​The Orioles finally pulled it off. They broke through to win a fourth consecutive game in the 2026 season, snapping a string of near-misses that had stretched their patience to the breaking point. It felt long overdue after seven three-game winning streaks had not yielded a four-game run, and on this night the eighth attempt proved to be the charm. They poured out a torrent of frustration on the Royals, rolling to an emphatic 8-2 victory to sweep their final series before the All-Star break.
Yet the game bore some hallmarks of the Orioles’ earlier misfortunes. Starting pitcher Shane Baz could not complete five innings, his pitch count climbing too high for comfort. Kansas City capitalized early thanks to Blaze Alexander’s throwing error at third, which set the table for the Royals to take the initial lead. The Orioles squandered a pair of promising scoring chances in the early frames, and another error later in the game reminded fans of the hiccups that had plagued them at times this season.
But the Orioles found a way to overcome all of it. Baz, while not able to log five full innings, delivered a solid performance by laboring through 4.2 frames and striking out nine Royals batters without issuing a walk. He allowed seven hits, yet he managed to minimize the damage, including escaping a two-out, runners-on-second-and-third situation in the fifth with a grounder that ended the threat. That resilience helped Baltimore navigate a challenging start that could have spiraled into trouble.
KC struck first again in the second inning, when Alexander’s miscue opened the door for a Royals rally that produced a run via a triple and scored on a subsequent hit. Baz recovered to strand the runner, keeping the deficit at one. The Orioles answered promptly. Alexander, atoning for the error, singled to start the next frame, and with one out he stood on base for Leody Taveras, whose fourth homer of the year blasted into deep center and vaulted Baltimore into a 2-1 advantage.
The lead, however, proved short-lived. Seth Lugo on the mound for Kansas City could not deliver a shutdown inning as his offense briefly put them back on top, and Baz’s night stalled in the third after a productive single left men on first and third with one out. Baz managed to quell the danger again, bending without breaking and preventing a meltdown that could have altered the game’s course.
From there, the game’s momentum shifted decisively in the Orioles’ favor. The score remained tied at 2-2 until the sixth inning, when Baltimore finally broke through and put distance between the teams. Both starters were removed early, with Lugo pitching just four innings on 89 pitches and Baz departing after 4.2 frames on 104 pitches. The fifth inning’s double, allowed with two outs, closed Baz’s night, and Anthony Nunez came in to finish the frame.
After that rocky start, the Orioles’ offense exploded, and the bullpen held the fort with discipline and precision. Baltimore proceeded to tack on runs in the late innings, padding the lead and sealing the 8-2 victory. The win not only completed the series sweep but also provided a much-needed confidence boost as the All-Star break approached.
In all, the night showcased the Orioles’ ability to persevere through missteps and still walk away with a dominant victory. Baz’s line—4.2 innings, nine strikeouts, no walks, seven hits—was a reminder that even when a starter doesn’t reach five frames, a team can still win with timely hits, productive at-bats, and a bullpen that locks things down. As the Orioles head into the All-Star break on a high note, they can take solace in breaking through on their eighth try and finally string together a multi-game burst that had eluded them for the better part of the season.