BALTIMORE -- After a contentious ending to Saturday’s game at Camden Yards, there were no further flames in Sunday’s series finale in Baltimore. However, there also wasn’t quite enough firepower from the Orioles.
The O’s took a 5-2 loss to the Padres, who won the rubber game and notched a series victory. Baltimore outhit San Diego, 10-8, but it went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
The quiet showing ended a week in which the Orioles went 3-4 on their homestand, as they previously split a four-game set against the Mariners.
Here are three takeaways from an up-and-down week.
1. Trevor Rogers appears to be rounding back into form
Rogers opened the season with three consecutive quality starts, carrying over the positive momentum from his Most Valuable Oriole-winning campaign in 2025. But the 28-year-old left-hander hadn’t recorded one since the third of those outings on April 7 -- until Sunday.
The Padres scored only two runs in six innings against Rogers, who endured some bad luck in the second inning. The southpaw would have been out of the inning if it hadn’t been for a ground ball up the middle that took an unfortunate bounce off the bag at second base and turned into a two-out RBI double for Rodolfo Durán. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with an RBI single.
“It was tough. Just did my job, executed pitches, got the ball on the ground,” Rogers said. “This game is a game of inches and you could either let it affect the rest of the day, or as soon as the ball hits the bag, you’ve just got to laugh at stuff like that.”
But Rogers cruised for much of the 82-pitch, 55-strike outing, retiring 12 of the final 14 batters he faced and finishing his outing with Pete Alonso turning a 3-6 double play to end the sixth.
Although Rogers’ ERA sits at 5.86 through 13 starts, he has a 3.12 ERA over three June outings. It was a solid week for him, as he allowed three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings during Tuesday’s 6-5, 10-inning loss to Seattle.
“Definitely learned from that [tough] time, it’s made me better,” Rogers said. “I always knew the way I could throw the ball for this club, and just constantly trying to keep my team in games and just going out and trying to do the job to the best of my ability.”
2. Blaze Alexander is playing his way into an everyday role
Acquired from the D-backs in a Feb. 5 trade to become Baltimore’s utility man, Alexander has been exceptional in the role, moving all around the field on defense and getting semi-regular starts. But at this point, the 27-year-old should probably be in the lineup every day.
Alexander is hitting .303 with a .776 OPS over 61 games after going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. That performance came after he notched three singles in Saturday’s loss.
“Consistency is the most important thing, and right now, everything’s consistent, really,” Alexander said. “I go up there, kind of have a plan, sticking to that plan. It switches with each pitcher, each guy has different stuff. But yeah, just really staying stubborn to my plan, and ultimately, I’m getting the pitch I’m looking for.”
Not only is Alexander the O’s best defensive option at third base (over Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday), but since May 3, he has a .410 average (34-for-83) over 34 games.
Considering Alexander is also hitting either No. 8 or No. 9 in most games, it could also be time to move him up the order a bit.
3. Enough treading water -- the O’s need to get on a roll
The American League Wild Card standings are so congested that the Orioles (34-39) are still well within striking distance of a playoff spot. If they could get on a roll, they could quickly move up and into such a position.
Here’s the issue, though -- Baltimore can’t get on a roll. The O’s have won three consecutive games five times, but they have yet to win four in a row. They had an opportunity to do so again Saturday, when they lost to San Diego.
The Orioles need to stop treading water and go on an extended run of success before it becomes too late into the season to matter.
“I feel like if we keep playing the way we are, we'll get on a good streak,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “You can't force it to happen. All you can do is go out there and continue to string together good games.”