BALTIMORE _ In a season and homestand full of embarrassing, frustrating defeats for the Orioles, the Houston Astros surpassed perhaps all measures Saturday at Camden Yards.
The Orioles lost 23-2, surrendering a score of runs for the first time since their infamous 30-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in 2007.
Houston scored nine runs behind four home runs in the first three innings, but their biggest frame was a six-run seventh featuring a Yordan Alvarez grand slam, one of the rookie's three home runs.
Even as the Orioles (38-78) have stormed toward the major league record for home runs allowed while posting baseball's worst ERA as a staff, they had yet to have a night like Saturday. The numbers of the defeat are staggering, and not even Stevie Wilkerson's return to the mound for the final 1 1/3 innings could slow down Astros' offensive onslaught.
