The Orioles’ rotation has produced three quality starts in 11 games. Their ace is responsible for all of them.

Trevor Rogers was one of the reasons why the Orioles moved closer to a sweep of the White Sox, rallying for a 4-2 victory yesterday in 36-degree weather. He allowed two runs in six innings, just as he did in Pittsburgh following his seven scoreless on Opening Day. His ERA is 1.89.

The sample size with Rogers keep growing. He’s a legit No. 1.

Soft contact was hard on Rogers yesterday.

He retired the first eight batters and got ahead of Derek Hill 0-2 before allowing an 88.7 mph single on a changeup outside the strike zone. Hill scored all the way from first base on Chase Meidroth’s double, also with the count 0-2, on a fly ball at 83.4 mph that eluded diving left fielder Taylor Ward.

Ward became a goalie, trying to keep the ball in front of him, and it appeared to deflect off his face. And Meidroth scored on Lenyn Sosa’s fly ball at 73.2 mph that fell in front of Colton Cowser – again, with an 0-2 count.   

“It wasn’t his best, but he just keeps on competing and he was filling up the strike zone,” manager Craig Albernaz told the assembled media. “He was landing his off-speed stuff. He got a little out of whack that one inning, but he kept on going and he gave us six.”

The bullpen was money. Yennier Cano retired all three batters in the seventh on 10 pitches, eight for strikes. Left-hander Grant Wolfram struck out the first two batters in the eighth, grazed Colson Montgomery’s jersey with a sinker and was replaced by Anthony Nunez, who rebounded from his game-tying run against the Pirates by striking out Edgar Quero on a filthy full-count cutter. He yelled loud enough to be heard on the North Side.

Closer Ryan Helsley notched his fourth save and second of the series, but he issued a leadoff walk and has allowed a baserunner in all five appearances. He struck out the next two batters and fired a couple of 100 mph fastballs to Munetaka Murakami.

*Did Gunnar Henderson really dive into first base yesterday?

Yes, he did. But unlike Colton Cowser, he didn’t bust his thumb.

Henderson was the first batter to face reliever Sean Newcomb in the fourth inning and he reached on an infield single to load the bases, but only after the out call was reversed. He could have run through the bag and beaten Newcomb, but instincts take over.

Blaze Alexander rounded third and would have scored if first base umpire Willie Traynor didn’t botch the call. Alexander was sent back to third.

Pete Alonso grounded to short and the Orioles already had nine runners left on base. They finished with 14 and struck out 13 times.

Alonso is 1-for-20 on the road trip. The first 11 Orioles batters walked, struck out or were hit by a pitch until Alonso led off the third with a groundout.

Henderson homered Monday night and again yesterday, his left-on-left, two-run shot breaking a 2-2 tie. He hit three homers against southpaws last season and has two on this road trip.

Not bad for a utility guy.

*Albernaz pinch-hit early by sending Tyler O’Neill to the plate in the fifth to bat for Dylan Beavers against the left-handed Newcomb. O’Neill dumped a first-pitch changeup into center field for a single.

Ryan Mountcastle batted for Cowser and battled back from an 0-2 count to produce a 111 mph RBI groundout on the eighth pitch.

Beavers went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. He’s appeared in eight games with 28 plate appearances and hasn’t drawn a walk.

STATS posted before the game that Beavers is swinging the bat a lot more than last year – 37.2 swing percentage in 2025, 51.0 percent this season.

*Alexander singled in the sixth inning and had trouble letting go of the bat on his way to first base.

MASN showed Alexander trying to detach his hands from handle, but the pine tar really did its job. He finally freed himself as he ran up the line, having to avoid stepping on the bat.

Does pine tar actually freeze up?

Also, what is it with Alexander and comical moments?

He can play, which is most important. Alexander was batting .333 after his double in the eighth inning, and he scored the tying run on Ward’s double.

Ward has six doubles, which tied former Oriole Christian Walker for the major league lead.

*The Orioles close out their series today, which leads to another off-day before a homestand against the Giants and Diamondbacks.

The Jackson Holliday and Coconut bobblehead giveaway is Saturday, Scouts Day is Sunday, Disability Pride and Awareness Night is Monday, Lacrosse Night is Tuesday and Jackie Robinson Day is next Wednesday.

The team announced some additional special ticket packages this season, including Hello Kitty Night on Tuesday, July 7, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Day on Sunday, June 14, and Bravo Night featuring “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Each special ticket package includes an item or experience related to the package theme. Click here for the complete list.

But back to the present …

Kyle Bradish makes his third start after lasting 4 2/3 and four innings and allowing a combined six earned runs and seven total. He’s walked six batters and struck out 10. Four of  the runs scored in the second inning against the Pirates.

Bradish said in Pittsburgh that his fastball command was “a lot better today” than in his first start.

“They were a lot more competitive,” he said. “Got away from it a little bit in that second inning, but stuff’s not the issue right now. It’s execution.”

How can the execution improve?

“Bullpens have been great,” he said. “Just need to be better.”

He’s facing the right team. Bradish has made two career starts against the White Sox and allowed one run and four hits with 20 strikeouts in 12 innings. In the fifth of his eight starts in 2024 before undergoing elbow-reconstructive surgery, Bradish tossed seven hitless innings with four walks and 11 strikeouts at Rate Field. He came out after 103 pitches.

The game might be remembered more for pinch-hitter Danny Mendick’s home run as the first batter that Danny Coulombe faced in relief, and the left-hander’s comments to the media afterward that he felt “sick.” He beat up himself pretty badly.

As for Bradish, he allowed five runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in his next start against the Rays, one hit with no walks and nine strikeouts is six scoreless innings against the Rays at Tropicana Field, and two runs and three hits in five innings against the Phillies. He came out after 74 pitches and he wouldn’t pitch again for the Orioles until Aug. 26, 2025.

Bradish faced the White Sox again Aug. 15 in Chicago and held them to one run in five innings.

*Here’s again how you just never know when a seemingly minor roster move can become hugely impactful.

The Orioles selected reliever Rico Garcia on waivers from the Mets on Aug. 5. The Orioles spiraled into last place, firing their manager three months earlier, and were trying to plug more holes created by injuries and poor play.

Garcia appeared in six games with the Orioles in 2022, allowing four runs and eight hits in eight innings. They were his third team since 2019, and he didn’t pitch in 2021 due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He made appearances with the Athletics, Nationals, Mets and Yankees before returning to the Orioles, which is the definition of a journeyman – except he had a 3.15 ERA in 29 combined games last year, and that includes the three runs allowed in 2 2/3 innings in his only appearance with the Yankees.

The Orioles re-signed Garcia on Oct. 30, after he joined Ken Holtzman in 1976, George Sherrill in 2008 and Chris Tillman in 2014 as pitchers on the club who escaped bases-loaded, no-out jams twice in the same season. He broke camp with them after tossing 5 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings with one walk and seven strikeouts in spring training, leaving for a brief period to pitch for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

In five games this season, Garcia has gone scoreless and hitless again in 4 2/3 innings with only one walk and five strikeouts. And that got me wondering about the Orioles’ record for most scoreless and hitless appearances to begin a season.

Cano holds the record with nine in 2023, when he made the All-Star team. Alan Mills is next with eight in 1998, followed by Todd Frohwirth with seven in 1991, which began his career with the Orioles.

Garcia is tied with Kevin Hickey (1990), Brian Williams (1997), Mike Timlin (1999), Jim Corsi (1999), Mike Trombley (2001), Willis Roberts (2002), George Sherrill (2008) and Preston Guilmet (2014).

The more you know …