The Philadelphia Phillies shut out the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 Sunday in a game that was called after 5 1/2 innings because of weather.
The Orioles were blanked for the second game in a row, as Zach Wheeler threw two scoreless and the Phillies bullpen took care of the rest. Philadelphia led 2-0 when the game was delayed for rain and thunderstorms for 1 hour, 49 minutes, ending the day for Wheeler and Orioles starter Kyle Bradish.
Bradish (7-10) took the loss, allowing two earned runs over three innings with three strikeouts. The Orioles were held to four hits on the afternoon, with Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser all failing to reach base.
Philadelphia built its lead methodically after the first delay, with two runs in the fourth, one run in the fifth, and three more in the sixth, after which there was another rain delay and the game was called. Baltimore's pitching staff allowed eight runs across four arms, with Albert Suárez and Anthony Nunez combining to give up five runs in two innings of relief work.
“Extremely frustrating, on a lot of different levels.” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.
Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer against Bradish and drove in three runs to lead a balanced Philadelphia attack.
"It's difficult pitching in that kind of weather," Bradish said. "Unfortunately, curveball slipped out of [my] hand, left it up in the zone and he hit it for a homer. It was the only pitch I thought really got away from me."
Justin Crawford added two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Bryce Harper also went deep, finishing 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
It was the last game for both teams before Monday's 6 p.m. trade deadline. The Orioles (54-58) dropped to two-and-a-half games out of the final American League wild-card spot with the loss. Orioles GM Mike Elias has said the team could be buyers and sellers at the deadline, and reports have talks around Adley Rutschman heating up.
"I trust Mike," Albernaz said. "It's kind of a weird deadline already, with everyone in it right now. Whatever happens, happens. You can't really control everything in this game, and that's one of the things where us - the players, the coaching staff - trust Mike and the front office."
Follow our Orioles Trade Deadline Tracker for the latest news, and our analysis on who could go, who the O's might target, and what the front office must balance.