From bad to worse for the Orioles (with quotes)

The Orioles allowed five runs tonight on only two pitches, which is extremely difficult to do and impossible to top.

What else can go wrong?

Clay Buchholz was the latest starter to tie them in knots, and they came unraveled in the top of the sixth inning in a 5-1 loss to the Red Sox before 20,865 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles can't win or split the four-game series. They need a victory on Thursday to avoid the sweep, and the Red Sox are starting left-hander David Price.

The Blue Jays also lost today, but they stay ahead of the Orioles (82-70) for the top wild card spot. The Orioles are a season-high six games out of first place in the American League East.

Can a cart gain ground without its wheels?

The Red Sox were down 1-0 in the sixth when the loaded the bases with one out. David Ortiz walked and Mookie Betts singled off Ubaldo Jimenez. Travis Shaw struck out looking and Brad Brach entered the game.

Aaron Hill bunted in front of the mound, and confusion between Brach and catcher Matt Wieters allowed him to beat the throw. Wieters took the ball, but no one took charge.

Jackie Bradley Jr. got ahead 3-0 in the count before Brach battled back for the strikeout. Sandy Leon followed with a grounder to the right side, Chris Davis cut in front of Jonathan Schoop and fired the ball past Brach covering the bag.

The ball was wide and low, and Brach actually reached for it with his bare hand out of desperation while two runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi homered on the next pitch, a three-run shot to right field, and the Orioles were down 5-1.

Hill should have been out except for the confusion. Leon should have been out except for Davis ranging far to his right and making a bad throw.

What else can go wrong?

Jimenez left to a standing ovation, but he was tagged with two unearned runs to go with four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out eight, and he came out of the game after 105 pitches.

Buchholz held the Orioles to one run and three hits in seven innings. Everyone is getting into the act.

Jimenez threw 28 pitches in the first inning but left the bases loaded. Wieters committed two errors in the fourth, but a 3-6-1 double play ended the inning. Jimenez retired the side in order in the fifth.

He could have used a torrential downpour in the sixth.

The only run for the Orioles scored in the third inning on Adam Jones' sacrifice fly to shallow left field after Schoop led off with a walk, Wieters reached on a fielder's choice/sacrifice - only his second career sac bunt - and J.J. Hardy walked.

Wieters flied out to stand two runners in the fourth. Jones singled with one out in the fifth and didn't budge, as Buchholz retired the last eight batters he faced.

Twelve straight Orioles were retired before Mark Trumbo reached on an infield hit with one out in the ninth.

The Orioles have scored two runs or fewer in five straight games and seven of 10. Who's going to step up and reattach the wheels?

Better be more than one Oriole. It's going to be a big job.

Here's Showalter:

On Jimenez: "He pitched well, he pitched well. He was solid. Brad gets a swinging bunt and a ball that we couldn't defend. Brad, obviously the home run after that, but pitched well tonight. We just haven't swung the bats the first three games here."

On Davis error and whether an easier play for Schoop: "Your first thought there, much like the ball that he turned the big double play on for us. I know that he's played a Gold Glove first base all year and your first thought there is don't let the ball through the infield. We usually execute the back end of that.

"We feel confident in him making that play, or Jonathan making it. We didn't execute the very end of that, but as far as who shoulda, woulda coulda, I'm real proud of the double play he turned and him having the guts to go get it because he doesn't want that ball to go through."

On whether Davis rushed throw: "I don't know. There's a lot more to that game. This is about not scoring some runs. There are a lot of other things. We pitched well and things like that get really magnified, and rightfully so because you don't score runs. But their guy pitched well again tonight. He's been pitching well."

On bats being cold: "Our guys are really pushing. They're pushing. Sometimes you can really want something too much and you can't take that away from them. The want-to is always there for our guys and it can be a deterrent. You get into a situation like this where they know what's going on with the math of the season. So it's tough to say they don't care, OK?"

On if there's any way to break out: "We talk about it every day. When there's more season left you know someone's going to pay down the line. We've seen that. But when you're in a situation like this, no one feels sorry for you. They want to step on your neck while you're down. We did it to them. Now they're trying to do it to us. It doesn't get any easier.

"They've got two or three guys who have over 200 innings pitched. That's why they're competing like they have. There's no sympathy and our guys aren't looking for it. They'll figure it out."

On whether this is a test of their resiliency: "We've already had that test. What they've done doesn't get wiped out, but we know what it means. We lost X-number of games in April. Nobody's bringing that up. I know since the finality plays into it, it doesn't help anybody to be reminded of it.

"We talked some today and they talk among themselves all the time. It's a very look-in-the-mirror team."

On whether it's important to note everything is still ahead of them: "Are you assuming that hasn't been said today? It's been said many times. I'm very proud of these guys. I've got a long memory. They'll get it going here. If we can get in, I feel real good about this group. And that's what we're trying to do."