Thursday afternoon Orioles game thread: 1:35 ET

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Starting pitcher Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on August 18, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images Alas, for the Orioles, forward

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What is the story about?

Alas, for the Orioles, forward momentum has been hard to come by this season. After a tidy 4-2 Game 1 win on Tuesday behind seven strong innings from Shane Baz, on Wednesday night Chris Bassitt turned in another flawed outing, going three innings with three runs allowed before exiting with back tightness. It’s not clear whether he’ll have to miss any time with this. Meanwhile, the Birds couldn’t get much done against—yes, a lefty, in Peyton Tolle, who silenced them over six scoreless.

Bassitt himself,

after the game, said he felt like it was just one of those things and he had “full confidence” that the team would bounce back tomorrow with Trevor Rogers on the mound. Let’s hope so, because last year’s ace hasn’t been very good this year. After starting the year with a seven-inning shutout, he’s thrown a duck in practically every outing since, with four runs-plus allowed in six of his last nine appearances, along with a 10.01 ERA over his last seven outings. I’m sure the Orioles are working hard to fix whatever this is. Hopefully Chris Bassitt’s confidence in Rogers is warranted.

The Sox are countering with fifth-year right hander Brayan Bello. After a strong 2025 season where he went 11-9 with a 3.35 ERA, the team expected Bello to be a rotation contributor this year. But the results have mixed, to say the least. For whatever reason, Bello has pitched poorly as a starter, but very well coming in late behind an opener: in the former role, he has a 9.68 ERA; behind an opener, he has a 0.71 ERA. It sounds like the Red Sox don’t really know why this is, and Bello is getting a shot as a proper starting pitcher today. He’s been allowing lots of hard contact and striking out few hitters. The Orioles need to take advantage.

Orioles lineup