WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 The Baltimore Orioles arrived in California as MLB\u2019s hottest team, winners of six straight games. The Athletics, meanwhile, were in a vicious spiral, losers of 20 of their past 22 games.<\/p>\n
But the A\u2019s pitched two left-handed starting pitchers this weekend. Therefore, the O\u2019s lost two of three.<\/p>\n
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Baltimore is on pace to be the worst lefty-hitting team in MLB history, and it showed Sunday in the Orioles\u2019 5-1 loss to drop the series in Sacramento. Against Jacob Lopez and Sean Newcomb, two southpaws who entered Sunday with a combined 4.97 ERA this season, the Orioles scored one unearned run in seven innings.<\/p>\n
The Orioles are now 3-12 against lefty starters (not including openers) this season. They are hitting .203 with a .559 OPS versus southpaws. That OPS against lefties would be the worst mark by a team in MLB\u2019s divisional era (since 1969). No other team this century has posted an OPS versus lefties below .590.<\/p>\n
The Athletics took an early 4-1 lead for the second straight day. Unlike Saturday, when the Orioles roared from behind to win 7-4, the bats were lifeless against Lopez and the bullpen. The Orioles\u2019 lone run scored on a throwing error by A\u2019s catcher Jhonny Pereda in the second inning.<\/p>\n
Baltimore right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano pitched his worst start in his nascent MLB career, allowing eight hits and four runs (three earned) in 4 1\/3 innings. His defense didn\u2019t help him, as shortstop Gunnar Henderson made two errors and Rivera couldn\u2019t make multiple plays at first base.<\/p>\n
Instant analysis<\/p>\n
As the Orioles circled the drain in May, it put a spotlight back on the slumping Adley Rutschman.<\/p>\n
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He was supposed to be a generational catcher, but since July, he\u2019s looked nothing like he did over the first two and a half years of his career. It resulted in existential questions about the state of the Orioles and Rutschman\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s wrong? Will he ever get out of this slump? Does he need to be optioned to Triple-A?<\/p>\n
Over the past few weeks, Rutschman has silenced those questions as he\u2019s returned to being the type of hitter he was before the inexplicable downturn that began in late June 2024.<\/p>\n
Rutschman smacked singles in each of his first two at-bats Sunday. From May 11 through his second single Sunday, Rutschman was slashing .280\/.359\/.463 \u2014 good for an .822 OPS. Those numbers are similar to the ones he posted in his first two seasons when Rutschman was one of the best young catchers baseball had ever seen.<\/p>\n
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The 2025 season might be lost. The hole they dug for themselves might be too deep to escape. But if Rutschman is back to being Rutschman, that solves one of the many \u2014 and biggest \u2014 quandaries this season has presented.<\/p>\n
Up next<\/p>\n
If the Orioles are going to rediscover the magic that helped them win six straight games before their series loss in West Sacramento, they\u2019ll have to do so against the best team in baseball.<\/p>\n
After a day off on Monday, Baltimore welcomes the 43-24 Detroit Tigers to Camden Yards on Tuesday for a three-game series. The Orioles will face rookie Sawyer Gipson-Long on Tuesday before going up against Casey Mize (2.91 ERA) and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (2.16 ERA). Baltimore has yet to announce its starters for the series, but it will presumably be Zach Eflin, Cade Povich and Dean Kremer.<\/p>\n
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