Orioles can't solve lefties on either side of ball in 6-3 loss to Guardians

Matt Weyrich, The Baltimore Sun on Jul 22, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CLEVELAND — There’s been a thorn in the Orioles’ side all season. Their left side, to be precise.

Left-handed pitching is a hurdle the Orioles haven’t been able to figure out, and Tuesday night’s game against the Guardians proved no different. Joey Cantillo, a depth starter who spent most of the season in the bullpen, didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and a Cleveland lineup stacked with nine left-handed and/or switch-hitting batters chased Brandon Young early in a 6-3 Orioles loss.

Baltimore (44-56) dropped its second straight game to open the series and suffered its sixth defeat in its past seven contests, falling to 12 games under .500 for the first time since July 2. The Orioles haven’t been 13 games below the .500 mark since June 12, and they now carry a 29-28 record under interim manager Tony Mansolino.

Ramón Laureano homered for a second consecutive game and Coby Mayo, making just his fourth start of July, drew three walks to help keep the score close, but Cantillo escaped a bases loaded jam with no outs in the fifth inning and the Guardians’ offense tacked on insurance runs against Gregory Soto and Yennier Cano that put the game away.

Young came out firing with velocity readings up across his entire repertoire. He allowed a solo home run to Guardians superstar José Ramírez — the third baseman’s second long ball in as many nights — in the first inning but was otherwise solid, getting into the fifth with only one other run allowed on a RBI single by Kyle Manzardo.

However, he put two runners in scoring position with one out to earn yet another quick hook from Mansolino. Andrew Kittredge then allowed an inherited runner to score, raising Young’s ERA through his first seven career starts to 7.34.

The right-hander, who’s likely to head back down to Triple-A Norfolk with Zach Eflin returning Wednesday, has completed five innings only once at the MLB level.

Cantillo, meanwhile, did what lefties always seem to do against the Orioles. Baltimore sports a .615 OPS against southpaws, second worst in the majors, and the Guardians leaned on them with Cantillo and reliever Erik Sabrowski allowing a combined two runs over 6 2/3 innings.

The Orioles’ best chance to put up a crooked number came with the bases loaded in the fifth, but Jacob Stallings grounded into a double play and Jackson Holliday lined out to leave the frame with only one run across.

Holliday later redeemed himself with an RBI single in the seventh off right-hander Matt Festa, but the Guardians’ late-inning duo of Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase shut the door from there. The Orioles finished with seven hits and six walks to put plenty of base runners aboard, but two double plays by Stallings and six stranded runners kept them from adding on.

Instant analysis

The Orioles need Adley Rutschman back.

It’s no surprise amid their barrage of catcher injuries that the Orioles’ backstops have struggled to produce at the plate, but entering play Tuesday, their catchers had a combined .662 OPS since Rutschman went down. The combination of Stallings and Alex Jackson has left much to be desired.

On deck

The Orioles will aim to break out of their slump Wednesday behind Eflin, who’s slated to return from the injured list and make his first start since June 28. Eflin owns a 5.95 ERA that spiked over a three-start stretch last month in which he allowed 17 runs in nine innings. The Guardians’ probable starter is Slade Cecconi, a right-hander with a 3.84 ERA in 11 starts.