Pete Alonso gave the Orioles a jolt Friday night, driving a 403-foot solo homer to right-center field in the fifth inning, but the lead he built did not hold. Baltimore went on to lose 6-5 to the Blue Jays after Alonso’s blast extended the Orioles’ advantage to 4-0.
Alonso finished 1-for-4 and now has 11 home runs on the season, tying him for 14th in the American League and putting him second on the Orioles behind Gunnar Henderson, who has 13. The homer was his latest sign of life in a stretch that has turned steady rather than loud: since May 1, Alonso has hit.269/.322/.519 with one steal, seven home runs, 21 RBI and 15 runs scored in 115 plate appearances.
That is why Friday mattered beyond one swing. Alonso’s power has been a reliable part of Baltimore’s offense, and his solo shot looked like the kind of moment that should have settled the game. Instead, the Orioles let a 4-0 edge slip away, leaving the box score with a home run, a season milestone and a loss that made both look smaller than they should have.
The unanswered part is not what Alonso did. It is how Baltimore gave back four runs after that fifth-inning blast and still ended up on the wrong side of a 6-5 game. Until that is explained on the field, his homer will stand as the sharpest thing the Orioles had all night, and not enough.
