Baltimore’s struggles against left-handed pitching continued Tuesday night as the Orioles fell 5-2 to the Chicago Cubs at Camden Yards, dropping their second consecutive game. The loss underscored persistent issues for Baltimore’s offense, which has consistently found it difficult to capitalize against southpaw starters.

Orioles starter Shane Baz delivered an uneven performance, pitching six innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three. Baz carried a no-hitter into the third inning, but trouble emerged quickly thereafter. When Baz maintained command and limited baserunners, such as during a clean fourth inning that included two strikeouts, he appeared effective. However, innings three and five highlighted his vulnerability when he fell behind in the count or lost the strike zone, allowing the Cubs to build their lead.

On the mound for Chicago, Matthew Boyd held Baltimore scoreless over six innings, striking out seven while issuing two walks. Boyd threw 63 strikes out of 93 pitches and demonstrated steady control throughout the night. The Orioles were able to reach base multiple times but failed to convert scoring opportunities against Boyd.

The game further exposed Baltimore’s ongoing offense inconsistencies against left-handed pitching. Heading into Tuesday’s contest, the Orioles held a .227 batting average and a .360 slugging percentage against left-handed starters, noticeably lower than their .242 average and .409 slugging mark against right-handers. Their record in games started by left-handed pitchers now stands at 10-17.

The loss leaves Baltimore continuing to search for solutions to improve their offensive output and capitalize on scoring chances, especially in front of a home crowd at Camden Yards.