Five Straight Blowouts Set Orioles Record, and Baltimore Just Found a Way to Stop the Bleeding

The Baltimore Orioles arrived in Miami carrying the weight of five consecutive losses, each one a gut-punch by five or more runs. That streak tied a club record for back-to-back lopsided defeats, with the last four of those coming in New York against division rival Yankees. But on Tuesday night, something clicked. The Orioles scraped together a 9-7 victory in the series opener, and suddenly the narrative shifted from "when does this end" to "maybe we can turn this around."

The Catchers Carried the Load

Baltimore's catching duo delivered when it mattered most. Samuel Basallo went off for four RBIs, and when the Orioles needed one last push in the ninth, Adley Rutschman came through with the go-ahead hit. That kind of clutch performance from your backstop is exactly what a slumping team needs to start believing again.

Manager Craig Albernaz kept perspective. "We've shown that we can go out and compete against anyone and win," he said. But he also made clear this one win isn't a cure-all. "Clean baseball, fundamental baseball. All these little things." The Orioles need more than a single victory to get their season headed in the right direction.

Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser nailed the mindset shift required. "I think the big thing is just not letting previous outcomes dictate the mindset and confidence moving forward," he said.

Young Gets Another Shot Wednesday

Right-hander Brandon Young (2-1, 6.14 ERA) gets the ball for Baltimore on Wednesday. He hasn't thrown since last Thursday's disaster against Houston, where he gave up 10 runs (four earned) on nine hits in just four innings. Against Miami specifically, Young carries some baggage: in his only career matchup with the Marlins last year, he got shelled for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings and took the loss.

Miami counters with Eury Perez (2-3, 4.46 ERA), who's at least found some rhythm this season. Perez has worked at least five innings in five of his seven outings, though he's been vulnerable to the long ball, allowing at least one homer in four games. The one bright spot for the Marlins: Perez beat Baltimore in his only start against them, tossing seven shutout innings.

The Marlins' struggles have been especially brutal at home. Miami sits at 11-10 in loanDepot Park and just 1-4 on this current homestand. Manager Clayton McCullough tried to find silver linings in Tuesday's loss. "How we were offensively, on multiple occasions, kept coming back and getting ourselves in striking distance and then tie the game. There were certainly some positive things we could take away from that."

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.