Orioles record just 1 hit in 7-0 loss to Nationals

Yahoo

23-04-2025

WASHINGTON — The Orioles were supposed to show up to Nationals Park Tuesday night 'pissed off.' Jordan Westburg had said Sunday's drubbing was a kick in the pants — not to change anything, but presumably to heighten the sense of urgency for a sub-.500 ball club teetering between showing the chutzpah for an upswing and completely unraveling.
In a 7-0 loss to Washington on Tuesday night, they didn't looked pissed off. They looked flat.
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Trailing 3-0 by the third inning, Jackson Holliday drew a seven-pitch walk. Cedric Mullins singled right after. The veteran rebuild survivor pulled into first base, looked over at his teammates occupying the visiting dugout and whirled his left hand, mouthing, 'Let's go.'
If Baltimore was going to make a post-Easter collapse statement, that moment was their first chance. Nothing. Three Nationals pitchers collectively tamed Baltimore batters the rest of the way. The Orioles went scoreless for the third time this season. They managed only one hit. And fell to 9-13 overall, four games behind the New York Yankees for the American League East lead.
Manager Brandon Hyde even gave both Heston Kjerstad and Holliday a chance against a lefty hurler, something the fan base has been clamoring for while the Orioles have performed far worse against southpaws. Mitchell Parker kept both youngsters (and just about the entire rest of the lineup) hitless, pitching eight full innings with four strikeouts.
Orioles right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer, coming off his strongest start of the year last week vs. Cleveland, got beat up on for the better part of 5 1/3 innings, surrendering 11 hits for six runs, all earned. Washington entered this game tied for the fifth fewest extra-base hits in baseball (51) and finished up near the middle of the pack (61).
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Nationals leadoff man James Wood smacked a double toward the left-field corner, which set up an effortless Nathaniel Lowe two-run, 411-foot homer in the first. A defensive gaffe from Kjerstad in left field — misstepping and miss-scooping a dribbler – resulted in a triple for José Tena. Kremer's wild pitch the following at-bat gave Tena enough time to dash home for that early 3-0 lead.
Some small ball and questionable defensive miscues hurt in the fifth. And in the sixth, Kremer watched Dylan Crews pummel a sinker 429 feet to center.
It only got worse from there, leaving with just one hit for the second time in the past three seasons. Tuesday night, this group looked closer to unraveling than they do capable of a win streak.
Instant analysis
It seems each Orioles issue is seeping into another facet of their struggling performances. The starting pitching has been dismal, posting the worst collective ERA (6.22) in Major League Baseball. Shaking starting pitching means more innings needed from the so-so bullpen. All of that puts more of a burden on the offense, which has struggled the more it appears to be pressing with a need for five-plus runs on a given night.
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Maybe if the Orioles can get one going, the rest will follow. Maybe.
By the numbers
Kremer's day ended in the sixth inning having let up six earned runs on 11 hits. Eight of those were extra-base hits, now the most ever allowed by an Orioles starter in one outing. Twenty-three Baltimore starters are tied on that leaderboard having let up seven — most recently Bruce Zimmermann in 2022. Kremer now stands alone for a not-so-pretty organizational record.
On deck
Baltimore's two-way woes continued from Sunday's blowout, through an off day and down I-95. The Orioles will spend the next two days in the nation's capital. Tomoyuki Sugano is set to pitch Wednesday, opposite fellow righty Trevor Williams. Cade Povich will get the ball on Thursday and from there, Baltimore's beleaguered starting rotation remains a mystery. 'Gonna get through this series and see where we are,' Hyde said.