Baltimore Orioles at Cincinnati Reds

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?