Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers will try to change his disappointing history against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday when the visiting Orioles go for a three-game sweep on Sunday.
Baltimore has won the first two games of the series, 3-2 on Friday and 9-6 in 10 innings on Saturday, against the reeling Braves, who have lost eight of 10 and three in a row.
Baltimore has not swept a season series against Atlanta since 2015.
Rogers (1-0, 2.05 ERA) will be matched against Atlanta right-hander Grant Holmes (4-7, 3.47) and try to beat the Braves for the first time in his career.
Rogers, who came up in the Miami organization, has seen plenty of Atlanta over the years. In nine career starts against the Braves — he’s only seen more action against Nationals, Mets and Phillies — Rogers is 0-7 with a 5.57 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 42 innings. He went 0-2 with a 4.22 in two starts against the Braves in 2024.
Rogers was acquired from the Marlins last year. He began the season on the injured list because of a right knee subluxation being before making his season debut with the Orioles on May 24.
In four starts since being activated, he has had only one start shorter than five innings. His best performance came on June 23 when he threw eight shutout innings against the Rangers. He came back on Monday to throw 5 1/3 innings and allow two runs at Texas.
“Just everything that’s surrounding him, watching maybe struggle a little bit last year when we got him and just kind of the flack that the organization got for him,” Baltimore manager Tony Mansolino said. “We saw a guy that looked pretty good to me.”
Rogers gave credit to the coaching staff for helping him get back to the major leagues.
“We really just broke down mechanics and what I can improve on to try to get my velocity back and I think we’re seeing that,” Rogers said. “I’m just really happy with where things are right now.”
Holmes has been a model of consistency for the Braves since joining the rotation. In 17 starts this year, Holmes has pitched at least five innings 14 times. Over his last three starts, Holmes has had two scoreless stints and allowed only two runs in 16 2/3 innings, an ERA of 1.08. He threw six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday with 10 strikeouts in his last outing. It was his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
“I don’t ever expect to go out there and get that many swing-and-misses,” Holmes said. “But I do feel like my stuff is good enough to get that. But to say I think that I could go out there and get it quite often would be kind of dumb, as they say.”
Holmes has never faced the Orioles.
The Orioles may be forced to make a move to add a catcher. Gary Sanchez left Saturday’s game with right knee pain after a play at the plate. That leaves Jacob Stallings as the only healthy catcher on the roster. Baltimore already has catchers Chadwick Tromp (back), Adley Rutschman (oblique) and Maverick Handley (concussion) on the injured list.
–Field Level Media
