To the credit of the Washington Nationals, José Tena and Nasim Nuñez never stopped running.

That was the ultimate difference in the Nationals’ 4-3 victory against the Orioles on Friday night at Camden Yards — what looked to be an inning-ending grounder from Nuñez turned into an infield single when he beat right-hander Félix Bautista to first base. And Tena, who began on second, scored the go-ahead run in what may go down as the most demoralizing loss in a season full of incomprehensible blunders.

“I’m kind of in disbelief, honestly,” manager Brandon Hyde said shortly after the game.

The running was the ultimate difference. But the season-high 15 stranded baserunners are what really sting the Orioles. There can be no swallowing this as anything other than an abject disaster against a team that is supposed to be the little brother in the relationship.

Instead, Washington came away with a series-opening win, and Baltimore looks as deflated as ever, frozen in the spotlights that illuminate bad baseball.

It took longer than usual for the clubhouse door to open to media after the game. Inside, there were few players at their lockers. The ones who met with the press expressed their continued belief in the 15-28 Orioles.

“I think we’ve got a great group in this locker room,” catcher Adley Rutschman said. “A lot of leaders, a lot of guys with amazing character. Just got to show up tomorrow ready to go and just continue to take it day by day and try and learn from days like today and just do what we can. I’ve got a lot of faith in the guys in this locker room. We’ve got a lot of talent here, a lot of great leadership.”

Added infielder Jorge Mateo: “Things just aren’t going our way, but we’re confident that things are going to turn around.”

The Orioles should have blown the Nationals out. They had the hits for it. They finally conquered a left-handed starting pitcher by chasing MacKenzie Gore in 3 2/3 innings. They tagged him for a career-high 10 hits.

And yet, and yet …

Baltimore scored two runs against Gore. The Orioles had him on the ropes and struck out more often than not. They added a run off Washington’s middling bullpen but still missed out on the sort of inning that would’ve turned Friday’s game into a cathartic experience.

This, instead, is nothing but mouth-gapingly poor.

Before the game, Hyde chose sarcasm, because with the way the Orioles have played lately, a little humor was perhaps necessary.

“We haven’t exactly lit up lefties,” Baltimore’s manager said. “I don’t know if you‘ve noticed.”

We’ve noticed. Rest assured.

The issues against left-handed pitching have been well documented. The Orioles entered the matchup with the Nationals and Gore with a .179 average and a .511 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. The marks were the worst in baseball.

There was much to like about the Orioles’ at-bats against Gore. And yet there were still inexplicable issues that marred what might’ve been a profoundly promising performance for an offense that has struggled against most pitchers, regardless of handedness.

The shortcomings in run production reduced those baserunners to the equivalent of empty calories.

“I think we need to figure it out individually,” outfielder Ramón Laureano said, “and we need to look ourselves in the mirror individually and we need to come back stronger and actually perform.”

James Wood’s solo home run off left-hander Keegan Akin in the eighth inning tied the game, and the ninth-inning run against Bautista broke the deadlock.

The formulaic way Baltimore squandered opportunities couples with an overarching theme this year: too many strikeouts.

In the first inning, Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Urías struck out to strand three. In the second, a leadoff Jackson Holliday double turned into nothing when Cedric Mullins, Mateo and Gunnar Henderson struck out.

In the third, doubles from Rutschman and Laureano scored a run, and Holliday’s infield single brought home another. But then Mullins and Mateo struck out again. And then in the fourth, with bases loaded, Urías struck out on a ball just off the outer edge — but it counts as a punchout all the same — leaving runners stranded.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was Orioles baseball in 2025.

“The season’s so far been tough, but we’re going to continue fighting,” said left-hander Cade Povich, who stood out before the game fell the wrong way. “You haven’t lost until you‘re laying on the ground, not getting up. We’re going to keep getting up. We’re going to keep fighting until this thing is turned around.”

The two runs Baltimore managed through five innings despite all those baserunners meant Povich, who produced one of the best outings of his career, departed in the sixth inning with a no-decision. He struck out a season-high nine batters. He allowed only three hits — a solo home run from Nathaniel Lowe and a two-out RBI single from Wood that ended his outing — during 5 2/3 innings.

“I thought Povich threw the ball well,” Hyde said. “Did a great job getting into the sixth. Almost got out of it.”

The Orioles reestablished their lead in the bottom of the sixth but again there was a missed opportunity to break the game open. Urías came through with a sacrifice fly for the third run of the game, but Holliday’s sharp line drive that sent Dylan Crews twisting and turning in right field to get the right read on it found his glove, even after an adventurous route to the ball.

Barring the stranded runners, the performances from Laureano and Rutschman are good signs. Laureano was signed, in part, to fix Baltimore’s issues against left-handed pitching. He hasn’t always lived up to that, but Laureano has proven himself as a fiery player who can come through in big moments. He finished with four hits.

Two of them were singles the opposite way. Laureano said that approach might help turn around Baltimore’s offensive fortunes.

“That’s where all the RBIs, all the scoring is, 80% of the time,” Laureano said of an opposite-field approach. “You see great hitters, they always go up and they get RBIs and I think we need to do that way more.”

And, after Hyde reiterated his belief that he will get “hot here soon,” Rutschman notched three hits of his own. Hyde told Rutschman recently to focus on doubles in the gaps, using a line-drive swing. Rutschman answered with a double into the gap as one of his knocks.

Still, the one-run lead wasn’t a safe one. And a throwing error in the seventh inning elevated the threat that a strong offensive performance (sans runs) would unravel with the bullpen. Left-hander Gregory Soto fielded what should’ve been the start of an inning-ending double play. Instead, he threw the ball into center field.

With runners on second and third, right-hander Bryan Baker entered. He exited with a scream, having stranded the pair of runners with strikeouts — something he has done all year. Baker has allowed only one of 12 inherited runners to score.

That emotion left the yard when Akin gave up the tying run an inning later, and then another scored against Bautista, who has been used sparingly this month because of the few save opportunities.

He should’ve been pitching with a lead. But the Orioles will instead attempt to stomach an even lower low.

“This was such a winnable game, and we just did a few things differently,” Hyde said. “That’s why it’s disappointing.”

This article has been updated.