The start of tonight’s game at Camden Yards was delayed 56 minutes by the threat of rain. The tarp never made it onto the field.

The Orioles also didn’t cover.

Shane Baz started fast and ran into trouble, and the Orioles wasted some early scoring opportunities in a 5-2 loss to the Cubs before an announced crowd of 16,200.

The final homestand before the break began with the Orioles lowering their record to 42-50. Their 50th loss last season came on July 8.

The Red Sox defeated the White Sox 8-1 and dropped the Orioles into last place.

The standings don’t reflect the club’s confidence. The Orioles still believe they can get hot and become the team that they expected.

“A hundred percent,” said catcher Adley Rutschman. “I think just from a holistic standpoint, I think our pitching staff has just continued to get better and improve, and we know our potential on offense. We’ve just got to keep grinding away. Baseball’s a tough game, but this team’s built for it, so I have all the faith in the guys in this room.”

What needs to happen in order to avoid being sellers at the deadline?

“We’ve gotta win games,” he said.

Baz allowed three runs and six hits with three walks and three strikeouts over six innings. He threw 100 pitches, 63 for strikes. Anthony Nunez replaced him in the seventh and the Cubs padded their lead with Michael Busch’s sacrifice fly. Nunez also allowed a run in the eighth on Dansby Swanson’s two-out single that scored Nico Hoerner.

The insertion of extra left-handed hitters in the lineup against Cubs southpaw Matthew Boyd didn’t spark the offense. The Orioles were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded five through the fifth inning. Rutschman’s two-out, bases-loaded single off former Orioles reliever Jacob Webb in the seventh plated two runs and cut the lead to 4-2, but they couldn’t complete the comeback and fell to 10-17 against left-handed starters.

Asked about the struggles against southpaws, Rutschman said, “To be honest, I don’t think the guys really think about that. I think, like I said, our guys have confidence going into the game. Each guy’s got their own individual approach. When they go up against a left-handed guy, and, our guys are smart. They continue to learn and get better. So yeah, each day’s a new day.”

Coby Mayo drew a leadoff walk in the second inning and moved to second base with one out. Blaze Alexander concluded a nine-pitch at-bat by lining to left field at 109 mph.

Pete Alonso led off the fourth with a single and Mayo was hit on the foot by a curveball. Boyd struck out the next three batters. Taylor Ward walked with one out in the fifth and Rutschman grounded into a double play.

The Orioles put a runner on base in each of the first five innings and came up empty. Boyd shut them out on three hits with seven strikeouts through the sixth.

“When Matty has his command going, he’s tough,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “He has a good mix, he mixes up arm slots, and did a good job of pushing and pulling, especially with the first and second nobody out, he really beared down. We didn’t move the ball forward at all.”

Left-hander Ryan Rolison entered in the seventh and the Orioles rallied with Samuel Basallo’s infield hit and Alexander’s opposite-field single. Ward walked with two outs to load the bases for Rutschman, whose grounder reached right field. A throwing error put two runners in scoring position, but Gunnar Henderson struck out.

“I think any player that’s in that spot, you want them to come through, you want it for them and you want it for us,” Albernaz said. “When Gunnar Henderson is at the plate, I think any pitcher is going to heighten a little bit, a little more focus. That’s a testament to him and how good of a player he is. Tonight, he came up short.”

Baz brought the heat in the first inning, striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong with a 97.9 mph fastball and reaching 98.3 mph to retire Busch on a line drive to left field. The Cubs brought the exit velo in the second but were retired in order. Seiya Suzuki lined to center at 106.4 mph and Ian Happ flied to center at 100.5. Swanson lined to left field at 101.5 in the third inning.

Baz retired the first eight batters before walking Miguel Amaya. Crow-Armstrong singled on a ground ball up the middle, and Alex Bregman lined a knuckle-curve into center to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Michael Busch walked to load the bases, but Suzuki popped to short.

The free pass to Amaya came back to bite Baz.

“I mean, any walk usually ends up hurting you, but especially with two outs, and then I ended up walking another guy later that inning,” Baz said. “But yeah, it’s just one of those things where you’ve got to either pitch around it in the moment or don’t walk anybody. So yeah, definitely stings a little bit.”

“Baz looked good,” Albernaz said. “Came out of the gate strong. The third inning, I think to me, kind of had a cascading effect. The two-out walk to Amaya proved to be his kryptonite tonight. After that, it was tough for him to kind of reel it back in. He did a good job of weathering the storm and gave us six (innings), three runs, and he pitched well.”

The Cubs scored twice in the fifth as a light rain began to fall. Swanson singled, Miguel Amaya doubled and Crow-Armstrong delivered an RBI single. Another run scored on a fielder’s choice grounder. A double play limited the damage after Baz walked Busch.

Baz has posted seven quality starts in his last 10 outings, but he isn’t stacking wins.

“I feel like I’m giving up three runs like every single game,” he said. “A lot of times it comes back to walks, just being ahead in the count and making them swing and stuff like that. I think that’s an easy thing I can fix. Obviously, the other team getting the lead is never ideal, especially in the first few innings. Just got to be a little better and stick to my game plan a little more and just try and go get it on the next one.”

Left-hander Nick Raquet, recalled earlier today, retired the side in order in the ninth.

Alexander’s versatility on display again

Alexander started in right field tonight.

He didn’t stay there.

Alexander moved to second base in the eighth inning after Leody Taveras pinch-hit for Jackson Holliday. He switched to third base in the ninth after Colton Cowser pinch-hit for Mayo.

Taveras struck out and Cowser grounded out on the first pitch.

Taveras was batting .197 with a .550 OPS from the right side of the plate before tonight.

“In that circumstance, Holliday’s spot was the fourth spot, and three-batter minimum,” Albernaz said. “They had Webb up, and he was ready to come in. So we used Leody, switch-hitter, see what decision they would make.”

Down on the farm

A source confirmed that the Orioles have hired former major league pitcher Ross Detwiler as an upper-level minor league roving pitching coach. Detwiler replaces Thomas Eshelman, who left the organization last month to accept a job as TCU pitching coach.

Detwiler, 40, was the sixth-overall pick by the Nationals in the 2007 draft. He spent 14 seasons in the majors with 10 teams, his final season coming in 2022. He finished with a 4.56 ERA in 307 games, 100 as a starter.

The Baltimore Banner first reported the hire.

Catcher Ethan Anderson was placed on Double-A Chesapeake’s seven-day injured list with left ankle discomfort. Infielder Brandon Butterworth and right-hander Tyson Neighbors were reinstated from the Baysox’s injured list.

Left-hander Joseph Dzierwa allowed one run and three hits in five innings, walking none and striking out three. His ERA is 2.38.

Pitcher Patrick Reilly’s minor league rehab assignment was transferred from the Florida Complex League to High-A Frederick. He’s returning from Tommy John surgery.

Single-A Delmarva shortstop Cobb Hightower left the field on a cart after tripping over first base and injuring his left knee. Hightower, the organization’s No. 29 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is batting .327 with a .729 OPS.

Outfielder Braylon Whitaker was removed from the game with right hip discomfort.