Rogers Rolls As Orioles Beat Nationals, 3-1

Trevor Rogers appeared to be pitching scared for much of this season, nibbling, seemingly lacking confidence in his approach and execution.

The Orioles opening day starter presented a much different side of himself Friday to kickoff of a huge homestand, stringing together a third-straight quality outing and leading Baltimore to a 3-1 victory over Washington at Camden Yards. Rogers pitched into the seventh and nearly eliminated any hard contact, allowing one earned run and setting a season-high with seven strikeouts.

Rogers has altered his profile dramatically as he’s turned his season around, largely shelving his outpitch his entire career – the change-up – and instead ramping up his four-seam fastball. His velocity ticked up again Friday, he came out amped up against an aggressive and powerful lineup and took a decidedly old-school approach the first time through the order.

“He had his fastball going, had great life to it,” rookie skipper Craig Albernaz said. “It was like 94, 95 (mph) the whole time he was out there … He leaned heavily on his heater.”

Rogers said: "The fastball has been playing really well right now, and I'm just going to use that to my advantage."

Rogers threw his fastball 70 percent of the time through four scoreless innings; he leaned on it 26 times and picked up a swing and miss or called strike on 14 of them, an outstanding ratio. He registered all three strikeouts in that span with it, and he was not afraid to challenge up in the zone with it. He got a little jam in the fourth after two bloop hits, but Blaze Alexander, playing third gunned down James Wood at home with two on and no outs and no one else reached.

The Orioles (39-44) bats remained sluggish coming into this game and, in Nats starter Andrew Alvarez, they faced the kind of crafty lefty who tends to give them fits. Baltimore did elevate his pitch count (he was gone after 4 1/3), but, as has been so often the case, could not produce with men on base and a chance to stake an early lead. That dynamic has been fundamental to any limited success they’ve had., and Albernaz got a little defensive after another night that featured not much production in key spots.

“Three runs was enough to win the game,” Albernaz snapped. Hmm. We'll be keeping a close eye on this, because he knows his roster's alleged super power ain't special.

They finally got going in the bottom of the fourth, right after the Nats came up short, with Coby Mayo continuing to mash lefties for a leadoff double (his first opposite field extra-base hit of the season). The bases were loaded with two outs when Blaze Alexander, continuing to produce at an absolutely insane rate since April 28, drove in two with a single.

However, true to form as a fundamentally lost and low-IQ team (the only kind of rosters Mike Elias constructs) Alexander promptly cost them a run. He was thrown out at third on Taylor Ward’s base hit before Jackson Holliday had touched home plate with the third run. It’s the second time that’s happened with Alexander alone this season, and sums up everything about this organization since June 21, 2024.

Albernaz said Alexander has to realize the only play in that sequence is at third base and be aware of that, and Holliday slid rather than run through base because of a miss-communication with Gunnar Henderson who was instructed him from the on deck circle.

"There was a lot to unpack there," Albernaz said. "Luckily it didn't come back to bite us in the ass."

Rogers could not provide a shutdown response, however, with Keibert Ruiz, who owned the Orioles in the previous series, took advantage of a 3-0 count with two outs to drive in a run, but Rogers changed his approach, leaning into his breaking stuff with Wood, one of the premier hitters in the game, and then struck him out on three pitches with the change up freezing him.

It was a rare blip for him on this night. Rogers cruised through the sixth, now incorporating his entire mix and easing off the fastball, picking up strikeouts with the sweeper and cutter as well as the change. He left with a 2-1 lead and Mayo’s second double of the night tacked another run on in the seventh.

"Just seeing more pitches and staying calm in the box," Mayo told the MASN broadcast after the game of his mentality, trying not to be quick to chase pitches outside the zone.

The Orioles struggling bullpen was stout Friday, with Tyler Wells Grant Wolfram and Ryan Helsley working clean innings.

Bird Seed

The Orioles continue to ride Samuel Basallo behind the plate at a heavy rate with Adley Rutschman still on the concussion Injured List though the team says he is making progress. Rutschman entered Friday just 20th in MLB in innings caught, and now has fielded just 30 more innings than Basallo, 21, all season … Tyler O’Neill, who has been a bottom 10 hitter in all of MLB vs left-handed pitching since the Orioles signed him to a ridiculous contract in 2025, doubled and walked against Alvarez, in a shocking development. ... Henderson continues to press and struggle with men on base. Poor at bats have carried over from the road trip. He has to be superstar for this team to have a chance.

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