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It Must Be The Pants

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The Baltimore Orioles began a brief, two-games series with the Boston Red Sox (68-58) Monday evening in Fenway Park. The Orioles came away with a 6-3 win over their AL East foes and the new Baby Birds experienced Fenway Park for the first time, even getting to go inside the Green Monster and add their signatures to the montage of signatures inside.

The train kept a-rollin

We learned before the game that starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (6-2) relies on his wife Tessa to wear the same pair of pants for each of his recent starts. The superstition is working as the southpaw earned the win on Monday with another quality start, his 10th in 12 starts. Rogers limited the Red Sox to one run on 4 hits over 7.0 innings, walking 1 and striking out 7 in the process. It was that lone walk to Alex Bregman, leading off the seventh inning that resulted in Boston’s lone run against him. Bregman advanced to third on a Trevor Story double and scored on a Jarren Duran sacrifice fly.

Rogers tied an Orioles record on Monday, joining Milt Pappas as the only starters to make 10 consecutive starts of 2 runs or fewer (Pappas did it in 1964). He also joined Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer as an Oriole starter to go eight consecutive starts of at least 6.0 innings having allowed 2 runs or less (Palmer achieved that mark in 1978). He also owns the lowest ERA (1.41) over a pitcher’s first 12 starts in franchise history.

This certainly is a turnaround from the pitcher we saw after the 2024 tradeline who went 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA in 4 starts (19.0 innings) before being sent down to the minors (Norfolk-AAA).

You won’t like me when I’m angry

Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson took exception to Story’s slide into second, braking up the double play in the second inning. Story slid hard into the bag and into Henderson; by rule it was a clean slide but Henderson didn’t like the contact nonetheless. Henderson retaliated with a third inning solo homerun and a RBI triple in the seventh to finish the night with a 2 for 4, 2 run, 3 RBI line.

The Baby Birds were run producers

Samuel Basallo, making his first start as catcher went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. He hit a double to lead off the fourth inning and hit a 2 RBI single in the ninth inning, runs that proved beneficial as the Red Sox plated 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Dylan Beavers, who went 2 for 2 with 1 RBI and 2 walks, followed a Jeremiah Jackson (2 for 5) single in the fourth with a single of his own that allowed Basallo to score.

Ryan Mountcastle returned to the lineup and went 3 for 5 with a RBI.

Despite each allowing a run in an inning of relief, Dietrich Enns and Yennier Cano, had enough of a cushion to close out the win for Rogers. Enns did start the ninth and left for Cano after giving up a lead-off single to Roman Anthony.

There was cause for concern as Jordan Westburg left the game with “right ankle discomfort” after stumbling and landing awkwardly as he rounded second base in the first inning.

After the game Rogers praised Basallo’s effort behind the plate saying, “I really have to tip my hat to Basallo, he was really good back there. …First game behind the plate in Fenway and he did a hell of a job.”

Interim Manager Tony Mansolino summed up Rogers’ performance this way, “What he’s doing right now is ace-type. This is as impressive a run as we’ve seen in the big leagues this year by any starting pitcher. As the game went on, he kind of got stronger. The velocity ticked up, the changeup was really good, the slider, the sweeper. It looks like a very uncomfortable at-bat for the opposing hitters.”

BOX SCORE

2025 Record: 58-67

Next Game: Tues. 8/19 @ 7:10 pm vs. Red Sox in Boston