Baltimore Orioles Do Something They Unfortunately Haven't Done Since 2022 with Wednesday Loss

The Orioles were shut out on Wednesday by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the early-season questions continue to grow. At 5-8, they're in a position they haven't been in in the last three years of recent history.
Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) looks on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Chase Field on April 8.
Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) looks on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Chase Field on April 8. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Orioles were shut out by the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field.

The Orioles were non-competitive in the game and have now fallen to 5-8 on the year. That's good enough for last place in the American League East. The Diamondbacks are 7-6, but they are in fourth place in the National League West, which is the most competitive division in baseball in the early going.

For the Orioles, it's the first time they've been three games under .500 since 2022, according to Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. Baltimore has been one of the best organizations in baseball over the last two years, winning 101 games in 2023 and making the playoffs again in 2024.

The O's do have reasons for optimism about a turnaround considering that they have Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, but there are also real questions about the injured pitching staff (Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin) and about the decisions of the offseason to not re-sign Corbin Burnes or make a real run at a frontline ace. Furthermore, they let Anthony Santander go in free agency as well.

The O's are off on Thursday but they will start a new series with the Blue Jays on Friday night at Camden Yards. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

The Blue Jays haven't announced a starting pitcher yet while the O's will go Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano.

After signing this offseason, he's gone 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA thus far.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.