The Orioles’ strategy for beating the heat wasn’t sustainable, but they had a solid plan for winning a game.
How does a team prepare for a first-pitch temperature of 100 degrees?
“By being inside,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino.
The Orioles didn’t hit this afternoon or plan on taking batting practice before the next two games. But they eventually had to face the oppressive conditions, as well as the Rangers, and try to rebound from back-to-back losses in the Bronx.
The option to not hit would be lifted at 6:35 p.m. and Jackson Holliday went to work by driving in the Orioles' first four runs to support Trevor Rogers, who kept his cool with eight magnificent, scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory before an announced crowd of 13,929 at Camden Yards.
Rogers made his second career start at Camden Yards and allowed only three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. He retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced, including 14 in a row before Sam Haggerty’s infield single with two outs in the sixth. He mixed pitches, had good velocity and stacked outs.
The eight innings are a career high and he left to a standing ovation. Kyle Bradish was the last Orioles pitcher to complete eight in the regular season on Sept. 26, 2023 against the Nationals.
Holliday inflated an early cushion with a three-run homer off left-hander Patrick Corbin in the fifth inning for a 4-0 lead. The four RBIs tied his career high from grand slams on July 31, 2024 and April 16, 2025.
Rogers threw 35 pitches, 26 strikes, through the first two innings and was clocked at 96.3 mph, 96.1, 96 and 95.2 (twice). He needed only five pitches to dispose of the Rangers in the third.
Wyatt Langford followed Haggerty’s infield hit in the sixth with a line drive single to left, but Marcus Semien flied out on Rogers’ 82nd pitch. The Rangers went down in order in the seventh on only six pitches, allowing Rogers to return for the eighth and do it again on 13.
The rotation had one quality start in the last 11 games. Rogers’ only start with seven shutout innings before tonight was on April 21, 2021 against the Orioles, and he had more in the tank against the Rangers.
Corbin retired the first eight batters before back-to-back doubles by Chadwick Tromp and Holliday in the third inning created a 1-0 lead. Tromp got his first hit with the Orioles. Holliday had another left-on-left conquest.
They were the only Orioles to reach until Coby Mayo’s bloop single into right field with one out in the fifth. Cedric Mullins lined a single into right, Tromp struck out and Holliday deposited a sinker into the bullpen for his ninth home run. His 32 RBIs are second on the team to Mullins’ 35.
He also singled in the eighth to come within a triple of the cycle.
Left-handers were batting .194/.267/.358 before today against Corbin, who was charged with five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings and has a 7.27 ERA in six starts at Camden Yards.
The Orioles loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and settled for one run on Mayo’s ground ball off former Baltimore reliever Jacob Webb. Colton Cowser had a bunt single. They loaded the bases again in the seventh, with a Dane Dunning changeup hitting Gary Sánchez on the right hand, and Ramón Urías followed with sacrifice fly.
The day began with the Orioles putting backup catcher Maverick Handley on the seven-day concussion list, the 22nd time that they’ve used the IL. Catcher Adley Rutschman was lost over the weekend with an oblique strain. Infielder Jordan Westburg is day-to-day with a sprained finger that could make him unavailable until the next series.
“There’s no self-loathing, there’s no feeling sorry for yourself,” Mansolino said this afternoon. “We’ve won plenty of games here recently not being at full strength. I just think it’s kind of the next-man-up mentality that we see across all sports. I don’t think it’s abnormal, and I think these guys are resilient.
“It’s been really unfortunate. I think it’s got to be historical in some ways, some of the injuries, but so be it. We still need to win.”
They did, getting back to 10 games below .500 at 34-44 and improving to 8-15 against left-handed starters, 15-5 against the Rangers in the regular season since the start of 2022 and 19-8 since 2021. Tonight marked their third shutout.
* The Orioles set the franchise record by drawing a walk in 156 consecutive games.