Baz’s mistakes doom impotent O’s offense in 6-2 loss to the A’s

Q: What were Shane Baz's pitching stats in the Orioles vs Athletics game?

Shane Baz allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings, struggling with command and giving up crucial hits.

Q: How did the Orioles perform offensively against Aaron Civale?

The Orioles managed only two runs against Aaron Civale, who recorded six strikeouts and limited their scoring chances.

Q: What critical moment did Adley Rutschman miss in the game?

Adley Rutschman failed to deliver with the bases loaded, striking out in a key situation that could have changed the game.

Q: What was the final score of the Orioles vs Athletics game on May 9, 2026?

The final score was 6-2 in favor of the Oakland Athletics.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 9: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch against the Athletics during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 9, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images This game was summed up for me by two innings. Be warned; it’s not pretty. In the top of the third, the Athletics’ Brent Rooker came to the plate with two on and one out. Orioles starter Shane Baz had already given up a four-pitch walk and a single. Then, with the right-hitting Rooker up to bat, Baz left a cutter hanging up and just off the plate. Rooker swung, launching the pitch 365 feet away onto the flag court. That meatball, and the bombardment thereof, made the game 4-0 Athletics. This felt like an insurmountable lead until the Orioles got a glorious scoring chance in the bottom of the fifth inning. Infielder Jeremiah Jackson had reached on a Bermuda Triangle single, Gunnar Henderson doubled, and Taylor Ward walked. That brought up to the plate Adley Rutschman, a career .407 hitter with the bases loaded. Sadly, Adley did not deliver that inning. Nor did . Nor did . The former struck out after a long battle with A’s starter ; the second popped up too shallowly to score the lead runner; the third also flew out. There *was* a late, two-run Baltimore rally against Mark Leiter Jr.—brother of Jack, son of Mark, nephew of Al, but also a pitcher who entered this game with a 7.63 ERA. , , and a pinch-hitting strung together consecutive hits to make it 5-2. That was as good as it got. Anyway, today’s game is still defined by Shane Baz handing out runs with missed pitches and Orioles hitters making Civale look like an ace. I’m not sure which is more concerning: Baltimore hitters failing to take advantage of Civale, a pitcher whose or Baz failing to go five while throwing *one hundred* pitches. Start with the pitching side. Shane Baz is way too talented to be allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings to an offense like the Athletics’. Command issues were at the heart of his problems today. It started in the first, when Baz hung a cutter to leadoff man , who doubled. Then Baz missed with three straight cutters to catcher Shane Langeliers, who singled home a first run. After looking lost against the first two hitters, Baz appeared to find something, and reeled off three consecutive outs, plus a scoreless second. But again, there was that third inning, which felt completely avoidable, barring that early walk and two bad cutters. It still feels true to say that with his stuff, most teams can’t beat Shane Baz, so long as he doesn’t beat himself. But he sure seems to be beating himself a lot lately… As for the offense, let’s put it this way. At one point in the third inning, with Baltimore still scoreless, MASN flashed a graphic placing Aaron Civale in the bottom 110 to 130 MLB pitchers in hard-hit percentage and whiffs. Perhaps such stats undervalue “Crafty Veteranness.” And true, Civale *did* command his breaking pitches today. But I don’t quite buy this excuse, for the reason that today, it was the same O’s hitters who’ve *been* connecting who connected, and the same ones who’ve lately looked hopeless who continued to look hopeless. Gunnar Henderson had two hits, including a double. (He’s chasing too much, but still.) Adley Rutschman had a double. (Also that crucial bases-loaded strikeout, but still.) Taylor Ward walked three times (!!). Samuel Basallo singled twice, one of them 112 mph. But that was it for the hitters against Civale, who over five innings racked up six punchouts, equal to nine per nine innings. Given a pitcher who averages 6.6 strikeouts a game, it feels hard to deny that O’s hitters aren’t giving opposing pitchers much of a challenge. And toward the middle innings, it was the talented Shane Baz who looked error-prone, not Civale with his more limited stuff. Baz allowed a leadoff double to first baseman Nick Kurtz, then allowed Kurtz—no in sprint speed, from what I can see—to take third base uncontested as Baz missed high to catcher , who then got the RBI with a sac fly to center. Now 5-0 Athletics, this felt like a slow trudge through nine. The fifth inning was the one exception: a bases-loaded situation that had you dreaming of grand salamis, only to cruelly rob you of all hopes of a stirring comeback. The bullpen pitched okay, with the exception of . covered two 1/3 scoreless and threw one, too, despite allowing two hits. Kittredge continues to look problematic, allowing a sixth run in the ninth, although at this point it didn’t feel very important. The two-run rally in the eighth was nice, in that it raised the averages of the struggling Beavers and Cowser, but I doubt the Athletics were very nervous. It is what it is. Back this spring, there were high hopes for both this lineup and the starting rotation. Well, maybe not *high* hopes for this rotation, but at least reasonable expectations of competence. Now, is hurt (or something), is out for the year, —who didn’t even make the rotation—is out with a quad, and Shane Baz is highly erratic. If this is the Orioles throwing their hardest punches and still getting KO’d, this is going to be a long season.