masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSomebody had to do it.
The Orioles needed a hit this afternoon against Athletics starter Sonny Gray, and J.J. Hardy stepped up with an RBI double in the top of the fifth.
Chris Davis scored from first base after a leadoff walk, and the Oakland lead was down to 4-1.
The Orioles needed more, but Manny Machado struck out and Ryan Flaherty and Caleb Joseph grounded out.
It was a poor at-bat for Machado, who flailed at breaking stuff and couldn’t get the runner to third. The last pitch bounced in…

Somebody had to do it.

The Orioles needed a hit this afternoon against Athletics starter Sonny Gray, and J.J. Hardy stepped up with an RBI double in the top of the fifth.

Chris Davis scored from first base after a leadoff walk, and the Oakland lead was down to 4-1.

The Orioles needed more, but Manny Machado struck out and Ryan Flaherty and Caleb Joseph grounded out.

It was a poor at-bat for Machado, who flailed at breaking stuff and couldn’t get the runner to third. The last pitch bounced in front of the plate.

Hardy is 5-for-10 in the last four games, with two doubles, a home run, two RBIs and four runs scored.

Gray sat in the dugout for an extended period while the A’s scored another run in the bottom of the fourth and Orioles starter Kevin Gausman received a visit from pitching coach Dave Wallace. I wondered whether it slowed his momentum. Karma is a delicate thing.

Gausman is gone after Josh Donaldson’s leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Donaldson scored on Stephen Vogt’s double off left-hander T.J. McFarland to complete Gausman’s line.

Gausman is charged with five runs and nine hits in four-plus innings, with two walks, six strikeouts and a wild pitch. He threw 88 pitches, 49 for strikes.

Another Oakland run scored in the fifth on Machado’s throwing error, and Eric Sogard’s RBI bouncer increased the lead to 7-1.

Gausman has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of his eight starts this season, and five runs in each of the other three starts. Seems like an odd statistic to me.

Plate umpire Jordan Baker is challenged today, to put it mildly, but the Orioles can’t shift the blame. They’re not hitting, Gausman wasn’t sharp, center fielder Adam Jones lost track of the outs in the fourth and Machado committed a costly error in the fifth.

Not a good day so far.

Must be Sunday.

Update: It’s only getting worse for the Orioles, who trail 10-1 heading to the top of the seventh inning.

The A’s scored three runs off Ryan Webb in the sixth. They entered today averaging 3.53 runs per game in July.

The A’s are outhitting the Orioles 15-1.

Update II: Gray left the game in the seventh after Machado’s two-out RBI single.

Machado has reached base safely in a career-high 19 straight games since June 22.

The Orioles now have two hits. Nelson Cruz reached on shortstop Jed Lowrie’s throwing error and scored on Machado’s hit.

Update III: The Orioles lose 10-2 to the A’s, who win the season series.

The Orioles are three games ahead of the Jays and Yankees in the American League East. They’re 15-20 in day games and 6-10 on Sundays.