Jorge López clearly wasn’t right Thursday afternoon. The Orioles right-hander’s velocity was well below his season averages, prompting a first-inning visit from manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel. López argued to stay in, an effort exemplifying that the Orioles, as Hyde said the day before, are trying to win.
But trying isn’t enough, and the Orioles haven’t won in 15 games. The Tampa Bay Rays completed a four-game sweep of Baltimore with a 7-2 victory as the Orioles’ losing streak marched on. This streak stands alone as the second-longest in franchise history, with only the 1988 club’s going longer without a victory when it lost its first 21 games, and has carried them from 38-67 to 38-82, ensuring their fifth straight losing campaign.