Trevor Rogers’ rough first start with the Orioles — when he gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Guardians — had an obvious scapegoat.
He had been traded from the Marlins two days prior and arrived only hours before first pitch, having time just to shake his catcher’s hand before he took the mound.
He fared better in his second outing, giving up two earned runs in five innings against the Blue Jays. But Rogers’ third — and first at Camden Yards — was more like the first, and this time there was no excuse.
On Tuesday, as the Orioles started a two-game series with their Beltway rival, Rogers gave up five runs in five innings as the Nationals won 9-3.
Rogers has a 7.53 ERA since joining the Orioles.
The Orioles went into the game knowing the Nationals are a tougher opponent than their record shows, manager Brandon Hyde said Tuesday afternoon, pointing to the rookie season that 21-year-old Rockville native James Wood is having as one piece of evidence.
The Nationals validated Hyde’s belief early. In the first inning, after CJ Abrams doubled and Juan Yepez walked, Wood drove them both in with a single.
Rogers got through the second and the third — the latter his only 1-2-3 inning — before the Nationals troubled him again in the fourth. Wood opened the inning with a single, followed by a double from Andrés Chaparro in his MLB debut. They scored on back-to-back sacrifice flies from Ildemaro Vargas and Luis García Jr.
In the sixth, Wood had his third hit, a single to center field, to end Rogers’ day. Hyde didn’t want Rogers to face the middle of the order a third time, so Rogers was removed at just 78 pitches, tied for the fewest he’s thrown this season.
“I thought my stuff was about average tonight,” Rogers said. “They did a decent job getting to two strikes, but I just couldn’t put guys away today. ... I just need to keep improving to give my team a chance.”
It was the third time this season Rogers has given up at least five earned runs and second in just three Orioles starts. Baltimore acquired him knowing he had kinks to work out and viewed him as a long-term investment. Hence, it was willing to give up two promising young players in Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby. Rogers is under team control through the 2026 season.
But, even though the Orioles are hopeful Grayson Rodriguez can return this season from right lat/teres discomfort, they may need Rogers’ progress to speed up. If Rodriguez isn’t ready for the postseason as they hope, which is always a fear with arm injuries, Rogers may have to fill in for a Game 3 or 4 scenario. In the interim, the Orioles at least need Rogers to keep them in games as they chase a division title.
On Tuesday, Rogers mixed his pitches relatively evenly, throwing 26 changeups, 21 fastballs, 16 sliders and 15 sinkers. The Nationals are an opponent he knows well — they’re in the NL East with the Marlins — and he knows they are usually looking for the changeup late in the at-bat. He was hoping that landing more sliders would help, but that wasn’t the case.
“You want to work on stuff but not overwork and get away from stuff that’s helped myself succeed this year,” Rogers said. “There’s a fine balance with that. ... I’ll come in tomorrow and talk it over and continue to improve.”
While earlier in his career he found success relying on his fastball more, he noticed at the end of his Miami tenure that mixing his pitches was beneficial. His last five starts with the Marlins showed that progress — he had a 3.38 ERA in that span — but it hasn’t translated to the Orioles.
“I think just keeping it simple; it’s all about execution,” Rogers said of what he needs to do. “Being unpredictable. I had a good stretch there for a while. It’s baseball. I’m going to have a couple rough spots here and there. I’m just going to keep doing my thing, keep working, and I’ll get back to it.”
The offense needs to do its part. The Orioles scored only two runs Tuesday. Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI single in the second, and Anthony Santander hit his 36th home run in the third to break the Orioles’ single-season mark for a switch hitter.
The Orioles, who played below-.500 baseball in July, are 5-6 in August.
“We’re really inconsistent. We are giving up way too many runs,” Hyde said. “Tonight, I didn’t think our at-bats were real good. ... We’re not moving the line offensively enough, overswinging at times. Our swings can get really big at times, and we need to improve at that.”
