Orioles rush to 16th loss in a row (updated)

Opportunities are rolled out like carpets, with the Orioles trying to keep teams from walking all over them.

Keegan Akin is in the rotation with Bruce Zimmermann perhaps done for the season and he's getting more starts beyond tonight. What he does with them could strengthen his case for the 2022 season.

The Orioles are just looking to win some games in 2021.

Akin surrendered a pair of home runs within the first three innings and worked into the sixth, allowing manager Brandon Hyde to stay away from his bullpen a little longer than usual, but still forced to make a switch in the middle of the game.

The offense couldn't offer any support or extend its appearances, with Braves left-hander Max Fried tossing a complete-game four-hit shutout in Atlanta's 3-0 interleague victory before an announced crowd of 13,583 at Camden Yards.

The losing streak has reached 16 games, five fewer than the club record set at the beginning of the 1988 season. The Orioles are 38-83 and sending veteran Matt Harvey to the mound Saturday night in their ongoing search for a stopper.

Fried made it through the fifth at only 58 pitches, tossed six in the sixth and entered the ninth at 83. He needed seven more to hand the Orioles their eighth shutout.

Until tonight, Fried hadn't gone more than seven innings in 87 games.

The Orioles have lost by two runs or more in 16 straight games, the longest streak by any team since the 1876 Cincinnati Red Stockings (18), according to STATS. They're the first American League team to lose 16 straight since the Mariners dropped 17 in a row in 2011.

The game lasted only 2 hours, 29 minutes.

Fried is the first Brave to throw a shutout since Mike Foltynewicz in June 2018 against the Nationals. The Braves hadn't shut out the Orioles since 2011.

Praise for Fried or issues with impatience at the plate?

"I think a combination of both, but I thought he was really good tonight," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Looked like a 2010-2011 Cole Hamels - 95-96 (mph), really good breaking ball, attacking our hitters. And you saw a lot of jam shots. We did hit some balls hard that didn't fall. ... We just didn't have enough offense against a good pitcher tonight."

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spoke before the game of his disappointment in the latest stretch of defeats - thrilled with the gains made in various areas that are essential in a rebuild, including the massive improvements in the farm system, but wishing the on-field product could be more competitive.

This, again, is why teams don't rush into the process and celebrate its arrival.

Elias went through the litany of reasons why the Orioles are struggling, then added, "But we also have some stuff on our side and a big part of that is our fan base and the devotion to this team. We feel it even right now when we're going through a stretch like this."

"I know that the support is there and the understanding from a baseball IQ standpoint in this fan base of what we're doing and why, and I know they're frustrated with day-to-day performances and moves and all kinds of stuff, which is healthy and great, and we see all that and we share the frustration," Elias said. "And we also share the energy that they bring, like that Cedric Mullins T-shirt Night that we had there, where there was a palpable energy that the team felt and talked about and that's here in Baltimore and not every place has that. And we're just trying to bring that back, and doing that the way that we have to do it.

"We make mistakes along the way, things aren't going to go perfectly. Guys are going to get hurt. But I cannot envision any other strategy or approach that would have been viable or realistic or possible in the realities of our circumstances but to do this drastic rebuilding of the franchise that we've been doing and is moving along very well. So, I'm really hopeful about the future but we've got a lot of work and it's a big challenge in our division to get back in the mix."

It isn't much safer outside the division or the league.

Akin left after Richie Martin's error allowed Danby Swanson to reach leading off the sixth and Travis d'Arnaud walked. Dillon Tate, inheriting a slightly smaller mess than usual, induced three soft ground balls to strand the runners.

"Definitely a little more encouraged," Akin said. "Obviously, still some room to improve there. Made a couple bad pitches and paid for those. Feel a little bit better about it but still got to keep going.

"Just some mechanical stuff. I'm feeling a little more comfortable on the mound and commanding the ball a little better. Obviously, I wish I could have figured this out in June, but here I am in August, starting to feel a little more comfortable on the mound."

Ryan Mountcastle extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single, but Trey Mancini grounded into a 3-4-1 double play. Swanson led off the top of the second with a single and d'Arnaud barreled a 92.5 mph fastball and sent it 401 feet to left field for a 2-0 lead.

Akin retired the next four batters, striking out three, but Jorge Soler homered for a 3-0 lead.

Soler saw a curveball, changeup, fastball and two more changeups. The Orioles saw their deficit grow while Fried kept disposing of them rapidly.

The Braves loaded the bases with two outs on two singles and a walk, but Adam Duvall flied to the left field fence.

Coming within a foot or so of a disastrous outing, Akin retired seven in a row and returned for the sixth inning at 89 pitches. Orioles starters had worked five innings or fewer in 10 consecutive games.

He couldn't get an out. But he's going to get more chances.

"Very, very encouraged by Keegan," Hyde said.

"Keegan Akin, even though it was a high pitch count, really battled into the sixth inning, which was huge for us on a night when we were really short in the bullpen after a two-inning start yesterday. We were pretty taxed."

Akin allowed three runs and five hits with three walks, three strikeouts and a wild pitch. His ERA as a starter dropped to 8.87.

Tate retired all five batters he faced, with Hays making a sensational diving catch to rob Soler. Paul Fry surrendered a double to Freddie Freeman and Austin Riley flied to center.

Fry turned in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. They were needed.

Jorge Mateo reached on an infield single in the fifth, diving into the bag and extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Only the third hit allowed by Fried.

Mancini led off the seventh with a single, Hays lined out and Pedro Severino grounded into a double play.

Asked what made Fried so good, Hays said, "His ability to throw strikes with every pitch that he had tonight."

Tanner Scott had a scoreless ninth, with Austin Hays racing into left-center and diving to again rob Soler.

"Disappointing, but I'm encouraged, also," Hyde said. "I feel like we played a major league game tonight."

Notes: Ryan McKenna homered twice tonight for Triple-A Norfolk. Cody Sedlock, in his first start since moving up from Double-A Bowie, tossed five scoreless innings with three hits, no walks and six strikeouts. Forty-seven of his 65 pitches were strikes.

Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, now with the Baysox, held Reading to one run in six innings. First baseman Andrew Daschbach hit his first home run. Patrick Dorrian, leading off, had three hits.

Gunnar Henderson has a double and two RBIs at Single-A Aberdeen. Brandon Young allowed one run, walked none and struck out six in four innings.

Catcher Ryne Ogren hit a three-run homer for Single-A Delmarva. Jake Lyons allowed one run and three hits with eight strikeouts in six innings.