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Trevor Rogers' gem, Samuel Basallo's 1st home run lead Orioles to 11-1 win over Giants

Jacob Calvin Meyer, The Baltimore Sun on

Published in Baseball

SAN FRANCISCO — Trevor Rogers entered August with a 1.49 ERA that was destined to regress.

He’s ending the month with a 1.39 ERA.

Rogers’ miraculous run continued Saturday in the Orioles’ 11-1 win over the Giants, and whether it will end in September is becoming less likely by the start.

The left-handed budding ace twirled seven innings of one-run ball to maintain his status as the best starting pitcher in the major leagues since his season debut in late May. The Orioles are 11-3 when Rogers starts, and they’re 45-41 since his first start May 24 in Boston.

Rogers, who struck out five and induced eight groundouts Saturday, allowed only one run in all six of his August starts. He’s given up two or fewer runs in all but one of his 14 outings, including each of the past 12. His 1.39 ERA is MLB’s best since May 24, even better than American League Cy Young Award front-runner Tarik Skubal (1.95 ERA) and National League favorite Paul Skenes (1.83).

Despite having only 14 starts, Rogers is forcing his way into down-ballot AL Cy Young Award consideration, and he’s removing any doubt that his resurgent campaign is a fluke.

Rogers didn’t need much run support Saturday, but his offense gave it to him anyway. One of the biggest hits of the windy afternoon at Oracle Park was from Rogers’ batterymate.

In the fourth inning, Samuel Basallo lifted a solo home run to left-center field that was nearly robbed by Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos. It would’ve been a repeat of Basallo’s first MLB game in which Astros right fielder Jesús Sánchez stole a long ball away from the 21-year-old slugging sensation, but Ramos couldn’t come down with the ball as Basallo rounded the bases with a smile.

The home run comes a week after the catcher signed an eight-year, $67 million extension, becoming the first player to receive such a contract from general manager Mike Elias. Through 11 games, Basallo is hitting .211 with a .610 OPS, showcasing his breathtaking bat speed without fully showcasing his elite power.

At 21 years, 17 days old, Basallo is the youngest catcher in Orioles history to homer. The only MLB catcher this century younger than Basallo to homer is Francisco Alvarez of the Mets in 2022. The only other since 1990 is Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez when he was a youngster with the Rangers.

After losing 15-8 in sloppy fashion Friday, the Orioles trailed 1-0 in the first Saturday after Willy Adames’ solo homer — one of the few mistake pitches Rogers made. In the third, Jeremiah Jackson gave the Orioles a lead with a two-run blast to left-center field off Giants starter Carson Seymour. Five innings later, Jackson tallied the final RBIs for Baltimore with a two-run double.

Ryan Mountcastle followed Jackson with another two-run blast in the third, continuing the first baseman’s hot streak after his three-hit night Friday. Jackson Holliday tripled home a run in the fourth and scored on Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly. Dylan Beavers smacked two more hits, including an RBI knock in the seventh, to boost his batting average to .317 through 13 career games. The Orioles’ final run scored on a wild pitch.

Newcomer Shawn Dubin, who was claimed off waivers from the Astros earlier this week, finished the game on the mound with two scoreless innings.

The victory ends Baltimore’s five-game losing streak. The Orioles are 61-75.

Instant analysis

Jackson’s audition for the Orioles’ utilityman role is going better than anyone could have been imagined when he was promoted after the trade deadline.

In August, he’s proven he’s up for the job despite questionable defense. But what if he keeps playing like this? Jackson is hitting .330 with an .852 OPS in 25 games. What if he does the same in September? What if he does the same in April?

Jackson might not just prove that he’s deserving of a bench spot next season. Maybe it’s possible that he could play himself into an even larger role, especially given the Orioles’ need for capable right-handed bats.

In spring 2023, few expected Ryan O’Hearn to become what he did for the Orioles over the next three seasons. Comparing Jackson with O’Hearn isn’t fair (at least not yet), but the former Angels prospect has simply played too well to ignore the potential that this production isn’t a fluke.

What they’re saying

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino pregame on Rogers’ revival:

“In Miami in ’21, when we saw him, it was electric. It was 97 [mph]. It was hot. When we got him last year, and I’ll speculate, this is my own baseball speculation: When you throw 97 as a left-hander in this league, you’re not exactly hitting the edges as a pitcher. You’re setting up middle, and you’re letting it rip, right? You’re not commanding the baseball. … All of a sudden, he shows up to us in 2024, he’s throwing 89. At that point, if you haven’t learned how to command the ball to the edges, you’re probably not going to do it when you’re throwing 89.

“He goes, figures out his his body, gets right, gets healthy, comes back. The velocity ticks back up to 93-94, 95, 96 sometimes we’ve seen, and all of a sudden his style of pitching plays. … For me, just kind of tying it all together is the biggest reason why he’s doing well. His body’s strong, his velocity is back to a certain degree, not quite what it was, but he’s got enough with the extension to make it work.”

 

By the numbers

Entering Saturday, Beavers was hitting .306 with a .932 OPS across his first 12 MLB games. That OPS is the highest through 12 games by any Orioles player to debut during the Mike Elias era (since 2019).

Here are the numbers put up by other Orioles top prospects in their first 12 games, in order of their debut:

— Ryan Mountcastle, 2020: .310 BA, .883 OPS

— Adley Rutschman, 2022: .149 BA, .458 OPS

— Kyle Stowers, 2022: .229 BA, .632 OPS

— Gunnar Henderson, 2022: .293 BA, .795 OPS

— Joey Ortiz, 2023: .241 BA, .509 OPS

— Jordan Westburg, 2023: .273 BA, .779 OPS

— Colton Cowser, 2023: .111 BA, .394 OPS

— Heston Kjerstad, 2023: .259 BA, .804 OPS

— Jackson Holliday, 2024: .073 BA, .283 OPS

— Connor Norby, 2024: .188 BA, .594 OPS (nine games)

— Coby Mayo, 2024: .069 BA, .275 OPS

— Samuel Basallo, 2025: .200 BA, .500 OPS (10 games)

On deck

The Orioles’ lineup is solely filled with players under 30 years old. Sunday, they’ll face the oldest active player in the major leagues. Justin Verlander, 42, is no longer the Cy Young Award-caliber pitcher he was with the Astros in 2022, but he’s still a capable big league starter with a 4.47 ERA this season, his first with the Giants. Verlander will pitch opposite Orioles righty Tomoyuki Sugano.

Around the horn

— Pitcher Albert Suárez could rejoin the Orioles as soon as Monday, Mansolino said. The veteran right-hander pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings Friday for Triple-A Norfolk. He will be in a bulk relief role when he returns. Suárez injured his shoulder during the opening series of the season and hasn’t pitched in a major league game since.

— Reliever Matt Bowman cleared waivers and was released, the Orioles announced. Right-hander Cody Poteet, who has been on the injured list since mid-April with right shoulder inflammation, was reinstated from the 60-day IL and outrighted to Triple-A.

— Catcher Caden Bodine, whom the Orioles selected No. 30 overall in July, was placed on Low-A Delmarva’s seven-day injured list Saturday and will miss the final week of the Shorebirds’ regular season.


©2025 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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