eight strong innings for the first complete game of his career. With the performance, the right-hander has allowed three runs or fewer in 14 of his past 15 starts and lowered his ERA to 3.76.

He became the first Orioles pitcher with a complete game loss since Dean Kremer and Trevor Rogers both went the distance last August. Before them, no Orioles starter had achieved the unfortunate feat since Kevin Gausman in 2018.

Baz did make a costly play in the field, however. Elias Díaz hit a soft ground ball to the right side that Baz couldn’t handle, giving the catcher a leadoff single to open the sixth. That proved to be the decisive run when Pederson launched his home run 414 feet into the second deck two batters later.

The loss dropped the Orioles to two games back of Texas for the third wild-card spot in the American League.

Baltimore grabbed an early lead in the second when Leody Taveras doubled, and Coby Mayo brought him around on an RBI single. There were several chances to add on more, including the fifth when they loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning only for Pete Alonso to strike out looking on a splitter over the heart of the plate.

The Orioles then chased Eovaldi from the game and put two on with one out in the sixth, but left-hander Tyler Alexander struck out Taveras and forced Mayo to ground out to strand them there. Taveras also led off the ninth with an infield single and rookie Christian Franklin collected his first MLB hit with a line drive into the right-field corner, but Taveras tried to score from first, and the relay throw beat him home. The call was upheld by replay review.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand then pinch hit for catcher Carlos Narváez with Franklin on second, and he struck out for the final out.

The Orioles finished with seven hits and three walks while going 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight base runners. Their Nos. 1 through 4 hitters, which included Gunnar Henderson back at leadoff and Jackson Holliday batting third for the first time this season, combined to go 0 for 13 with three walks.

Eovaldi received a no-decision after allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings, and closer Jacob Latz secured a six-out save to finish the game despite the ninth-inning drama.