WASHINGTON – Chris Bassitt made three career starts against the Nationals before today, won each game and didn’t allow a run in 21 innings. The last matchup was in 2023 with the Blue Jays, when he tossed eight scoreless.

Dominance must have a shelf life.

Bassitt retired the side in order today in the first inning, but he couldn’t stretch the streak any longer. A double and walk set up Keibert Ruiz for a three-run homer, the Nationals scored again in the third, and an Orioles rally was muted by a bullpen collapse in a 13-3 loss before an announced sellout crowd of 40,559.

Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neill began the seventh with the Orioles’ first back-to-back homers this season. They scored three times to get within 4-3, but Keegan Akin was charged with six runs in the bottom half of the inning. Andrew Kittredge replaced him with two men on base and surrendered a three-run shot to Jacob Young that gave the Nationals an 11-3 lead.

Even the shaky Washington bullpen couldn’t mishandle it.

Josh Walker had two scoreless appearances before today, but Brady House hit a two-run homer off him in the eighth. That adds up to nine runs from Orioles relievers.

“It’s always frustrating,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “It’s a part of the game, it’s never not going to be frustrating, especially guys fall back (into bad habits). It’s not like Akin was out there trying to do what he did, but he still was competing, throwing strikes, and they did a good job of putting the ball in play.”

Fans lined up early to get their Alex Ovechkin bobbleheads with the missing front tooth. The gap between these teams has widened. The Orioles are 20-26 and the Nationals improved to 23-23.

CJ Abrams led off the second with a double and Nasim Nuñez walked with one out. Ruiz attacked an 0-1 cutter, sending it into the right field bullpen with a 40-degree launch angle.

James Wood led off the third with a double on a ball that hit the top of the fence in left-center and bounced onto the field. Bassitt retired the next two batters and got ahead of Abrams 1-2, but he surrendered an RBI double into right-center.

Bassitt escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth after two singles and a hit batter. He didn’t come back out for the sixth.

The veteran right-hander allowed four runs and six hits with one walk, four strikeouts and a hit batter. He threw 82 pitches, and his ERA is 5.44 after nine appearances with the Orioles.

The previous outing came in relief after Akin served as an opener, and Bassitt allowed one run over six innings to make the strategy work. He was scoreless in three today, but the Ruiz homer felt like an early dagger.

“Bassitt, he was grinding through it,” Albernaz said. “You could tell he didn’t have his best stuff, didn’t feel the best, but he grinded through it, especially bases loaded, nobody out. To get out of that unscathed was huge. He didn’t throw his best, but he still gave us a chance to win the game.”

Asked whether this is the toughest start to his 12-year career, Bassitt replied “Yeah, obviously.”

Anything positive to take away from today’s outing?

“Nothing,” he said. “I’m too old to deal with the positives. It was a bad game, bad loss.”

The Orioles were shut out for eight innings last night and Cade Cavalli blanked them today through the sixth. They wasted singles by Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso in the first inning. Leody Taveras reached on an infield hit with one out in the second and Coby Mayo followed with a 107.3 mph single to left field, but Jeremiah Jackson grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Nine in a row were retired before Jackson singled with two outs in the fifth. Gunnar Henderson grounded out..

Finally, the offense perked up in the seventh. Basallo lined the first pitch into the right field bullpen at 109.2 mph and with a 22-degree launch angle for his sixth homer. O’Neill followed with his second homer, a 402-foot shot at 110.9 mph.

It’s been a bit of a scuffle for me, but I’m putting good at-bats together and seeing the baseball, swinging at the right pitches,” O’Neill said. “After you make contact, what are you going to do? Can’t really do anything when a guy’s standing there, catching the ball at the wall. Everyone’s putting together good at-bats here. So it’s just a matter of time before we really get clicking here as a unit.”

Taveras reached on an infield single and Mayo came within inches of tying the game. His 406-foot fly ball at 111 mph hooked foul and the Orioles lost the challenge. Mayo struck out as Cavalli’s final batter. He also wasted an epic bat toss after thinking that he homered.

“Obviously with Mayo’s, everyone in the dugout was trying to force it and blow on it to keep it fair,” Albernaz said.

Young made a leaping catch at the center field fence to rob Jackson of an extra-base hit and probably an RBI, but Ward singled off PJ Poulin after Henderson’s walk to cut the lead to 4-3.

“Now with J.J.’s ball, Jacob Young can go get it,” Albernaz said. “He’s a highlight reel in center field. If it’s anywhere out here, he can get it.”

Wood drew a leadoff walk against Akin in the seventh and scored with one out on House’s pinch-hit double into the left field corner. Daylen Lile grounded to Henderson, whose throw home couldn’t nab House. The Orioles also lost that challenge.

Ruiz got within a triple of the cycle with a two-run single that removed Akin from the game. Mayo threw home to record an out at the plate, but Young homered off Kittredge.

“With Akin’s inning, fell behind a couple guys but we knew they were gonna pinch-hit for those guys, and with Akin’s profile, we knew he could handle the opposite handedness. But ball’s found holes,” Albernaz said.

“We had some great defensive plays behind him, too, like Gunnar’s play on the run, really tough play. Came back stands, but I think all in all that was a really good play. And Coby, too, and that barehand play. But when the ball was in the strike zone they did a good job putting it in play.”

The Orioles are 9-19 when the opponent scores first. They’ll try to avoid the sweep Sunday afternoon with Brandon Young opposing Miles Mikolas.

“We were putting a good rally together,” O’Neill said. “We had them on the ropes there for a little bit. Just came down to a close call, man. Coby really gave that one a whack, wish that one would have stayed fair for us. But if we keep grinding out at-bats, good things are going to happen.”

Six games below .500 ties the season high.

“It’s always urgency around here,” Albernaz said. “I think it’s where we’re trying to win every game, like we talk about, and every time we show up we’re trying to win. So the urgency is the same. I think it’s us coming into tomorrow being ready to win. Every time we show up to the field, everyone in there is prepared, working as hard as they possibly can and focus on winning tonight’s game. And that’s always going to be the goal.”

“It just comes down to us going out there every day, grinding,” O’Neill said. “I’ve been a big part of coming up short lately. Working, grinding and doing what we can to get back on track. I think it’s really only a matter of time. We all believe in ourselves, and a lot of skill in this locker room. Just got to take it to the next day.”

Handley is No. 42

Maverick Handley pinch-hit for Henderson in the ninth and became the 42nd player used this season.
Henderson is fine.

“Yeah, I wanted Mav to get an at-bat,” Albernaz said.

Albernaz on Pham

Albernaz worked in the Rays organization in 2018-19 when Tommy Pham played for Tampa Bay. Their paths didn’t cross much, but they could reunite this season after Pham agreed a minor league contract with the Orioles.

The team announced the deal tonight.

Albernaz was managing High-A Bowling Green in ’18, winning the Midwest League’s Manager of the Year award, and serving as Rays field coordinator the following year.

“I didn’t really have too much interaction with him,” Albernaz said.

Pham improves the outfield depth with Dylan Beavers on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique.

“Nothing was communicated to me,” Albernaz said. “I mean, it’s a minor league deal. It’s not like he’s coming in on a big league contract and stuff. And just like any minor league player, you’ve got to prove that you can come up here and play and produce, and he’s gonna have to produce in the minor leagues, just like any of our minor league players to warrant to play in the big leagues.”