Orioles ride another fast start to 8-4 win over Rangers (updated)

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles were a little more patient tonight before pouncing on a Rangers veteran starting pitcher. They actually waited until the second inning.

For the post-break Orioles, that’s considered slow out of the gate.

Nine batters came to the plate against three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and four runs scored to match last night’s total in the first against Nathan Eovaldi.

Scherzer was removed before the third, Texas native Grayson Rodriguez celebrated his homecoming with a quality start and the Orioles continued to thrive at Globe Life Field with an 8-4 victory before an announced crowd of 38,410.

Cedric Mullins hit his 10^th home run, Jordan Westburg his 16th and Ryan O'Hearn his 12th, and the Orioles posted their 60^th win, a total they reached last season on July 22. Their lead in the division increased to two games.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy removed Scherzer at 53 pitches, one fewer than Rodriguez threw over two innings. Scherzer allowed four runs and five hits and walked two batters.

Rodriguez won for the first time in his home state following a no-decision in his major league debut on April 5, 2023. His 12 victories lead the American League.

"I mean, I think any time I can pitch in the state of Texas is pretty special," he said. "I have a lot of friends and family that come and were able to make it. They don’t get to make the trip up to Baltimore a whole lot, so any time I can pitch in front of them, it’s pretty special, no matter the outcome."

The final pitch count of 103 included Rodriguez striking out the side in the sixth. He allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Rodriguez certainly has grown since that debut and the demotion later to Triple-A.

"I don’t even know if I could put that in a sentence," he said. "It’s just really pitching to big league hitters. There’s nothing like big league hitters. Taking each start, the positives and negatives from them, moving on, being able to flush bad starts, being able to extend a streak of good starts. Yeah, I think there’s a lot that’s been learned in a little over a year."

What about those 12 wins, which aren't supposed to be a significant stat for pitchers anymore?

"I don’t really think about it all that much," he said. "I don’t know. Wins are great. As long as the team is being able to win games, I think that’s the most important thing. You go out there every five days, six days and give your team a chance to win, I think that’s the most important part. Especially with a lineup like this one, for a starting pitcher it’s nice. They’re going to give you a shot to go out there and throw a lot of innings with the amount of runs that they score."

Westburg led off the second with a single, Colton Cowser walked and Mullins reached on a bunt single. Scherzer fielded the ball and threw it past first base, allowing Westburg to score, and Ramón Urías followed with a two-run single for his third multi-RBI game of the season and first since June 19.

The next two batters grounded to Scherzer, but Anthony Santander singled for his sixth RBI of the series.

José Ureña replaced Scherzer in the third and Mullins hit a 409-foot home run to right field for a 5-2 lead. He also gave the Orioles eight players in double figures in home runs, the most in the majors.

Left-hander Jacob Latz entered the game in the sixth inning and Westburg launched a sinker 424 feet to center field with O’Hearn aboard after a walk.

Adley Rutschman doubled in the first and Scherzer hit O’Hearn with two outs, but Heston Kjerstad swung through a fastball to strand the runners in a 23-pitch inning.

O’Hearn was hit twice and walked twice. Daniel Robert drilled him on the left knee with a 95.1 mph fastball in the seventh inning.

Rather than leave the game, O'Hearn stuck around and homered off José Leclerc with two outs in the ninth.

"That deserves a gold star," Hyde said.

The Orioles drew a season-high nine walks, which didn’t enhance the pace of the game. They left 15 runners on base.

"I thought our at-bats were good," Hyde said. "We left a lot of runners out there, but nice to get so much traffic and make the pitchers work the way they did.”

Rodriguez threw 25 in the bottom of the first, which began with a leadoff walk to Marcus Semien. Andrew Knizner had a two-run single in a 29-pitch second, but Rodriguez retired the side in order on only seven in the third. Cowser made a tremendous running catch in left field to open the fourth.

“I thought he got better as the game went on," Hyde said. "A little shaky maybe early, allowed a couple runs there, balls on the middle of the plate. But as the game went on I thought the fastball got even better and stepped on a bunch to get some outs. Went six big innings for us.”

"Just wish I had been a little bit more clean at the beginning of the game," Rodriguez said.

"I think it was like seven days since the last start. Anytime you go a full week without being on the mound, it can feel a little rusty out there. I think that’s kind of what the beginning of the game was. Once the third, fourth inning rolled around, just feeling a little bit more comfortable and normal baseball."

Wyatt Langford was 0-for-27 before his RBI double off Yennier Cano in the eighth. Cano inherited two runners from Cionel Pérez and they both scored.

Craig Kimbrel made his second appearance since July 7, but O'Hearn removed the save situation. Kimbrel needed the work and got it by stranding runners on the corners.

The Orioles are 5-1 against the Rangers. They’re 9-2 all-time at Globe Life Field in non-playoff games. And they're 2-0 since resuming the season.

“It’s really good," Urías said. "I think we all needed that break. Everybody looks different now. It’s a fresh start and we’re doing well.

"We have a lot of guys that can hit on this team and it was just a matter of time.”

* Double-A Bowie’s Alex Pham threw four scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts. Cameron Weston followed with four scoreless and only one hit allowed.

Carter Young hit his fifth homer for High-A Aberdeen. Enrique Bradfield Jr. had two hits and two more stolen bases to give him 48.

Triple-A Norfolk’s game with Nashville was rained out.