This nine-game Orioles losing streak, extended by an noncompetitive 8-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park, began with some games that got out of control late.
More often lately it’s been losses like Friday’s, where starter Spenser Watkins put them in a big hole early and they never recovered. This one left them with the club’s second-longest losing streak of the season, behind a 14-game losing streak to end May.
Watkins, who allowed one earned run in each of his first three starts, allowed four earned runs in each of the next three and was charged with six in four innings Friday.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and scored once on a single by Jarren Duran, twice on a double by Bobby Dalbec and again on a sacrifice fly by Kiké Hernández. Duran doubled in a run in the third inning, then Xander Bogaerts hit a home run in the fourth.
Watkins, the 28-year-old rookie right-hander, has a 5.25 ERA. Dusten Knight and César Valdez each allowed solo home runs in relief for the Orioles (38-76), who have allowed 82 runs (74 runs in first eight) over their nine-game losing streak.
Richie Martin’s first home run of the season, a 320-foot drive around Pesky’s Pole, provided the Orioles’ only run as they managed just six hits. Catcher Pedro Severino had two of them. The offense has gone quiet over the losing streak, scoring 30 runs in that span.
Mullins extends hitting streaks
Orioles star center fielder Cedric Mullins singled to begin the game and extend his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest since the team’s last star center fielder — Adam Jones — hit in 20 straight games in May 2012.
Mullins is batting .358 over the course of the hitting streak, raising his season average to .322.
Martin homers
Martin missed all of 2020 with a wrist injury and only just returned to the majors this summer, so it’s been a while since his last home run. That one was also a Fenway Park signature, going over the Green Monster in left field on Sept. 29, 2018.
His was the Orioles’ only extra-base hit of the game until a two-out double by his new infield mate, Jorge Mateo, in the ninth inning.
