Orioles' season continues to fade as they lose to Guardians, 10-5

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Jul 21, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CLEVELAND — The games might just be a mere formality at this point.

A winnable contest was squandered Monday night and the Baltimore Orioles fell back to 11 games under .500 in a 10-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, trudging one step closer to a trade deadline that’s almost certain to bring a roster upheaval as the front office turns its attention to 2026.

Tomoyuki Sugano lasted just 3 2/3 frames as his season continued its unraveling. Since tossing seven innings of one-run baseball against the Seattle Mariners on June 3, Sugano has posted a 7.88 ERA in seven starts while getting through the fifth only once. His command, the hallmark of his success early, failed him once again Monday as he issued a season-high four walks.

The majority of the damage against him came in the first when, after the Orioles (44-55) jumped out to a 3-0 lead to open the game, Sugano surrendered a three-run home run to Guardians superstar José Ramírez. The blast was the 20th long ball Sugano has allowed this season, fifth most among American League starters.

It erased a productive first frame out of the Baltimore offense, which strung together three straight singles off Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee to lead off the inning. Gunnar Henderson picked up an RBI with the third of those hits and sprinted home on a two-run single by Ramón Laureano after stealing second base to get into scoring position.

Laureano put the Orioles back in front with a two-run homer, his 12th of the season, off Bibee in the third. The veteran outfielder smoked a 109.4 mph line drive into the left-field seats, traveling a Statcast-projected 425 feet to get Sugano off the hook for the loss.

But the lead didn’t last. A fielding error by first baseman Ryan O’Hearn on a sharp ground-ball by Ramírez gave the Guardians enough life with two outs in the fourth to scratch across an unearned run. Corbin Martin came in for Sugano and managed to escape a two-on, two-out jam, but he came back out for the fifth and surrendered a solo home run to catcher and No. 9 hitter Bo Naylor.

The following frame, Colin Selby allowed a go-ahead blast to designated hitter Kyle Manzardo for the Guardians’ third home run of the game. Cleveland then loaded the bases in the seventh and Grant Wolfram walked two runs home before shortstop Brayan Rocchio hit a two-run single to put the game out of reach.

Yet it still could’ve been a lot worse. The Guardians went 3 for 20 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 base runners, including three in the second when Sugano wriggled out of bases loaded with no outs. Baltimore, meanwhile, had just one hit after the third inning — a single by Jackson Holliday in the fifth — and it was erased by a Jordan Westburg double play ground-ball.

Instant analysis

Ten games remain until the trade deadline and any remaining hope of a miraculous turnaround has been almost completely squashed by the Orioles’ current 1-5 stretch. The margin for error was already razor thin and Baltimore still hasn’t gained any ground toward a wild-card spot since firing former manager Brandon Hyde in mid-May.

It’s a certainty that has been evident to anyone watching the games for weeks now, but the math still said the Orioles had a chance — however small. But with the trade market ready to pop at any moment, the front office doesn’t have the time to wait for the team to go on a run anymore.

Whatever last gasp the Orioles had, their breath has been knocked out of them.

On deck

The Orioles continue their four-game set in Cleveland on Tuesday with Brandon Young slated to take the mound in what could be his final major league start for at least a couple of weeks. Zach Eflin is expected to return from the injured list later this week and Cade Povich isn’t far behind.

Young has a 7.52 ERA over six starts this season; he’s shown flashes of potential but is coming off a seven-run outing against the Miami Marlins before the All-Star break. Cleveland will counter with left-hander Joey Cantillo, who’s made three starts since being moved out of the Guardians’ bullpen and posted a 4.97 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.

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