BALTIMORE — The surging Atlanta Braves handed the Baltimore Orioles their 18th straight loss on Sunday, the longest skid in the major leagues since the Kansas City Royals dropped 19 straight in 2005.
The 3-1 defeat was one of the more competitive games the O’s have played during the losing streak; it was only the third time Baltimore has lost by two runs or fewer. The Orioles are now three loses away from matching a franchise and American League record of 21 straight losses set in 1988, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
John Means (5-6) yielded three runs and four hits in six-plus innings.
“I thought today was going to be the day,” Means said. “Felt good, felt like things were going in our favor, and it just didn’t happen.”
Jorge Soler opened the scoring with one out in the fourth when his drive cleared the wall in left field for a solo homer. Adam Duvall‘s two-out double later in the inning made it 3-0.
Ramon Urias hit an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the inning for the only Baltimore run. The Orioles went 1 for 9 with men in scoring position.
“I have no problem with effort,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re not winning games. We’re not executing. We’re very inexperienced. We got beat this series by good pitching.”
A light rain fell through much of the game, but there were no delays.
Baltimore has Monday off before their next chance to end the streak, a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards. The Orioles will send right-hander Spenser Watkins (2-5) to the mound Tuesday night against righty Dylan Bundy (2-9), a first-round draft pick by Baltimore in 2011. He last pitched for the Orioles in 2019.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.