Orioles fall to Guardians, 10-3, as Trevor Rogers disappoints in team debut

Trevor Rogers had a bad day, but so too did most of his teammates

Tonight’s game with the Cleveland Guardians did not go the way we all hoped it would. Trevor Rogers’s debut was a dud and the offense could not do much against starter Ben Lively or the Guardians’ bullpen. The 10-3 loss was a disappointing game all around, especially since it dropped the Orioles into a tie for first place with the New York Yankees.

Things started pretty well when the Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. The red-hot Colton Cowser extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a leadoff double, then came in to score on a double from Gunnar Henderson. But neither Anthony Santander nor Ryan O’Hearn could bring Henderson in so they had to settle for the just one.

Rogers immediately blew the lead. Back-to-back hits from Steven Kwan and Lane Thomas put runners on second and third. Both came in to score in the next two batters via sac fly and RBI single. The Orioles were down, 2-1, and would not take a lead again in the game.

I hoped Rogers was just dealing with new-team nerves, and after his 1-2-3 second inning I hoped I was right. But things got bad again in the third inning, though it wasn’t entirely Trevor Rogers’s fault. He retired Kwan and Thomas, then José Ramírez hit a shot down to third base. It was hard, 103.3 mph, but a ball that Ramón Urías normally makes a play on. This time he did not. It hit off his glove and went into left field. It was not scored an error but I believe there was a play to be made.

Tough luck for Rogers, but all he needed was one more out and it wouldn’t matter. Instead, he walked Josh Naylor. Then, it got worse. A seven-pitch AB to David Fry ended with a 407-foot homer that gave the Guardians a 5-1 lead. What a tough start for our new Oriole.

After Henderson’s first-inning RBI double, Ben Lively retired six Orioles in a row, including maybe the worst strike-three call of the year on Jackson Holliday. He then walked Cowser, but the ice-cold Adley Rutschman couldn’t do anything to follow. He grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Orioles got a little bit of excitement in the top of the fourth inning from the dinger machine himself, Anthony Santander. Rice threw a sinker in the middle of the zone and Santander did not miss. 111 mph off the bat, 416 feet, a homer in 30 out of 30 ballparks.

That excitement was the last that the Orioles had in the game. Yes, in the fourth inning. Lively retired eight of the next nine batters to get through the sixth inning. It was a solid start for Lively and things did not improve when the outstanding Guardians’ bullpen came into the picture.

As for Rogers, he didn’t give up any more runs. But he also couldn’t complete five innings. He gave up a walk and a single in the bottom of the fourth and was pulled with one out in the fifth after he issued his third walk of the game.

Albert Suárez, who was pushed to the bullpen after the acquisitions of Rogers and Zach Eflin, stranded his inherited runner and followed with a 1-2-3 sixth inning. But before we could get too worked up over Suárez losing his spot to a guy who pitches worse than him, we had to watch the seventh inning.

Suárez started things by giving up a double to Thomas and a home run to José Ramírez. It was Ramírez’s 28th of the year and made the score 7-2 Guardians. A Josh Naylor HBP drove Suárez from the game in favor of Jacob Webb.

Unfortunately, Webb was even worse. He hit a batter to put two runners on for Josh Naylor’s brother, Bo. Bo put the finishing touches on the Guardians’ out with a three-run homer. 10-2 Guardians. Ouch. And also gross.

With one out in the eighth inning, pitcher Tim Herrin hit Jackson Holliday in the hand with a pitch. Stop hitting Orioles in the hands! Thankfully, Holliday took his base quickly and didn’t appear to be in any distress. He did not leave the game.

Down by eight runs, new Oriole Austin Slater got to pinch hit for Cowser. He hit a line drive to center field for a single and Holliday moved over to third base. Welcome to Birdland, Austin! Rutschman followed with a hard-hit ball to shortstop. Brayan Rocchio couldn’t play the tough bounce. Holliday came in to score and Rutschman reached on a fielder’s choice. Too little, too late.

Nick Sandlin closed things out for the Guardians. He walked Ryan O’Hearn to start the inning but got the next three batters, including pinch hitter Eloy Jiménez, to wrap up the game.

Orioles lose, 10-3. They had just five hits in the game, including two by Gunnar Henderson (who did not make an error!). Rogers gave up five runs in 4.1 innings. Suárez and Webb combined to surrender another five, all of which came in one inning. After 110 games, the Orioles and Yankees are now tied at the top of the AL East with identical 65-45 records.

These two teams face off again tomorrow with Dean Kremer on the mound opposite Carlos Carrasco. Game time is 7:10.