SAN FRANCISCO – Trevor Rogers looked human on the mound this afternoon, but just for a brief moment.
The Giants’ Willy Adames barreled a fastball and deposited it into the left-center field seats with two outs in the first inning. Rogers spun part way to track it and bent at the waist. Only the third homer hit against him in 14 starts and the first since July 20 in Tampa.
As if it mattered. He calmly went back to work and the Orioles went on a power trip.
Jeremiah Jackson and Ryan Mountcastle homered in the third, Samuel Basallo belted his first in the majors, and the Orioles defeated the Giants 11-1 before an announced crowd of 37,711 at Oracle Park.
The Orioles (61-75) won for only the second time in 10 games. The Giants’ winning streak was snapped at six.
Rogers allowed one run and five hits in seven innings, didn’t walk a batter and improved his record to 8-2 with a 1.39 ERA. He’s the first Orioles starter to complete the seventh in four consecutive starts since Chris Tillman in 2016. He’s surrendered one run in each of his last six starts totaling 42 innings after shutting out the Rockies on one hit over seven innings July 26.
This isn’t normal pitching behavior.
Basallo ambushed reliever Tristan Beck leading off the fourth, launching a curveball to left-center field. Twenty-three different Orioles have homered this season to set the franchise record.
Basallo, 21, is the youngest catcher to homer in franchise history, breaking Andy Etchebarren’s record set in 1965.
Jackson Holliday walked and Jackson reached on an error to begin the top of the first, but a fielder’s choice and double play killed the rally. Colton Cowser had a leadoff double in the second, broke for third base with one out on Coby Mayo’s ground ball to short and was thrown out.
The Orioles were less wasteful in the third. Daniel Johnson drew a leadoff walk and Jackson hit his second home run, going 390 feet to left-center field. Gunnar Henderson singled and Mountcastle stayed hot by launching a sinker 434 feet to center at 110 mph.
Mountcastle had a pair of RBI doubles and a two-run single last night in a 15-8 loss, and he gave the Orioles a 4-1 lead today. He also doubled and is batting .328 (21-for-64) in 16 games since Aug. 13.
Carson Seymour made his first major league start after 10 relief appearances and departed after three innings. Beck was summoned and heard some boos after Basallo took him deep, Johnson singled and scored on Holliday’s triple, and Henderson lifted a sacrifice fly to right.
Rogers struck out Rafael Devers and Adames back-to-back in the third after giving up a pair of one-out singles. Luis Matos and Andrew Knizner singled with one out in the fifth and were stranded. Rogers retired the last eight Giants.
The Orioles led 8-1 in the seventh after Mountcastle doubled with one out and scored on Dylan Beavers’ single. Jackson had a two-run double in the eighth to give him a career-high four RBIs and is batting .330 with an .852 OPS. He scored on a wild pitch.
Rookie infielder Christian Koss pitched the ninth for San Francisco, fans cheering his mid-40s lobs, and he retired the side in order. He’s logged four scoreless innings in four appearances.
* Reliever Vinny Nittoli opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles and became a free agent. Nittoli didn’t make it back to the majors after signing last month.
* The Astros signed Matt Bowman to a minor league deal after the Orioles released him earlier today.
* Jorge Mateo played center field for Triple-A Norfolk and had three more hits. He’s batting .341 with an .820 OPS.
Double-A Chesapeake’s Juaron Watts-Brown allowed two runs and one hit in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. Carter Baumler tossed another scoreless inning.
Aberdeen’s Nate George hit his first High-A home run.
Catcher Ike Irish had a two-run single for Class A Delmarva.