The Orioles’ five-game losing streak is over! They beat the Marlins 9-7 on Tuesday night in Miami, bringing an end to the ugly stretch of play that plagued them over the weekend. It was a game that was highlighted by impressive offensive performances, which covered up some questionable work on the mound.
The bats came out ready to wipe away their nightmare in New York. Gunnar Henderson laced the second pitch out of Sandy Alcantara’s hand for a single into right field. A fielder’s choice from Taylor Ward eliminated Henderson, but kept the pressure on Alcantara. Dylan Beavers followed with a a well-earned walk at the end of a 12-pitch at-bat. And then both runners came in to score on a Pete Alonso double into the left field corner, where old friend Kyle Stowers misplayed it to allow Alonso to scoot all the way to third. Samuel Basallo made it a 3-0 game with another two-bagger, this one a 111-mph laser.
Unfortunately, the O’s would need to score a few more because starter Chris Bassitt was not at the top of his game. The first two batters singled, putting runners on the corners with no outs. A wild pitch behind Otto Lopez scored Miami’s first run of the day. But that is all the damage that would be done in the opening inning as Bassitt bounced back to retire Lopez, strike out Stowers, and get Jakob Marsee to pop out.
The Marlins’ half of the second inning was just as ugly for Bassitt. He hit Connor Norby to open the inning, but was saved by Basallo gunning him down at second base on a steal attempt. After recording another out, Bassitt then loaded the bases by hitting Owen Caissie, walking Graham Pauley, and walking Xavier Edwards. That set the stage for Liam Hicks to single in Caissie and Pauley to tie the score at 3-3.
Credit the Baltimore lineup for fighting right back in the top of the third. Ward led off with a walk, then moved to third on another Alonso double. Basallo cashed in on the opportunity with a two-RBI flare into shallow right field to give the Orioles a 5-3 lead.
But yet again, Bassitt could not put together a shutdown inning. He got right back into trouble with a walk to Stowers to begin the bottom of the third. Connor Norby delivered a one-out single before Joe Mack knocked in Stowers on a base hit into left field, making in 5-4.
The O’s added two more crucial runs in the fifth inning. Basallo was responsible for the first one, yanking a perfectly-placed triple into right-center field, scoring Alonso from first base in the process. A few batters later, Colton Cowser hit a slow bouncer to Lopez, the Marlins shortstop. Lopez’s throw home beat Basallo, but the O’s catcher was able to sneak his toe just under the tag for the team’s seventh run of the day.
The two bullpens quieted the lineups for a little while before the seventh inning, when Hicks and Lopez hit back-to-back homers off of O’s reliever Anthony Nunez to draw within one run, 7-6.
The Marlins would knot the score at 7-7 in the eighth inning. With Andrew Kittredge on the mound, Mack singled and was then replaced by speedster Esteury Ruiz. That would prove too much for the Orioles to handle. Ruiz swiped second base, and then third base as well. On the attempt at third, Basallo double-clutched and then made an arrant throw towards the bag. It sailed into left field, allowing Ruiz to jog home as the tying run.
At this point, it felt like the Orioles were bound to lose. The offense had gone quiet since the fifth inning, the bullpen was wobbling, and the defense had just made a poorly-timed miscue. The sky was falling.
But not this time! The O’s bats came through in the clutch. Walks for Ward and Alonso put two runners on base with two outs ahead of Basallo’s spot in the lineup. Basallo, who was in the midst of a 3-for-4 game with four RBI. Could he put the finishing touches on an impressive showing? Well, his manager Craig Albernaz wasn’t interested in finding out. Instead, he called for the switch-hitting Adley Rutschman to face the left-handed Andrew Nardi on the mound. That would prove to a be a wise decision. Rutschman singled into left field, which allowed Ward to motor around third base and put the O’s up 8-7. Leody Taveras followed with a knock into right field, giving Alonso just enough time to rumble around the bases and score a crucial insurance run.
The bottom of the ninth inning was left to Rico Garcia, who had already recorded the final out of the eighth. He made quick work of the heart of the Miami lineup, retiring them 1-2-3 to close out the 9-7 win, ending the losing streak at five.
The Orioles’ lineup gets most of the credit for this win. While he may not be the player he used to be, Alcantara is still a good, veteran pitcher with a Cy Young Award in his trophy case. The Orioles handled him and the Marlins pitching staff with ease, collecting 10 hits and five walks on the day, and then going 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. This was a performance to be proud of.
The pitching side of things was mixed bag. Bassitt was not good. He had seemingly no feel for his breaking pitches at all, missing the zone by a mile on several occasions. Over four innings he allowed four runs on six hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. His season ERA is up to 5.91. That is not the sort of starter the Orioles hoped to be getting when they signed him to a one-year deal.
The bullpen had some highs and lows. Garcia, Keegan Akin, and Grant Wolfram were good. Nunez struggled. Kittredge didn’t look particularly sharp. But it all worked out to a win. The fact they had to cover five innings isn’t ideal.
Hopefully Brandon Young can provided some length in game 2. He will get the start on Wednesday night in Miami, facing off against Eury Pérez. First pitch is 6:40 as the Orioles look to do the unthinkable and win two games in a row. Amazing stuff!
Most Birdland Player – May 5, 2026
Here are a few candidates for your MBP consideration on this Tuesday evening. Let us know your vote in the comments section:
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Taylor Ward: 1-for-3, two walks, three runs
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Samuel Basallo: 3-for-4, one run, four RBI
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Pete Alonso: 2-for-4, two walks, two doubles, four runs, two RBI
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Adley Rutschman: Pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning
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Rico Garcia: four-out save, two strikeouts
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