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The face, name and delivery were familiar. Had to be Trevor Rogers. Just block out the traffic on the bases and it made sense.
Rogers allowed a hit on his first pitch today, walked two batters in the third inning, committed a balk and surrendered the tying run. When the bar is set to near perfection, the hiccups are jolting.
In this magical season for Rogers, he can slip below his usual standards and conjure up a win. He can struggle a little and still skimp on the runs.
Rogers lowered his ERA to 1.40 with one run allowed in his fifth consecutive start, and the Orioles avoided a sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Astros before an announced crowd of 19,746 at Camden Yards. Their record is 60-70.
Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti retired 15 batters in a row before Gunnar Henderson’s two-out single in the sixth inning. Henderson stole second and third base to give him 19, and he scored when Ryan Mountcastle poked a sinker into right field for a 2-1 lead.
Henderson took over the team lead in home runs with his 16th, a solo shot in the first inning after Colton Cowser’s eight-pitch leadoff single and a double play. Mountcastle and Samuel Basallo singled and were stranded.
"You look out on that field. Of the eight players out on the field, it’s not the 2025 Opening Day Orioles. It’s probably more of the 2025 Opening Day Norfolk Tides in a lot of ways," said interim manager Tony Mansolino.
"Gunnar gets us going right there. Gets the big hit, made some defensive plays. Proud of him.”
Luis Vázquez expanded the lead to 3-1 in the seventh inning with his first career home run, and it traveled 416 feet to center field. Jeremiah Jackson hit his first last night.
"He's an interesting player," Mansolino said. "It's a premium defender. ... and our hitting guys and (senior advisor John Mabry), they said all year, ‘There's more in that bat than people think.’ So he's got to learn how to hit the big leagues. It's not that easy.
"We're seeing a lot of young guys doing it. He was once a huge prospect in Chicago and he's here and we see why he had that status in a lot of ways, and there just hasn't been a lot of opportunity here because he's an infielder and you got three really good infielders. So we like him. It was a nice swing for him. Helped us win the game.”
Twenty-two different Orioles have homered to tie the club record.
"I think my power is natural," Vázquez, who made his first start at second base this season, said through interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I think I’ve actually hit it further and further in the past, so you know, thank God for that."
Vázquez didn’t smile until he crossed the plate.
“Just thanking God for everything,” he said. “Thinking of my family rounding the bases, so much hard work to get here, you know just honestly couldn’t believe that it happened. Also thinking of my grandma, who you know supported me so many years and couldn’t be here today and isn’t here today.”
Mansolino did his daily bullpen shuffling. Rico Garcia entered in the eighth and the Astros loaded the bases with one out on three singles, with two balls staying in the infield. Henderson knocked down Christian Walker’s line drive but Mountcastle couldn’t scoop the throw to first. Henderson backhanded Yainer Díaz’s ground ball, but Walker beat the throw to second.
Left-hander Keegan Akin faced pinch-hitter Victor Caratini, and a sacrifice fly cut the lead to 3-2. Mauricio Dubón lined to left fielder Dylan Beavers. Akin returned for the ninth inning and notched his third save, striking out the side and looking every bit like a closer.
Does he feel like one?
“No, not really, to be honest with you," he said. "Just pitch when my name’s called, whether it’s the fifth, sixth or seventh, eighth or ninth. It doesn’t matter. Just try to post when I can and get the job done.
“I’m used to multiples, so this is kind of the first year I’ve really kind of knocked it down to one inning or a third or two-thirds like that. I’m honestly a little bit more comfortable kind of going one-plus type stuff, but it’s definitely not as easy as Félix (Bautista) makes it look. But I’ll try my best.”
Mansolino appreciated Akin's aggression on the mound.
“Just a lot of intent," he said. "He wasn't cruising. He looked like he turned it up a couple notches right there. It's a five-out save in a pretty big spot when he came in. So, just a lot of intent behind every pitch. It's driven me crazy, and probably all you guys and all the fans, when we're in a save situation and we're throwing eight changeups to the leadoff hitter in the ninth inning to lead off these at-bats not attacking the zone. And for me right there, watching Keeg, he attacked the zone on the leadoff guy and you get that first guy, the whole inning is different.”
Support was scarce for Rogers, but he covered seven innings with one run and five hits allowed, three walks that tied his season high and nine strikeouts that were his most since Sept. 12, 2022.
"It was probably comparable to that Philly start," he said. "I think I had one short inning all day. I just had to tip my cap to those guys. They were pretty solid in their approach, and they made me work for it. Just glad to get out of those tough jams. A couple things went my way today, and I was just happy to keep my team in the ballgame."
Rogers struck out two batters in the first after Jeremy Peña’s leadoff single and stolen base. Cam Smith drew a leadoff walk in the third and stole second base, and Peña lined an RBI single into center field. Jose Altuve struck out on a nasty changeup after Carlos Correa walked and the runners advanced on the disengagement violation.
The one run allowed matched Rogers’ totals in each of his previous four starts.
“Very fun,” Vázquez said. “I saw him pitch down in Triple-A and I never had the chance to play behind him, but I always wanted to. And now I’ve had the chance to do so twice in a row, in Boston and now here. Honestly, I just tip my cap to him. He’s done an incredible job lately on the mound.”
Rogers left two runners on base in the fourth after a pair of singles. Correa reached on an infield hit with one out in the fifth, a play that could have gone as Henderson’s first error since June 8 after a two-hop throw, and the next two batters flied to center. Rogers lowered his head as Walker made contact, as if expecting a home run, but Cowser ran it down at the fence.
A third walk, tying Rogers’ season high, came to Díaz in the sixth before a double play. Rogers was at 83 pitches with still only one run allowed.
A standing ovation awaited after Rogers retired the side in order and struck out two in the seventh.
"Just kind of watching him, it wasn’t quite the same," Mansolino said. "Super gritty and he shows that even on days that he doesn’t have his best stuff, he’s able to navigate seven innings, one run, playoff team, veteran team."
Rogers’ 1.40 ERA is the lowest by an Orioles pitcher through 13 starts of a season, ahead of Hoyt Wilhelm’s 1.50 in 1959 and Jim Palmer’s 1.55 in 1975 – two Hall of Famers.
“It’s phenomenal," Akin said. "I don’t know if you can really put it into words, really. It’s six, seven, eight innings almost every time he takes the mound. Pitches quick, uses his defense. He’s a pro and it’s been awesome for him to kind of get back on track and come up here and join us and take off with it again.”
Left-hander John Rooney made his major league debut in the sixth after Mountcastle broke the tie. Vázquez homered off him in the seventh.
Former Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel, signed by the Astros over the weekend, was booed as he jogged onto the field in the eighth. He worked around Jackson’s leadoff single, getting a strikeout/double play and a strikeout. Henderson and Mountcastle went down swinging.
* Triple-A Norfolk’s TT Bowens hit his 13th home run. Cameron Weston allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, with two walks and six strikeouts. Chayce McDermott allowed a run and three hits and hit a batter in the ninth but earned the save. The bases were loaded with no outs and he didn’t surrender another run.
Michael Forret is doing just fine with Double-A Chesapeake. He started again today and tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits and five strikeouts. Forret is the No. 11 prospect in the system, per MLB Pipeline.
