WASHINGTON – The Orioles tied their season worst yesterday by falling six games below .500. The stay in third place was brief, with a 13-3 loss to the Nationals dumping them back down to fourth. It also left their run differential at minus-48, tied for the worst in baseball as they filed out of the ballpark.

The bullpen hasn’t shouldered much blame this season compared to the rotation, defense and offense that flickers more than it fires. But the ERA swelled to 4.46 after allowing nine runs – six by Keegan Akin, one by Andrew Kittredge – who also let two of Akin’s inherited runners score – and two by Josh Walker.

Jacob Young hit a three-run homer off Kittredge in a seven-run seventh that blew open the game, and Brady House added a two-run shot off Walker in the eighth to put the finishing touches in a beatdown.

“When the ball was in the strike zone,” said manager Craig Albernaz, “they did a good job putting it in play.”

Walker had made two appearances with the Orioles since they selected his contract on May 11, a day before they placed lefty Grant Wolfram on the injured list with a lower-back strain.

Walker tossed two scoreless innings against the Yankees at Camden Yards, allowing a hit, walking a batter and striking out three. He retired the Nationals in order in the eighth inning Friday night, recording another strikeout.

“He’s coming in, throwing strikes,” Albernaz said during his afternoon media session. “The slider has much better shape than the last time I remembered, so it’s a credit to him with the work that he’s put in in Norfolk and attacking the strike zone and developing that slider shape, because that’s gonna be a real weapon for him, especially against lefties.”

This is what happens when a reporter asks about a reliever before the game starts. Walker entered in the eighth inning, walked his first batter and surrendered the home run to House.

Next time, at least knock on the wood bench.

Wolfram is on the trip while recovering from his injury. Albernaz isn’t a timeline kind of guy and doesn’t know how long Wolfram will need to get back on the active roster.

“It all depends on Wolf. It all depends on the process and how he’s feeling each day,” Albernaz said.

“I think anyone that’s had some type of lower-back stuff, whether it be a stiffness or a spasm or whatever the case may be, it’s not fun, and especially has a rotational athlete in this game, where you rely on your lower back a lot. You’ve got to make sure that thing is fine and cleared, and to me that’s the biggest thing with all of our guys with injuries, and especially with lower backs.

“When you’re a pitcher on the mound, lower back injury, if you’re compensating for that, it’s gonna go down the line somewhere else, and that’s how other injuries pop up. So we’ll kind of see where he’s at day-to-day.”

Zach Eflin also is in D.C. while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He won’t make the Tampa trip, though it would allow him to go home.

Eflin is a regular presence at Camden Yards. He still wears a brace on his right arm, but it isn’t immobilized. He has much more freedom of movement without the sling.

The Orioles like having Eflin around the other pitchers. They can use his leadership, even if he can’t make any starts for them.

“He’s the ultimate pro, the ultimate clubhouse guy, ultimate teammate, so to have him around is awesome,” Albernaz said. “Selfishly, we want him around all the time, but also, he has to get himself ready and rehab and whatnot, and that’s a daunting task in its own. Especially at home, it’s easier, and this is trip is a lot easier, too, on the road, because of the proximity.

“Yeah, Eflin is value added just him walking around the clubhouse and being himself.”

Let’s take a dip in the mailbag.
What point does the roster change wholesale if the record continues to plummet? Not just the usual churn from need or injuries. How long do they wait?
Until much closer to the trade deadline. Being sellers wouldn’t replicate the start of a teardown and rebuild. Players on expiring contracts could be on the table. Taylor Ward is a pending free agent who certainly would draw interest. So would Trevor Rogers if he gets anywhere near his 2025 form. And as we learned last summer, they could move some guys under control for another year. They did it with reliever Bryan Baker and infielder Ramón Urías. But the core wouldn’t crumble.

How can one possible describe the regression of our core?
Disappointing. Unexpected. But Adley Rutschman is having a resurgence. Who knows what Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday would be doing this season if healthy from Day One? But other players must step up and play to their potential. I said it from the start. It wasn’t enough to just add Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. This team wasn’t going far if the returnees didn’t rise up.

Will we be out of it when Helsley is back in the middle of June?
Not the way this league is shaping up. Or out-of-shaping. The Orioles began yesterday 1 ½ games out of the Wild Card, with a lot of baseball left to play.

Who goes when Jackson Holliday returns?
This is a popular topic and I try to avoid speculating on lost jobs. It’s uncomfortable and I don’t get paid to make those decisions. The roster could change before he’s reinstated, but among the current infielders, it seems safe to assume that Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson are the most secure. Certainly the first three. I don’t see the Orioles subtracting another outfielder while Dylan Beavers is on the injured list. They have Maverick Handley as a third catcher, but that could change before Holliday is ready. Heck, it could change today. Who knows?

Do you get the sense that Mike Elias is on the hot seat with ownership?
No. David Rubenstein thinks highly of Elias and has said so on many occasions. Don’t underestimate Michael Arougheti’s influence. I’ve heard that he’s involved beyond his financial commitment. But that isn’t to suggest that he’s any more or less frustrated. The group offers financial support. Where does blame fall for injuries and underperformances? Let’s see what the team does, and what moves could be made through trades, as we move through the summer months.  

How do you see Tommy Pham fitting in?
Phamously.

How do you see Tommy …
Pham gives the Orioles an option for the outfield while they try to determine how long Dylan Beavers will be down with the oblique strain. Those injuries tend to linger. Heston Kjerstad isn’t very deep into his injury rehab assignment. Enrique Bradfield Jr. wasn’t hitting and he’s hurt, still on the minor league IL with left hand discomfort after slamming into a wall. Pham’s minor league deal became official last night, a few minutes after I walked into my house after the long drive from Nationals Park. Nice timing for a change. Maybe his contract is selected today. Maybe he needs to get some at-bats with Triple-A Norfolk and wait for the call. But at some point he could be an extra outfielder.

Everyone in the front office plus Alby acted like the Jordan Westburg surgery was a big surprise. I’m not a doctor but it wasn’t a shock. The only surprise is why he didn’t get surgery two months ago. Why did people act like the outcome would be anything but surgery?
I didn’t read it this way. The surprise was that the Orioles lost Westburg in spring training. They hadn’t prepped for it over the winter. No one thought a platelet-rich plasma injection was guaranteed to work. It was just a last-ditch attempt by Westburg to avoid the surgery. Whatever he decided, the organization was going to back him. Having the surgery Wednesday should make him ready early in 2027.

In your prime do you think you could throw a ball faster than 49-year-old Jamie Moyer?
I couldn’t throw faster than Jamie Lee Curtis.

I recall Albernaz saying that this team would play a lot more “small ball.” Do the stats confirm or reject that supposition?
The Orioles have six sacrifice bunts, two more than the entire 2025 season. The Rays led the majors yesterday with 17. We’ve seen more of it lately. I don’t recall hearing Albernaz use the word “a lot.” He sees the value in it, especially when the lineup is struggling to put runs on the board, but only in the right situation. He’ll still play for the big inning.

Does Gunnar Henderson get assessed a fine for every time he throws his bat or his helmet?
Not unless the anger is directed at the plate umpire. And he isn’t bouncing equipment off home plate.

I saw that Jordan Westburg is getting Tommy John surgery. Ironically, I asked my urologist if I can get Tommy Lee surgery.
That isn’t a question. But man, it sure is a good place to stop.