An error and a no-call spell disaster for Orioles in 6-4 loss to Blue Jays
TORONTO - One inning was all it took for everything to fall apart for the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Baltimore entered the bottom of the sixth leading the Toronto Blue Jays by four with starter Shane Baz flirting with a potential shutout. Even after Baz allowed a leadoff home run and one-out double, he twice made the pitches he needed to get out of the inning. But a fielding error by Gunnar Henderson and a no-call on Ernie Clement leaving the base path to avoid a tag paved the way for a five-run inning the Toronto Blue Jays rode to a 6-4 victory.
With the loss, the Orioles (31-35) dropped their first series since May 18-20 against the Tampa Bay Rays and fell back behind Toronto for fourth place in the American League East.
Baz was locked in a pitching duel with Kevin Gausman for the first four innings, working efficiently enough to enter the fifth with only 39 pitches. That's when the Orioles' offense broke through, plating four runs off the former Baltimore starter Gausman behind home runs by Colton Cowser and Taylor Ward as well as a Blaze Alexander RBI double.
An inning later, the Blue Jays stormed back. Right fielder Yohendrick Piñango opened the frame with a solo shot, and left fielder Jesús Sánchez followed with a double two batters after that. Baz then induced a ground ball by the second baseman Clement that would've been the second out of the inning had Henderson fielded the low chopper cleanly.
The error still wouldn't have mattered had second base umpire Nic Lentz called Clement out on the base paths the next play. Catcher Brandon Valenzuela hit a bouncer up the middle that Henderson fielded between first and second base. He took three steps toward Clement and reached for the tag, but he ran around Henderson, and the shortstop threw to first expecting Clement to be called out for an inning-ending double play.
Lentz instead ruled that Clement had stayed in the base line, keeping the inning alive and allowing Sánchez to score. Henderson was incredulous, throwing his arms in the air and arguing his case to the umpire. Manager Craig Albernaz ran out of the dugout for a lengthy discussion as well, but the call stood. It wasn't eligible for a replay review.
Baz then unraveled, allowing an RBI single to third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and a run-scoring double by shortstop Andrés Giménez that prompted Albernaz to go to his bullpen. The right-hander had some words for Lentz as he walked off the mound, pointing toward the umpire and appearing to yell, "You f-– up."
Four of the Blue Jays' five runs in the inning were unearned.
Yennier Cano took over, and the Blue Jays pushed another across on an infield single. A ground ball by pinch hitter Nathan Lukes deflected off the mound, and Jackson Holliday had to run across the infield to get it. Giménez made a heads-up play taking home when Pete Alonso fell to the dirt catching the glove flip from Holliday. He slid home safely and ran into Samuel Basallo, whose left arm appeared to be in pain after the play.
Basallo, who left Friday's game and didn't start Saturday because of abdominal discomfort, remained on the ground and chatted with a trainer for several minutes. He initially remained in the game before Leody Taveras pinch-hit for him in the eighth; the Blue Jays still had a right-hander on the mound at the time, and Basallo was in the on-deck circle the previous at-bat.
Valenzuela then homered off Orioles reliever Rico Garcia in the eighth to account for the game's final run. Garcia had allowed just two earned runs all season entering the outing.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 4:18 PM.