Baltimore Orioles’ Craig Albernaz Assigns Blame After Third Straight Loss

Baltimore Orioles’ Craig Albernaz Assigns Blame After Third Straight Loss

The Baltimore Orioles dropped their third straight game on Saturday, falling again to their American League East rivals, the New York Yankees. The month of May is off to a rough start for the Orioles.

Baltimore is a team that expected to contend this year, yet the Orioles now sit at 15-18, three games below .500 and searching for answers. The early results have been extremely disappointing for Baltimore fans.

Baltimore aggressively reshaped its roster over the winter, adding major pieces such as Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Ryan Helsley and Shane Baz.

The front office believed those additions would push the team forward under first-year manager Craig Albernaz. Instead, the Orioles have struggled to find consistency in any area, and the losses have begun to pile up.

After Saturday’s defeat, Albernaz did not point fingers at injuries. He pointed at himself. “Not concerned. It's more, on my end, more frustrating, just because that group is really talented. And I feel like we should not be three games below .500. That's on me,” Albernaz said (h/t Jake Rill of MLB.com).

His words reflect a moment of accountability from a manager still settling into his first full season and learning on the job. Albernaz was officially hired in October, taking over after a disappointing 2025 campaign and replacing interim manager Tony Mansolino.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias believed his leadership and communication skills during his time with the Cleveland Guardians would help guide a roster built to win now.