(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Orioles 3, Nats 1

There were no bullpen woes, but the Nationals offense went surprisingly cold during the team's fourth straight loss

Photo by Serena Brown / ALL-PRO REELS

BALTIMORE — There was no bullpen implosion. No real pitching woes at all. Just a rare off-night for the Nationals lineup, which was shut down by the Orioles during a lackluster loss to open this weekend rivalry series.

Held to one run for the first time in nearly three weeks, the Nats dropped their fourth straight game for the first time since early April and dropped below the .500 mark for the first time since June 3.

“Just move past it and focus on playing good baseball the next day,” said right fielder James Wood, now 4 for his last 38 with two walks and 17 strikeouts.

On the heels of a miserable series against the Phillies in which the bullpen gave up go-ahead homers in the ninth inning three straight nights, the Nationals got the pitching they needed to beat Baltimore, from both their starter and the bullpen.

Andrew Alvarez was effective in posting three straight zeros to begin his night, but the left-hander gave up a two-out, two-run single to No. 9 hitter Blaze Alexander in the bottom of the fourth to put the Orioles on the board. And with an elevated pitch count, he was pulled one batter into the fifth.

“I wanted to get back in the win column,” Alvarez said. “But guys are grinding. We’re going to show up tomorrow, and we’re going to be competing, ready to go.”

Brad Lord was back in the spotlight for the first time since his ninth-inning implosion Tuesday night, replacing Alvarez in the fifth. The righty managed to keep Baltimore from scoring through his first two frames but succumbed in the seventh when he gave up an RBI double to Coby Mayo for a key insurance run.

“I didn’t want to put too much stock in that one bad outing,” manager Blake Butera said. “He’s been so good for us all year, and I thought he threw the ball great tonight, picked us up in a big spot and kept us in the game.”

HITTING LOWLIGHT: The majors’ most-productive lineup could not produce when it was staring at a couple of golden opportunities tonight.

When Wood led off the fourth with a double and Curtis Mead followed with a bloop single that allowed him to advance to second on the throw, the Nationals were in business: Second and third, nobody out. But Wood was thrown out trying to score on Andrés Chaparro’s chopper to third, CJ Abrams popped out and Dylan Crews saw his 103.6-mph scorched grounder to second picked by Jackson Holliday to end the potential rally.

Crews would open the seventh with his own leadoff double, but once again the Nats couldn’t get him home. Daylen Lile popped out at the end of a 10-pitch battle with Trevor Rogers. Butera then decided to try back-to-back pinch-hitters, with no luck. José Tena (batting for Jacob Young) popped out on the second pitch he saw. And Luis García Jr. (batting for Nasim Nuñez) grounded out on the fourth pitch he saw.

“I thought Rogers threw the ball really well for them, had a lot of life on his fastball, a little bit more than we expected,” Butera said. “He threw the ball very well, and he’s a tough lefty for us. I look at it as more of a blip. Uncharacteristic of the way we’ve been scoring runs. I expect these guys to be ready to go tomorrow.”

PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Butera acknowledged this afternoon he was prepared to let Alvarez start pitching deeper in games to account for the team’s bullpen woes. But the left-hander still needs to hold up his end of the bargain and prove himself both effective and efficient enough to warrant a long leash. Unfortunately, he didn’t meet the efficient requirement tonight.

Despite allowing only two runs, Alvarez needed 86 pitches to complete four innings. Butera did send him back to the mound to begin the fifth, but after retiring Gunnar Henderson and with three right-handed hitters due to bat next, he pulled his rookie starter and summoned Lord from the bullpen.

It still proved to be an effective start for Alvarez, who still owns a 3.44 ERA. But if he wants to take the next step and become a guy who can be counted on for at least five or six innings at a time, he’s going to have to avoid the long at-bats that drove up his pitch count tonight.

“That fourth (inning), just some spots where I should have been more competitive and attacked,” he said. “Defense had my back, made some great plays. … Just some miscues, and not being competitive enough in certain ABs, just getting behind and walking guys. I’ve just got to keep battling.”

NOTABLE: Trevor Williams is scheduled to make his long-awaited rehab debut Sunday for Single-A Fredericksburg. The veteran right-hander has been out nearly a calendar year following an internal brace procedure on his elbow. It’s unclear what, if any, role the Nationals would have in mind for Williams if and when he’s fully healthy.

Jake Irvin, meanwhile, threw off a bullpen mound today for the second time since going on the 15-day IL one month ago with a shoulder strain.

UP NEXT: It’ll be a rare 7:05 p.m. Saturday night game here at Camden Yards, with Foster Griffin getting the start for the Nats against Baltimore right-hander Andrew Young. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM