Rough stretch: O's losing streak reaches four games

The good start for the Orioles - one that saw them playing .600 ball 20 games into this shortened season - has now hit the skids. The Orioles lost 5-2 to Toronto this afternoon as the Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep.

The Orioles have lost four games in a row. They fall to 12-12 and are 1-5 over the last six games. They are 4-11 at home.

It feels like an early season crisis for this team, but maybe if they hadn't played so well for 20 games, it would not feel this way.

Toronto came to town at 7-11 and had lost four of six and six of nine. But they sweep this series and leave town at 10-11 and 6-6 versus the division.

There was plenty of frustration in today's game.

In the last of the first against right-hander Tanner Roark and his 6.00 ERA, Chance Sisco drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on Anthony Santander's 10th double of the year. But Renato Núñez grounded to third and Sisco broke home. He was thrown out at the plate and the Orioles got nothing from that rally.

They started the second with back-to-back singles, but got nothing from that. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in the first two innings, a theme that would play out at other times in this game. Through the first four innings, they were 2-for-9 with RISP and had left seven men on base. For the game, they went 2-for-11 and left 10 on base.

There was more frustration watching Toronto outfielder Randal Grichuk hit two more home runs. He hit No. 5, a solo shot in the second, and No. 6, a two-run shot to left-center in the sixth to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. They just had no answer for him in this series. Grichuk began this series batting .320 with two homers and four RBIs in 14 games. In this series, he went 6-for-12 with a double, four homers and 11 RBIs.

Grichuk beat him twice, but Baltimore lefty Tommy Milone did give the Orioles their second quality start of the year. Over six innings, he allowed seven hits and three runs with no walks and seven strikeouts. His changeup was a real weapon at times today, getting 12 whiffs on 28 swings. Milone's ERA is 4.13 through five starts.

The O's needed a decent outing from their starting pitcher today. In their previous seven games, the rotation ERA was 7.53; four times, their starter had gone four innings or fewer.

But the good vibes of a few days ago have been washed away. A new series begins tomorrow night after today they got swept for the third time.

The Orioles will now try to end a losing streak against the Boston Red Sox, who came into today with a 6-18 record and the worst ERA in the majors at 6.36.