WASHINGTON -- Of all the issues plaguing the Orioles during their 20-26 start -- their record following Saturday’s 13-3 loss at Nationals Park that matches their low-water mark -- the lack of consistent offense may be the most puzzling.
Baltimore’s 2026 lineup was constructed to be one of the expected strengths of the club, with sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward joining a solid core led by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, among others.
“This is a team that was built on its offense,” president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday afternoon. “I think getting the offense clicking up and down the lineup is really going to be a priority for us to improve that record.”
But the O’s have now scored three or fewer runs in eight of their past nine games (a 3-6 stretch). They scored only two in Friday’s series-opening loss in Washington (both in the ninth inning), and all three of their runs Saturday came in the seventh, which began with back-to-back homers from Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neill and also featured a two-out RBI single by Ward.
Here are three things that have to happen for the Orioles’ offense to reach its potential:
1. All of the hard contact needs to translate to more scoring (and it could)
Although Baltimore has plated only five runs in 18 innings vs. Washington, the balls leaving the bats have been quite loud each of the past two days.
On Friday, the O’s put 16 hard-hit balls (an exit velocity of 95-plus mph, per Statcast) in play. Their average exit velo of 98 mph was their highest since Statcast tracking began in 2015.
The Orioles put 14 more hard-hit balls in play on Saturday, including four during their lone rally in the seventh. The inning also featured a 111 mph, 406-foot foul ball hit by Coby Mayo that could have tied the game at 4, but instead tucked just inside the left-field foul pole.
“A lot of hard contact. Hitting into a lot of gloves lately, though, unfortunately,” O’Neill said. “Working, grinding and doing what we can to get back on track. I think it’s really only a matter of time. We all believe in ourselves, and a lot of skill in this locker room.”
“I think we all know in this game, especially at this level, when you hit the ball soft, it’s probably not going to be a hit, just how elite these athletes are in the field,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “I love our guys’ approach and at-bats.”
2. Henderson, who has a history of slow starts, must get going
Here’s a look at Henderson’s monthly slash lines during his five-year, 142-game MLB career:
March/April: .234/.313/.476
May: .229/.321/.420
June: .331/.408/.592
July: .276/.345/.472
August: .261/.319/.459
September/October: .269/.343/.456
So, Henderson’s slow start to the 2026 season isn’t unprecedented. The 24-year-old shortstop’s track record suggests he’ll heat up soon -- even though he’s hitting .199 with a .649 OPS through his first 45 games of the season -- and the O’s could really use it.
“You can't really control what the outcome is,” Henderson said. “All you can do is put a good swing on the ball, and that's why baseball is the hardest game. You can do every single thing right to get the ball at a good launch [angle], hard exit velo, and it could be right to somebody. It's just the name of the game.”
3. More offense has to come early, plain and simple
A similar pattern is happening much too frequently -- Baltimore’s offense is sluggish early, its opponent builds a lead during that time and the Orioles are playing from behind. It has happened in both games so far against the Nationals, as the O’s trailed 3-0 entering the ninth on Friday and 4-0 entering the seventh on Saturday.
The Orioles’ worst three offensive innings -- not including the ninth, when they don’t always bat -- have been the first (17 runs scored), second (12) and third (16). Their slash line over the first three innings of games is .199/.298/.327.
Why can’t Baltimore get its bats going earlier in games this season -- and how can it be fixed?
“It’s tough to say,” O’Neill said. “It just comes down to one at-bat at a time. Obviously, we believe in ourselves in this room. So, it just didn’t go our way this time.”