Orioles' offense erupts late for 10-6 win over Rangers in 11 innings

Sam Cohn, The Baltimore Sun on Jul 1, 2025

Published in Baseball

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Neither the Orioles nor the Rangers had any interest in going home.

When Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser each homered in the 10th inning, combining for three runs on 828 feet worth of long balls, it was Texas’ Adolis García who responded with a thunderous game-tying three-run home run, reviving the home team from a flat line and spiking his bat like a WWE star’s finishing move. At any normal baseball game, that might have been enough to carry Texas home.

Then Luis Vázquez, who made his Orioles debut on June 14 and was riding an 0-for-8 streak in the two weeks since, recorded his second major league hit — first as an Oriole — to plate Jackson Holliday for their final lead in the top of the 11th.

Baltimore constructed a 10-6 lead in the 11th on back-to-back doubles from Ramón Laureano and Henderson that proved enough to escape with the win. Enough to take a deep sigh of relief for a win that nearly included 10 combined runs in two extra innings and nearly slipped from the Orioles’ grasp again and again.

Gary Sanchez’s base-clearing double in the third inning put the Orioles in an advantageous spot against a struggling Rangers lineup, while backed by resurgent starter Trevor Rogers. He held Texas at bay for five scoreless innings. It was gone in a flash.

The Orioles entered the sixth holding a firm 3-0 lead. Rogers had been pitching lights out, having retired 11 of 12 batters en route to escape the fifth inning. It was, up to that point, another dot on the graph of what is shaping up to be among the best stretches of any Orioles pitcher this season.

Then he walked Corey Seager in the sixth inning. And Marcus Semien blasted a two-run home run that reignited a flame inside the enclosed Globe Life Field — figuratively in the sense that the crowd perked back up, literally because fireworks lit up the outfield.

Rogers’ day ended at 5 1/3 with five strikeouts, three hits and two earned runs. His head hung as he ambled back to the dugout knowing how costly that one pitch was, cutting the Rangers’ deficit to one.

Then in the seventh, Texas’ Michael Helman drew a walk. Seranthony Domínguez punched his glove in frustration. Helman took off for second. Sanchez’s throw ricocheted off the runner’s hip out out toward center field. Mullins threw in to Jackson Holliday, and Holliday spun the ball home on a one-hopper that Sanchez bobbled, allowing the tying run.

The Rangers, who were playing in their fourth consecutive extra innings game, kept wreaking havoc on the basepath. Such aggression threatened to put a bow on this game in the ninth. This 3 1/2 hour game was nowhere near over.

Instant analysis

The Orioles are running out of catchers.

Early in Monday night’s win, Chadwick Tromp lined out to second base and appeared to twist uncomfortably through the swing. He hobbled off the field and eventually exited with lower back discomfort, the team said. Gary Sanchez, who was the team’s designated hitter, relieved Tromp behind the dish, forfeiting Baltimore’s DH.

That’s the second time this has happened in eight days, thrusting Sanchez into overtime work at catcher because of a depleted catching group.

On June 22, catcher Maverick Handley took the brunt of a collision near home plate with Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. Handley left the game and later landed in concussion protocol. Sanchez was the only warm body available off the bench to replace him at catcher because Tromp was still in Triple-A Norfolk and Adley Rutschman had already been designated to the IL with an oblique strain.

Sanchez wound up catching on back to back days that weekend. He’s logged four multi-hit games since returning from the IL. And now twice, he’s been called on for relief.

On deck

The Orioles will look to take the series with another win Tuesday night against the Rangers. Charlie Morton was originally scheduled to pitch but has been sidelined with low-grade elbow tendinitis. Brandon Young will pitch in his place, opposite two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom. Then Tomoyuki Sugano will match up with Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday night.

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