Orioles’ Trevor Rogers sinks deeper into slump in 4-1 loss to Tigers
· Yahoo Sports
BALTIMORE — After his walk-off home run Sunday afternoon, Colton Cowser was asked if the exhilarating victory, the Baltimore Orioles’ second straight, could ignite the ballclub to go on a winning streak.
“Absolutely,” Cowser said. “I feel like you’re always just a couple wins away from getting on a roll. I feel like we have the clubhouse to do it.”
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
If they’re going to, that process will have to restart Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Orioles weren’t able to keep the momentum from Cowser’s walk-off home run going in the nightcap of their doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Starting pitcher Trevor Rogers’ struggles continued, and the lineup mustered only three hits in a 4-1 defeat.
Baltimore fell back to 23-30, though its wins in the first two games of the series bumped the club out of last place in the American League East. The Orioles are only three games back of the last wild-card spot in the mediocre AL.
Rogers entered the season as the Orioles’ No. 1 starting pitcher, and for good reason. He posted a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts last season to earn an AL Cy Young vote, and through his first three starts, the left-hander looked like he was on pace to be a similar version in 2026. But after pitching to a 1.89 ERA through his first three starts this year, Rogers allowed 27 runs across his next 19 innings, including eight runs during his worst start of the season last week against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It looked like Rogers was heading down that path again in the first inning after he gave up a two-run homer to No. 3 hitter Dillon Dingler. The homer came off a 2-1 slider that was barely touching the bottom of the strike zone, almost exactly where catcher Samuel Basallo was set up.
But Rogers then retired the next 11 batters, giving the impression that he had perhaps turned a corner. However, he then started to unravel in the fifth inning, issuing two walks and two singles, the last of which was a two-run knock by rookie Kevin McGonigle with two strikes and two outs.
Rogers was one pitch away from escaping the threat with his best start since April 7. Instead, he sank even deeper into the quicksand in which he’s stuck. Rogers has a 6.96 ERA this season.
The Orioles’ lone run came in the fourth inning on a Basallo sacrifice fly on his bobblehead night. His fly ball scored Adley Rutschman, who was one of three Orioles to record a hit, joining Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso. The offense went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
The bats had perhaps their best opportunity of the night to put up a crooked number in the ninth inning after Tigers reliever Drew Anderson walked Alonso and Basallo to lead off the frame. But the Orioles couldn’t capitalize for another comeback win, as Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill and Blaze Alexander all struck out swinging.
____