At multiple points this evening, it felt like the Orioles were destined to waste a second consecutive gem from a starting pitcher. Trevor Rogers limited the Mariners to only one run in seven innings, but he left the game in line for a loss. The Orioles battled back with three runs in the seventh, but the Mariners evened the score with some small ball in the ninth.
That’s how it’s gone for the Orioles this season, and that’s how things were trending tonight. That is, until they weren’t. Dylan Carlson
extended the ninth with a two-out single to right field, and Jackson Holliday came up clutch. Holliday ripped a double down the line for his first career walk-off hit and the Orioles first walk-off victory of this long season. Baltimore won the game 4-3.
Rogers provided another masterful performance. The 27-year-old needed only six pitches to navigate through the first inning, and he danced around leadoff singles in the second and third frames. He capped the fourth and fifth innings with strikeouts before posting a clean sixth.
The only damage came in the seventh when Baltimore’s defense failed to match Rogers’ level of play. Julio Rodríguez led off with a deep line drive, and Daniel Johnson misread the ball as it bounced off the wall. Rodríguez received credit for a triple, but he could have been kept to two bags.
Rogers generated a weak pop up from Eugenio Suárez for the first out, and the Orioles brought the infield in with Josh Naylor at the plate. Naylor ripped a ball 100 MPH right at Jackson Holliday, and the second baseman failed to make the play. Naylor provided the M’s the lead with an RBI-single, but a better defense would have secured a seventh zero for Rogers.
Rogers continues to post incredible numbers, but he’s passing the eye test too. He retired Randy Arozarena three times after pounding the All Star with strikes. He held AL MVP candidate Cal Raleigh hitless in three trips, and he exhibited the type of confidence that’s been rare in a Baltimore uniform this season.
Rogers left the game in position for a hard-lock loss after posting 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K and 0 BB. Dean Kremer took the loss after posting eight innings of one-run ball last night. Fortunately, Baltimore’s bats finally rewarded their starter with a touch of run support.
Ryan Mountcastle evened the score with a line drive home run to the right-center field. The blast came with a miniscule 19 degree launch angle, but the ball got out in a hurry at 108.4 MPH. Rogers celebrated in the dugout, and the Birds found themselves in a brand new ball game.
Baltimore kept its foot on the gas. Coby Mayo followed with a hard-hit single, and Tony Mansolino sent Jeremiah Jackson to hit for Johnson. Jackson sent a deep fly ball that bounced off the right field scoreboard. The deflection sent Seattle right fielder Dylan Moore running, and Mayo raced home from first base. Naylor took the cutoff throw and fired the ball beyond home plate. The ball skipped out of play, and Jackson came all the way around to score on a little-league home run. Suddenly, the O’s held a 3-1 lead.
Dietrich Enns did his part in the eighth inning. Enns surrendered a single to J.P Crawford, but he sent Moore down swinging for the first out. Enns retired Arozarena with a fly ball to center, he let out a loud cry after an inning-ending strikeout of Raleigh.
Unfortunately, Yennier Cano failed to close things out. Rodríguez started the rally with a single up the middle, and Cano allowed the tying-run to reach base with a free pass. To make matters worse, the Mariners executed a double steal to put both runners in scoring position.
With the infield playing back, Naylor cut the lead in half with a ground ball to second base. The tying run advanced to third, and Mansolino summoned Keegan Akin from the bullpen. Akin generated a relatively weak fly ball from Dominic Canzone, but Greg Allen threw a ball that made Cedric Mullins look like Roberto Clemente. And just like that, the game was tied at three.
Baltimore’s bullpen is filled with cast offs, but it’s incredibly frustrating to watch the holdovers from a competitive team blow games. Akin blew a save and took the loss against the A’s on Sunday, and Cano blew the save tonight.
Holliday saved them both.
Dylan Carlson managed a two-out single to right field, and Holliday ripped the winning hit down the right field line. The ball traveled all the way to the corner, and Carlson scored after running on contact. The play marked Holliday’s first MLB walk-off hit and Baltimore’s first walk-off win of the season. Adley Rutschman ripped Holliday’s jersey in the celebration, and the O’s finally found a reason to celebrate after 1 hour and 40-minute rain delay.
