The Orioles may have found the combination they need Thursday in the series finale against the Cubs: Trevor Rogers on the mound, Samuel Basallo behind the plate.
That pairing matters because Baltimore is trying to snap out of yet another slump, and the offense has been stuck in neutral far too often lately. The Orioles have been held to three runs or fewer in seven of their last 11 games, and they’ve scored four runs or fewer in eight of those contests. Against that backdrop, Basallo’s return to catching feels especially important.
Basallo has been doing damage at a level that stands out even by the standards of the game’s young hitters. The source material says he is producing more offense than any catcher in MLB history under the age of 22, and it says the gap is not close, with Basallo already having twice as many homers, plus more RBIs and total bases.
He also gave the Orioles a lift over the weekend, when his three-run blast and two-run bast helped carry the lineup in Cincinnati. Baltimore has not used him as much against left-handed pitching over the last three days, but Thursday brings another lefty for Chicago, and the case for keeping Basallo in the battery is strong.
Rogers, Baltimore’s Opening Day starter, has settled in after a first half full of twists and turns. He’s leaning on his four-seamer more than he did before, and that could matter against a Cubs lineup that has handled everything else well but has not been nearly as effective against fastballs. Chicago ranks 21st in slugging against them, according to the source material.
The left-hander has also been open about how much he trusts Basallo. After a recent uptick in velocity, Rogers said, “We have a chemistry unlike I’ve had in a long time,” Rogers said after another tick in velo in his last start.
“I love it when he’s back there. I hardly ever have to think because we’re just so in sync and I just trust what he calls.”
That comfort has shown up in the results. Rogers has his second-best ERA with Basallo as his regular catcher among the catchers he has worked with in his career. The only better mark came with Sandy Leon, when Rogers was drawing Cy Young consideration early in his Marlins days.
Lately, Rogers has been stacking quality starts and has gone 4-2 over his last six outings with a 1.77 ERA. The source material credits Basallo as a significant part of that run, and the numbers back up the idea that this is the Orioles’ most effective setup right now.
The comparison with Adley Rutschman, at least in this context, isn’t close. The source material lays out the splits and makes the point plainly: Rogers has been far more effective throwing to Basallo than to the other options listed, including Rutschman.
For an Orioles team that has been living on the edge for much of the season, Thursday looks like a simple equation: keep the Rogers-Basallo battery together and hope it gives the club one more clean night. If it also keeps Rogers rolling and Basallo keeps punishing the ball, Baltimore has to take that.
In Other News...
Dodgers Trade Proposal Puts Orioles In A Tough Spot With Lefty
The Orioles keep getting pulled into the pitching market chatter, and Trevor Rogers is the kind of arm that naturally draws it. He has been uneven enough over the full season to leave plenty of questions, but his recent stretch has also reminded teams why left-handed starters with upside still carry real appeal in July. For Baltimore, that creates the familiar tension of weighing short-term value against the kind of trade interest that can reshape a deadline conversation.
What makes the situation trickier is the timing. Rogers would come with no long-term control, so any deal has to be judged against the price of the return, not just the name value on the other side. The Dodgers are still shopping for pitching help and have bigger targets they could chase, which only adds to the sense that Baltimore could be asked to part with a useful arm without getting the kind of package that makes a move easy to justify. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans May Never Forget This Missed Chance At An Ace
The Orioles were in position at the 2024 trade deadline to chase the kind of frontline starter every contender covets, and Tarik Skubal was sitting right there as the obvious prize. Detroit never completed a deal, Baltimore never got its ace, and the missed window has only grown more frustrating as the pitching market keeps reminding teams how rare those chances are.
MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi has framed it as the kind of opportunity Baltimore may not get back, especially with Skubals name already surfacing again as the 2025 deadline draws closer. For an Orioles club that has spent the last year trying to balance present urgency with future value, the lingering question is whether the front office will be willing to pay the price this time around. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Mountcastle Just Became An Orioles Deadline Tension Point
Ryan Mountcastle is still working back from the 60-day injured list, and the Orioles at least have some clarity on the broad outline of his recovery. President of baseball operations Mike Elias said Mountcastle is progressing, with a return possible after the All-Star break, but he stopped short of putting a date on it. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, that leaves one of its more recognizable bats in a familiar holding pattern: close enough to matter, not quite close enough to know exactly where he fits.
The bigger question is what happens once he is ready. Baltimore has enough uncertainty around the roster that Mountcastles next step is not just about health, but about opportunity, and there is already a sense that the Orioles could listen if the right trade angle emerges before the Aug. 3 deadline. For now, the club is still waiting on the same thing everyone else is - a clearer picture of when he is back, and what role he would actually have when he gets there. [Read more 🡒]