Baltimore Orioles Daily: Angels walk off after Brad Brach’s nightmare outing

Just when the Orioles appeared to have the upper hand, a bullpen blunder by Buck Showalter put them back in the loss column.

Baltimore Orioles fans have already experienced their share of disappointments this season, but Tuesday night’s game was downright heartbreaking.

After failing to score in the first eight innings, the Birds got hot in the top of the ninth, plating a pair of runners to tie the game. With shutdown southpaw Richard Bleier on the hill, Baltimore appeared to be headed for extra innings for the first time since April 8.

Instead, Bleier only got to face fellow lefty Kole Calhoun. Buck Showalter displayed his quick hook and called for Brad Brach, whose ERA was over 5 runs higher than Bleier’s minuscule 0.54 mark. The rest of the game was like watching a train wreck in slow motion — Brach gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases, then surrendered another hit to Justin Upton for a Halos walk-off. He failed to record a single out.

Relive the heartbreak for yourself:

The devastating ending put a damper on a game that featured a lot of positives for the Orioles. Alex Cobb delivered his first quality start of the year, and while it was a bad offensive night on the whole, the clutch bats of Manny Machado and Adam Jones kept the Birds in the game until the bitter end.

Now with seven straight road losses, the only thing the team can do is hope that Wednesday’s game goes better. Until then, here’s what you may have missed yesterday.

Best of Birds Watcher from 5/1/18

Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Angels: 5 players to watch: No matter the outcome of this week’s series, there will be intriguing players on the field. Can Chris Tillman maintain the momentum from his last start? And is Mike Trout actually getting better? It’s all here in our Players to Watch feature.

Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Angels: Preview and TV schedule: Not sure where to watch the action this week? Curious about the weather forecast for Anaheim? We’ve got you covered with our series preview.

Best of Orioles news and analysis across the web from 5/1/18

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Orioles not yet willing to consider trading Machado; shortstop says he’d like to stay all year: Is a Machado trade inevitable? To hear Dan Duquette tell it, the Orioles aren’t even sure if they’re going to be deadline sellers. Machado says he wants to stay, but is he just toeing the party line? The Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina has the story.

Adam Jones is Mr. Baltimore, but will he be an Oriole for life?: Jones is in the final year of his contract, but time and advanced analytics have not been kind to the Baltimore icon. This profile from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick is a fitting celebration of the five-time All-Star’s career as he plays out his last days in an orange uniform.

Orioles C Chance Sisco leaves game after scary collision: Sisco had to be pulled from the game after taking an elbow to the face from Pedro Alvarez, who was chasing a pop up. The catcher is considered day-to-day.

Finding reasons to watch the 2018 Orioles: In the wake of Tuesday’s depressing loss, Alex Church of Camden Chat wracked his brain to think of reasons to tune into the Birds this season. Even bad baseball provides compelling storylines, and the 2018 O’s are no exception.

Next: Orioles vs Angels: 5 players to watch

What do you think: will the Birds bounce back from their heartbreaking loss? Let us know on social media, and keep it here at Birds Watcher for more updates on the Baltimore Orioles.