Mistakes and mishaps continue to plague the Orioles

The Orioles didn't make it through last night without committing two more errors.

Their streak of miscues ended at five games Thursday night, but Manny Machado couldn't get a glove on Allen Craig's two-out bouncer in the eighth inning last night and Brock Holt followed with a three-run homer to right field.

It wasn't an easy play for Machado, but it's one that he usually makes. He whiffed on the ball for his team-leading third error of the season.

Shortstop Everth Cabrera booted Dustin Pedroia's routine grounder with one out in the ninth inning, a play that didn't directly impact a 7-5 loss, but it happened.

The Orioles rank 23rd in the majors with a .980 fielding percentage, which contradicts their reputation for defensive excellence. This team set records, for crying out loud. Of course, three-time Gold Glove shortstop J.J. Hardy and two-time Gold Glove catcher Matt Wieters remain on the disabled list.

Not picking on Machado here, but he also happened to be involved in the latest baserunning mistake last night when he tried to advance on Jimmy Paredes' fly ball down the left field line in the sixth inning with the Orioles trailing 4-3. Hanley Ramirez made the catch - a noteworthy achievement considering that he plays left field as though he's actually wearing a Gold Glove - and threw out Machado at second base.

Asked before the game about the errors and lapses in judgment on the basepaths, manager Buck Showalter said, "I understand mistakes. It's part of life. I just don't want to see them repeated.

"Some of them are errors of mistakes from aggression and want-to. A guy wants to score on a single and doesn't see a ball through. A guy jumps and catches a line drive and a guy wants to score from second. Some are self-inflicted and you don't want to see it continue. I understand how those things happen, but I just don't want to see them repeated.

"We'll get that corrected. I'm more concerned about the base on balls. We walked close to 15 people in three days (in Toronto). It just can't happen and our guys know that. We've got people with a track record of not doing that who are doing it, so they'll get it figured out."

Miguel Gonzalez walked Mookie Betts last night with two outs and nobody on base in the fifth. Pedroia singled, and David Ortiz and Ramirez followed with back-to-back home runs.

Brian Matusz walked Pablo Sandoval with two outs and nobody on base in the eighth before the Machado error and Holt home run. However, Matusz's first pitch was right down the middle and called a ball by plate umpire Dana DeMuth.

There's nothing free about these passes. They're costing the Orioles runs.

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who starts tonight, has walked eight batters in 14 2/3 innings. He's also hit three.

Chen faced the Red Sox in his last start at Fenway Park and allowed five runs, none of them earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and threw 95 pitches.

A repeat performance won't be acceptable - not from Chen or the defense behind him.

Shameless plus alert: I'm appearing on "Wall to Wall Baseball" today from noon-2 p.m. on MASN.