CINCINNATI -- Since arriving in the big leagues last August, Samuel Basallo has caught Trevor Rogers 15 times, much more than he’s been paired with any other starting pitcher on the Orioles’ staff. The two have developed a strong connection, and Rogers has praised the 21-year-old backstop’s work behind the plate on multiple occasions.
On Friday, one of Baltimore’s best batteries had another successful night.
Basallo hit a two-run homer and helped Rogers navigate five solid innings in the O’s series-opening 3-0 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. It marked a strong start to the weekend in Cincinnati for the Orioles (41-48), who had lost six of their previous eight games.
Rogers was given a 1-0 lead before taking the mound, as Baltimore manufactured a run in the top of the first. Gunnar Henderson led off the game with a walk, moved to second on Taylor Ward’s one-out single, stole third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Tyler Stephenson.
Then, Rogers put up five zeroes despite not having his best command. The 28-year-old left-hander issued five walks (his most in 38 starts for the O’s), but he gave up only two hits and stranded seven Reds runners on base.
“That's what good pitchers do,” Basallo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “Maybe he didn't have his best command out there tonight, maybe one too many balls. Reds hitters put together some good at-bats. But at the end of the day, five clean innings.”
It was the first time an Orioles starter had a scoreless outing of five or more innings despite issuing five or more walks since Wade Miley walked seven over five scoreless frames against the Yankees on April 9, 2017.
While Rogers may have struggled with control during the 93-pitch, 57-strike outing, the southpaw’s velocity was up early. In the first, he threw a 97.3 mph four-seam fastball -- the first time he’s thrown a pitch faster than 96.6 since 2022, when he was with the Marlins.
“I didn’t even realize that. The guys told me I hit 97, and I couldn’t believe it,” Rogers said. “I felt good today. I didn’t think I felt like it was going to come out that well, so I’m really happy about that.”
Rogers now has a 2.50 ERA in 86 1/3 innings when paired with Basallo, who hasn’t caught any other starter more than eight times in his 106-game big league career.
What is it about this duo that allows them to bring out the best in each other?
“We have a chemistry unlike I’ve had in a long time,” Rogers said. “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.”
“I just feel like we have a really good relationship,” Basallo added. “I feel like I have a good understanding of what he likes to do, what he wants to do out there, really understanding what's working for him that specific night.”
Manager Craig Albernaz isn’t going to overthink it when penciling Basallo’s name into the lineup on Rogers’ start days.
“Sometimes, it’s one of those things that’s tough to explain,” Albernaz said. “I never ask. It’s one of those things where you kind of don’t ask, you just let it ride, because you don’t want to call it out and the next thing you know, people are thinking about it.”
One of the only things more impressive than the Rogers-Basallo dynamic may be the young catcher’s power, which he put on display in support of his starter once again.
Basallo gave Baltimore more of a cushion when he clubbed an opposite-field two-run homer to left-center field off Cincinnati right-hander Brady Singer in the third inning. It was the rookie’s 13th home run of the season, third most on the team behind Pete Alonso (19) and Gunnar Henderson (16).
“So impressive,” Albernaz said of Basallo’s ability to drive the ball to all fields.
It’s a skill that Basallo honed while growing up in the Dominican Republic, and now, he’s using it to put on a show on the big league stage.
“As a kid, I would say really around 14, 15 years old is when I really started to make it happen,” Basallo said. “I remember my coach would force me to hit the ball only to the opposite field, because at the time I was already able to easily hit it out to right field. I feel like from there on out, I was really able to perfect my swing, so to speak, and get a lot better and be able to hit the ball out to that opposite field."