The Orioles didn’t waste much time shaking off the sting of a rough road trip opener. By the end of the second inning in Texas, they had already matched their run total from the previous three games combined, and they kept adding from there in a 10-5 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.
That kind of burst was badly needed. Baltimore had been drifting toward a flat finish on this trip, but four home runs changed the mood fast and pulled the club back within four games of .500 at 57-61. The Orioles also moved to within two of the last Wild Card spot as they headed to Minnesota.
Pete Alonso was right in the middle of the early damage. He delivered his first multi-homer game with the Orioles and was halfway to the cycle by the second inning.
He singled with one out in the first, advanced to third on Jackson Holliday’s double and scored on Dylan Beavers’ infield hit after Rangers starter Kumar Rocker was late covering first base. Holliday scored moments later on Leody Taveras’ double, and Baltimore had a quick 2-0 lead.
Colton Cowser then opened the second with his ninth homer, a monster blast that traveled 441 feet and came off the bat at 108.9 mph, smashing into the batter’s eye in center field. It was the third-longest home run of his career and his farthest in 2026, one of eight he’s hit at least 400 feet this season.
Cowser’s power numbers have been scattered all over the map, but the distance chart keeps telling the same story: when he connects, it goes a long way. His 441-footer in Texas topped a list that also includes a 440-foot shot against the Tigers on May 24, plus blasts of 427, 425, 424, 416, 406, 400 and 394 feet.
The last time he left the yard before this one was June 21 at Dodger Stadium. His double last night was his first since May 30 and his first extra-base hit since June 21.
He wasn’t done there. Cowser added a left-on-left single in the fifth for his first multi-hit game since June 28, then drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.
Alonso kept the pressure on with his 24th homer, a fly ball down the left-field line that hit the foul pole. His fourth-inning two-run shot came against left-hander Jordan Montgomery and stretched the lead to 7-3 after Texas had started to claw back.
That homer also put Alonso in some notable company. Reggie Jackson hit 25 home runs in his first 118 games as an Oriole in 1976, while Frank Robinson owns the club mark with 37 in 1966.
Tyler O’Neill added more separation in the sixth with a two-run homer, and he continues to punish lefties, with eight homers against them since July 1.
The Orioles got quality support from the bullpen after Cade Povich’s outing ended after three innings. Povich worked two scoreless frames before the Rangers began to chip away in the third.
After Wyatt Langford singled and Ezequiel Duran drew a two-out walk, Brandon Nimmo turned a first-pitch slider into a three-run homer. Povich didn’t throw a first-pitch strike until his ninth batter, and he finished with only four first-pitch strikes among the 15 Rangers he faced.
Baltimore’s relievers held the line after that. Yaramil Hiraldo, Alex Hoppe, Andrew Kittredge and Albert Suárez combined for five scoreless innings, though Suárez allowed two runs in the ninth.
Rocker’s day ended after Carlos Narváez walked to lead off the fourth, marking the right-hander’s shortest outing since May 2. Manager Skip Schumaker turned to Montgomery, who had not pitched in the majors since Sept. 22, 2024 with the Diamondbacks after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025. The Rangers activated Montgomery from the 60-day injured list on Friday, and he had made six relief appearances among his 167 career games before this one.
Baltimore answered him quickly. Henderson grounded into a force, then Alonso jumped on a full-count changeup and sent it 404 feet to left-center.
Coby Mayo also kept building his own strange little power streak. He had gone through 17 games in 2024 and 85 games last season without a triple, then failed to record one in his first 83 games this season.
Now he has three in his last nine. His liner got past a diving Nimmo in right field and rolled long enough for a three-bagger, though he was stranded.
Mayo also singled twice for his first three-hit game since Sept. 16, 2025.
The Orioles entered the day tied for 16th in the majors with 19 triples last year, and they had 17 after Mayo’s extra-base hit, good for 14th. Leody Taveras leads the club with five, Henderson has four and Mayo now has three.
Holliday, meanwhile, may be waking back up. The former No. 1 overall pick was 0-for-18 this month before going double and homer in the series finale, and he added two more hits on Saturday. The Orioles are expected to see former teammate Dean Kremer on Monday, with the Twins planning to start three right-handers in the series.
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