Orioles' 2-error inning, absent offense lead to 5-1 loss to Rangers

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Aug 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Missing: The Baltimore Orioles’ offense, last seen before the trade deadline.

Another night of frustrating results at the plate was to be expected Saturday with Jacob deGrom on the mound for the Texas Rangers. Yet despite driving his pitch count up enough to force Texas to go to its bullpen after five innings, the Orioles still struggled to string together any kind of rally in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers.

It’s the Orioles’ third straight game with one run or fewer and fifth in their past seven overall.

The loss ensured Baltimore (56-61) would lose its series in Arlington and drop the club to three games back in the American League wild-card race.

A solo home run by Jackson Holliday off deGrom in the first inning was the only run the Orioles pushed across. They had six hits and drew three walks but finished 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position to strand six men on base.

Lackluster offense once again wasted a strong outing from the Orioles’ starter. This time it was Kyle Bradish, who allowed two unearned runs over six innings with five hits, zero walks and six strikeouts.

His last strikeout — a called strike three against first baseman Jake Burger — was the 500th of his career, making him the fastest pitcher in Orioles history (90 games) to reach the mark. The previous holder was Erik Bedard, who struck out his 500th batter in 2007 after 97 games to begin his career.

With little room for error, the Orioles’ two errors in the second inning decided the game.

Third baseman Ezequiel Duran reached on a swinging bunt and moved all the way over to third when Pete Alonso couldn’t catch a pickoff attempt from Bradish. Center fielder Evan Carter then scored Duran on a ground ball to short with the infield in. After a wild pitch by Bradish, Carter came around to score on a ground ball by Burger that Gunnar Henderson missed trying to barehand and threw wide of home plate.

A three-run homer by shortstop Corey Seager off Grant Wolfram in the eighth sealed the victory for Texas. Wolfram struck out the first two batters of the inning and walked the next two before Seager launched a 418-foot blast to right field on a 2-0 pitch.

Around the horn

— Orioles utility player Blaze Alexander played catch Friday for the first time since he broke a bone in his hand on a hit by pitch July 12. He will fully shed the splint on his hand by the end of the weekend, and he aims to begin a hitting progression this upcoming series in Minneapolis. Alexander was one of the Orioles’ hottest hitters when he hit the injured list, carrying a .312/.368/.429 slash line with four home runs and nine stolen bases.

— Catcher Samuel Basallo long tossed from 90 feet on back-to-back days Friday and Saturday. Out since July 19 with shoulder inflammation, Basallo is also hopeful to start hitting in Minneapolis. The 21-year-old ranks third on the team with 16 homers and his .756 OPS is fifth among American League rookies with at least 300 plate appearances.

— Right-hander Chris Bassitt completed his third rehabilitation start Friday with Triple-A Norfolk and delivered six scoreless innings on 83 pitches. He’s expected to rejoin the Orioles’ rotation when ready and would be on turn to make his next start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Shane Baz is currently in line to start that game, and with a day off Thursday, the Orioles will have to decide who they want to give extra rest to.

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