The sequence was a near-perfect encapsulation of the 2025 Orioles. A scoring opportunity with a runner on third with less than two outs. And, even though much went right, it still went wrong in what became a 3-2, series-ending loss.

The Orioles had scored one run in the fifth inning thanks to Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI double against left-hander Garrett Crochet. Now, with Jackson Holliday on third, Ryan Mountcastle sliced a line drive to the left of Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. In that bang-bang instant, with Holliday running on contact rather than freezing for the liner, Story dove and made the catch. From the ground, he flipped to third, doubling off Holliday.

Another heads-up play from Story in the ninth caught Dylan Carlson out at third, trying to advance from second on a ground ball.

“You tip your cap to Trevor Story,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Made two game-saving plays for them today.”

Great plays or not, this has been the frustrating reality this summer and, as fall approaches, the Orioles won’t be playing much longer because of these issues.

The fault on the double-play lineout in the fifth inning falls on the side of bad luck more than anything else. There were other moments, however, when the Orioles couldn’t put the ball in play at a critical time. They finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the loss, which clinched Boston’s four-game sweep at Camden Yards. Baltimore has lost seven of its last eight games.

“I mean, obviously our No. 1 goal is to win games, and we didn’t do that,” said Gunnar Henderson, who finished 0-for-3 and struck out with runners on second and third in the fifth. “So, yes, not great.”

On Thursday, it was hard to blame the pitching. Left-hander Cade Povich allowed two runs in five innings, then right-hander Kade Strowd continued a strong rookie season by pitching two scoreless frames.

In 15 1/3 innings, Strowd holds a 1.76 ERA. Considering that every game feels like a tryout for 2026, Strowd is showcasing himself well.

“It’s good stuff,” Mansolino said. “I liked that he threw his fastball. We’ve seen him be very cutter heavy, be very spin heavy, and it’s 96-97 with some sink to it. So the fact that he used his fastball today kind of set him up for success in the two innings.”

Even though the Red Sox plated one run against right-hander Rico Garcia in the eighth, there had been plenty of chances for the Orioles to add runs of their own.

The Orioles scored twice on Crochet, which elevated his ERA to 2.40. Alex Jackson lifted a solo homer and Jeremiah Jackson, who has an eight-game hitting streak, pulled the RBI double in the fifth that seemed poised to be part of a larger inning.

Once Crochet departed, the Orioles didn’t capitalize. Holliday was stranded on second after his two-out double in the seventh. Then, in the eighth, Dylan Beavers came on as a pinch-hitter with a runner on second and had an extended at-bat against right-hander Garrett Whitlock, but he struck out.

That appearance from Beavers displayed his unflappability. Beavers is 11 games into his major league career. He fouled off five two-strike pitches. But he swung through the ninth pitch of the at-bat, a sinker.

“I feel like we’ve played some good baseball. It’s just, haven’t come through in the end,” Henderson said. “Being able to come through in those spots is going to be big.”

In the ninth, against left-hander Steven Matz, Baltimore ran into an out on the bases. Carlson led off with a double, but on Alex Jackson’s grounder to shortstop, he tested Story by taking off to third. Story’s throw beat Carlson easily for the first out of the inning.

From there, two flyouts to center sealed Boston’s sweep. There were opportunities for this to transpire differently. For the most part, they weren’t taken — a season-long issue playing out in real time.

“We created a lot of traffic; we had runners in scoring position,” Mansolino said. “Just weren’t able to execute at the right times.”

News and notes

• After he pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday, the Orioles designated right-hander Roansy Contreras for assignment. The 25-year-old, who used to be a top-100 prospect, fell victim to the numbers game as the Orioles activated right-hander Shawn Dubin.
• A mystery solved: Trevor Rogers’ middle name, J’Daniel, often drew questions from readers. The answer makes sense, kind of. Rogers said his middle name is J-Daniel, with a hyphen, but it was entered incorrectly by MLB and he hasn’t felt the need to fix it. His paternal grandpa is named JD. His maternal grandpa is named Daniel. So they combined the two, and J-Daniel was born.