The Orioles finally got the kind of night they’ve been waiting for, and it started with the ball leaving the yard.
Pete Alonso homered twice, Colton Cowser launched his first blast since June 21, and Tyler O’Neill added another as Baltimore rolled to a 10-5 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Park and avoided a sweep. The long ball did the heavy lifting, but the Orioles also mixed in enough singles, walks and movement on the bases to turn a sluggish stretch into a much-needed outburst.
“Offense came out strong together,” rookie manager Craig Albernaz said. “Up and down the lineup, great at bats. Six walks … Great swings.”
Baltimore wasted no time against Kumar Rocker, jumping on him early after spending weeks coming up empty against starting pitching. The Orioles have another slow starter on deck Monday in Minnesota in Dean Kremer, who they dealt before the trade deadline, and Sunday’s approach looked like the blueprint they’d want to carry with them. Alonso’s two homers drove in four runs, while the club also pieced together runs beyond the power game.
Jackson Holliday kept the momentum going after a strong July and a rough first week of August. The 22-year-old doubled in the first inning and scored, with rookie Dylan Beavers bringing in a run and former Ranger Leody Taveras adding another RBI. Holliday had provided the team’s only run with a solo homer Saturday, and he finished Sunday with two hits.
It was also the kind of game where Baltimore finally got production across the lineup. Coby Mayo collected three hits, and Cowser’s second-inning homer helped make it 4-0.
Alonso later went deep again off the left-field foul pole. The Orioles had a chance to spread the offense around, and almost everybody chipped in with at least one hit.
The one notable exception was Gunnar Henderson, whose season keeps sliding in the wrong direction. He went 0-for-4 with a walk, dropping his season OPS to .678. Rocker opened by retiring him, and Henderson’s struggles continued while the rest of the lineup saw the ball well.
Cade Povich gave Baltimore a short start, which was expected. His command was shaky again, though he escaped some trouble with strikeouts.
He did surrender a three-run homer to Brandon Nimmo in the third, trimming the lead to 5-3. Like Rocker, Povich lasted just three innings.
From there, Baltimore’s bullpen took over and shut things down against a Texas offense that has lacked power all season. The relief work kept the Orioles in control the rest of the way.
Baltimore improved to 57-61 and still needs to finish this 10-game road trip at 4-6 or better. A loss Sunday would have been a serious hit, with the Twins also sitting in the same Wild-Card mix and four games in Tampa next against one of baseball’s premier teams.
“I really believe in this group,” Alonso said on the MASN postgame show. “This is a really special group.”
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For Baltimore, the intrigue goes beyond simply filling a spot behind the plate. Basallo is viewed as the catcher of the future, and the Orioles need to see him healthy enough to handle the kind of development that comes with being more than a depth piece. His progress matters because the organization is counting on him to become a real part of the next chapter, not just an emergency option when the roster gets thin. [Read more 🡒]