BALTIMORE -- If it felt like neither Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers nor Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi gave up many runs last year, that’s because they didn’t. In fact, entering Wednesday, those two pitchers owned the best ERAs in MLB since the beginning of the 2025 season (minimum 100 innings), with Rogers (1.70) first and Eovaldi (2.00) second.
On Wednesday, Rogers and Eovaldi went head-to-head in the series finale between Baltimore and Texas at Camden Yards. So it seemed likely runs would be at a premium on the afternoon.
Instead, Rogers outdueled his counterpart, tossing six quality innings in the O’s 8-3 win. The 28-year-old southpaw, who tossed seven scoreless frames in an Opening Day victory over the Twins last Thursday, allowed only two runs while striking out three with a walk and six hits.
“Excellent as always,” catcher Samuel Basallo said via team translator Brandon Quinones. “I think he looked great up there, and we really executed the game plan we wanted to go out there with.”
Meanwhile, the Orioles tagged Eovaldi for six runs in four-plus innings. The 36-year-old righty yielded a pair of runs in both the second and third, then he exited shortly after giving up a Statcast-projected 437-foot leadoff home run to Basallo in the fifth.
Former Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras was among Eovaldi’s top tormenters, as the 27-year-old knocked a single during the rally in the second and roped a two-run double off the right-field wall in the third. Those were the first O’s hits for Taveras, who later drew a pair of walks to cap his first start for the club.
Eovaldi entered the day with a 3.43 ERA in 20 career starts vs. Baltimore, though he had a 2.05 ERA in 11 outings against the Orioles from 2020-25. He has an 11.42 ERA over his first two starts of ‘26, after recording a 1.73 ERA in 22 games for Texas last season.
“Eovaldi is one of the best pitchers in the game,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “So our guys, to work the count, lay off the splitter -- they laid off some tough pitches, and it’s a credit to them.”
“One through nine, they did a solid job going up against a veteran guy in the league who’s been doing it at an elite level for a long time,” Rogers added. “I give credit to the hitters today. They made my job easy, and I was able to go out there and give a little bit more room on the plate, just because I had that big cushion of run support. So a really, really solid job out of the guys.”
For Rogers (a 1.38 ERA through two outings), his strong start to the season is a continuation of his stellar 2025 campaign, when he was the Most Valuable Oriole Award winner and placed ninth in American League Cy Young Award voting. In 20 MLB outings since the beginning of last year, he has 15 quality starts and has allowed two or fewer runs 18 times.
The O’s won both of Rogers’ starts during their 3-3 season-opening homestand.
Despite the strong results, Rogers still hasn’t even had his best stuff yet. This time out, he grinded through the fourth inning, giving up four consecutive singles, including run-scoring knocks by Josh Jung and Ezequiel Duran.
But Rogers knew his team’s bullpen was taxed, so it was important for him and right-hander Albert Suárez (who earned a three-inning save) to cover the game.
“I had taken it upon myself to try to go deep in the game the best I can,” Rogers said. “The fact I was able to get through six, especially after that tough fourth inning that it was, I was really happy.”
The Orioles’ rotation has already lost a member in the opening week of the season, as right-hander Zach Eflin exited his 2026 debut on Tuesday night due to right elbow discomfort. The 31-year-old went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday and underwent imaging, though the results have not yet been disclosed.
Baltimore has solid starting-pitching depth, so it should be in an OK spot. However, it’ll be important for Rogers and right-hander Kyle Bradish, the co-aces of the staff, to lead the way, as they’ve already been doing thus far.
“They don’t waver. They fight, they compete,” Albernaz said of the O’s. “Knew right from the jump when everyone showed up, it was still the same energy. Obviously, a lot of people were thinking about Zach. But also, they’re ready to go out there and compete, and it was a great team win.”