The Orioles’ defensive struggles hit a new low in this game. Coming off comments from manager Brandon Hyde about the need for clean defense, Baltimore managed to botch another routine sequence. In the third inning, with two men on and no outs, a single to the outfield led to a mess. The third baseman had a clear shot to cut off the throw home but instead faked a cutoff, confusing the catcher and allowing the runner to advance. That mental error set up second and third with no outs instead of first and second.
Then came the critical play. Jose Ramirez hit a ball to right, driving in the go-ahead run. Ramirez pushed for second, baiting the Orioles into a rundown. But Baltimore seemed unprepared. The center fielder never broke to cover second, the third baseman was late, and the catcher went toward first instead of covering third. The shovel pass the Orioles used didn’t help. Ramirez slid in safely at second, then noticed no one was guarding third and took it easily. The Guardians’ third base coach didn’t even notice Ramirez taking the extra base. Embarrassingly, neither did the Orioles.
That play summed up the Orioles’ recent stretch. They’ve lost 26 of 32 and continue to give up runs with sloppy defense. Hyde’s postgame frustration only grew as the next batter hit another RBI single. Baltimore looks lost in every phase right now.