In order to convince the front office that they are capable of making an aggressive playoff push and to keep the clubhouse intact, the Orioles can’t afford back-to-back series losses and to get stuck deeper in the mud.

The wheels spin and forward movement is stalled. Worse is the feeling of going backward.

After losing two of three games to the last-place Angels in Anaheim, the Orioles did the same against the Nationals after dropping today’s rubber match 6-4 before an announced crowd of 27,626 at Camden Yards.

Luis García Jr. homered twice, doubled and drove in five runs, Kyle Bradish tied his career high with five walks and didn’t record an out in the fifth inning, and the Orioles fell to 39-46 with the White Sox coming to town.

Jackson Holliday followed Colton Cowser’s two-out single off left-hander Mitchell Parker in the seventh inning with his fifth home run to cut the Nationals’ lead to 6-4. Parker walked off the mound with an athletic trainer after walking Taylor Ward.

Holliday was 2-for-14 against lefties before facing Parker.

Left-hander PJ Poulin retired the side in order in the eighth and got the first out in the ninth. He walked Coby Mayo, and pinch-hitter Leody Taveras grounded into a double play.

Rutschman and Beavers back on roster

Orioles assistant hitting coach Brady North called Adley Rutschman the “stabilizer” of the team’s lineup earlier today, voicing how an entire organization felt about getting back its starting catcher.

Rutschman marked his return from the concussion injured list with a two-out single in the first inning, and Pete Alonso followed with a 437-foot home run to center field.

Alonso leads the team with 19 homers and he destroyed a full-count slider from Zack Littell, hopping out of the box on contact. He’s the 10th player in Orioles history with 19 or more home runs in his first 85 games with the club.

Today’s blast is Alonso’s second-longest this season after a 439-foot shot against the Mariners.

Littell is prone to giving up the long ball, entering today with 21 to lead the National League.

The rally started with Rutschman, who hadn’t played since being hit on the side of the helmet while running to first base in a June 18 game in Seattle. Rutschman drew a two-out walk in the third inning and lined out to right field in the sixth and eighth.

“We’ve seen how good this team is when Adley’s in there daily, and you can see when his absence is felt when he’s not in there,” North said. “So we’re really excited to have him back.”

Dylan Beavers also returned today after his stint on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique. He led off the second inning with an 11-pitch walk, fouling off six pitches. He was 1-for-20 on his rehab assignment but walked five times.

Beavers hadn’t played for the Orioles since May 10. He struck out twice after the walk and Tyler O’Neill pinch-hit for him in the ninth.

Good at-bats constantly,” North said. “Makes good enough contact consistently. So really excited to get him back in the lineup.”

Wild side of Bradish

Kyle Bradish retired the first eight batters but ran into trouble in the third after issuing back-to-back walks. Garcia worked the count full and lined a two-run double to left-center field, and Mayo bounced a throw past first baseman Samuel Basallo to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead.

Mayo bent over in frustration, and Gunnar Henderson gave him an encouraging pat on the leg while walking past.

Bradish walked two more batters in the fourth to give him four and tie his season high. Cowser ran down Keibert Ruiz’s ball in left-center to strand them.

A leadoff walk to James Wood in the fifth finished Bradish. Tyler Wells entered the game and Garcia hit a two-run homer to give Washington a 5-2 lead. Wells threw two changeups and watched the ball land in the seats in right-center.

An odd final line for Bradish included only one hit allowed in four-plus innings, but also three earned runs and four total to go with his five walks. His ERA grew from 3.64 to 3.77.

Bradish was magnificent in his two previous starts on the West Coast, with one run allowed and 21 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings, but the sharpness was missing today.

Wells hadn’t allowed a run this month in 9 1/3 innings. Cowser made a leaping catch at the center field fence to rob Dylan Crews in the fifth and force Curtis Mead back to second base after a double. Wells raised his cap in the air.

Cowser had another defensive gem in the tank, running down Ruiz’s single in right-center field with two outs in the sixth and throwing him out at second base.

Even Cowser had no chance at Garcia’s 109.9 mph line drive home run off Albert Suárez in the seventh that gave the Nationals a 6-2 lead.

Filling up the 40-man

The Orioles had an opening after designating catcher Sam Huff for assignment. It didn’t stay that way for long. They claimed right-hander Yosver Zulueta on waivers from the Cubs and optioned him to Norfolk.

Zulueta, 28, was designated for assignment last week after posting a combined 7.54 ERA in 22 games with Triple-A Tacoma and two with Triple-A Iowa. He’s averaged 5.6 walks and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 175 minor league games.

Zulueta appeared in 19 games with the Reds in 2024-25 and registered a 5.32 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. His four-seam fastball averaged 98 mph last season.

Down on the farm

Norfolk outfielder Jud Fabian was removed from Game 1 of today’s doubleheader in the second inning following a collision on defense.

High-A Frederick first baseman Yasmil Bucce hit his fourth home run. Wehiwa Aloy had two hits.