Orioles win wild one over A's, 5-3, to move 1 game back of playoff spot

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Aug 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Only one player on the Baltimore Orioles’ roster has more RBIs than Leody Taveras this season, and he’s signed to a $155 million deal.

Taveras, under contract for $153 million less than Pete Alonso, drove in three of the Orioles’ five runs Saturday night, powering them to a 5-3 win over the Athletics and raising his RBI total on the year to 52 — moving him into a tie with Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo for second on the team behind Alonso (91).

Taveras had two run-scoring chances and cashed in on both opportunities to help Baltimore (67-69) provide Shane Baz, who allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, with enough run support for him to earn his fifth win of the season — ending a skid of seven straight losses in games he started.

The victory, coupled with the Cleveland Guardians’ loss to Kansas City, pulled the Orioles to within one game of the final wild-card spot in the American League with 26 left to play.

Few hitters have been more clutch at the plate this season than Taveras, whose 2-for-3 night improved his slash line with runners in scoring position to .311/.376/.500. The Orioles have relied on the switch-hitting catcher much more than they expected after signing him as a free agent last offseason, and he’s often come through in big moments to cement his place on the roster.

Although Taveras’ performance and a solo home run by Colton Cowser put the Orioles up 4-0 by the sixth inning, the win didn’t come easily. Baz cruised through the first five frames but ran out of gas in the sixth, loading the bases with one out. He then allowed a pair of runs, the first on a four-pitch walk to right fielder Lawrence Butler and the second with a breaking ball that hit shortstop Donovan Walton in the back foot.

Alex Hoppe, who recorded his first MLB save in the Orioles’ 4-3 win Friday, took over and performed the first of two bases-loaded escape acts for Baltimore. The hard-throwing reliever fell behind 3-0 to Max Muncy but battled back before getting the designated hitter to ground out to end the inning.

The Orioles needed another such walk of the tightrope again in the seventh when Rico Garcia again loaded the bases with one out. This time manager Craig Albernaz turned to Yennier Cano, and the right-hander rose to the moment. Cano struck out both second baseman Zack Gelof and Butler to leave all three runners where they stood.

However, the adventures continued in the seventh. Cam Sanders put two men on with a pair of walks, and left fielder Carlos Cortes hit an RBI single to cut the Orioles’ lead to one. It then took a 6-5-3 double play turned by Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Gunnar Henderson to get out of the inning without allowing further damage.

The Orioles’ infield put on a defensive clinic in the contest, with several impressive plays from Encarnacion-Strand and a Derek Jeter-esque throw from deep at short by Henderson earlier in the contest.

Baltimore’s offense had gone quiet since the sixth, when Taveras plated two with his 15th double of the year, until the lowly A’s got in their own way to hand the Orioles an unearned run in the top of the ninth.

Cowser hit a hard ground ball to the right side that bounced off Gelof’s glove, and Butler tried to back-pick the Orioles’ center fielder at first, only for the throw to get away. It narrowly avoided going into the Orioles’ dugout, but catcher Jonah Heim accidentally kicked the ball down the steps. The umpires awarded Cowser third base as he had already started running to second, and he scored on a wild pitch for a valuable insurance run.

Andrew Kittredge then secured the save — albeit with an adventure of his own after allowing two singles — by inducing a groundout by third baseman Tommy White to end the game.

Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo left the game in the eighth inning after appearing to injure his right hand on a bouncing ball in the dirt. He initially stayed in the game but was replaced by Yohel Pozo after grounding out in his next at-bat.