BALTIMORE — For almost eight innings, the Cleveland Guardians’ offense had few answers for Baltimore Orioles starter Trevor Rogers.
By the time the bats finally came alive, it was too late.
Nathaniel Lowe delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the ninth inning, but Cleveland’s comeback ended there as the Guardians fell to the Orioles 6-4 on Monday afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo struggled to find the strike zone from the beginning. Baltimore opened the scoring in the second inning when Dylan Beavers doubled home Samuel Basallo, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
Things unraveled further in the third.
Coby Mayo opened the inning with a solo home run before Cantillo loaded the bases and was replaced by Franco Aleman. The Orioles then pushed two more runs across on bases-loaded walks to Blaze Alexander and Pete Alonso, extending their advantage to 4-0.
Cantillo (9-9) lasted just 2? innings, allowing four runs on three hits. He walked five batters, hit two more and threw only 35 of his 72 pitches for strikes.
While Cleveland’s pitching staff struggled early, Rogers kept the Guardians quiet. The left-hander held Cleveland scoreless through the first five innings before the Guardians finally broke through in the sixth.
Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan opened the inning with consecutive singles, and Jo Adell followed with an RBI double to right field that scored Rocchio. Kwan advanced to third on the play, but the Guardians failed to bring him home and remained three runs behind.
Baltimore immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning. After Jackson Holliday reached with a single, Mayo launched his second home run of the game—a two-run shot off Slade Cecconi that stretched the Orioles’ lead to 6-1.
Rogers (10-9) worked 7? innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out six and walking none. Cleveland finished with nine hits but did little with them until its final trip to the plate.
José Ramírez and Adell opened the ninth with back-to-back singles before Lowe came off the bench and drove an Andrew Kittredge pitch over the right-center-field wall. Lowe’s 16th homer of the season suddenly pulled the Guardians within 6-4. That was as close as they would get.
Adell and Kwan each finished with two hits for the Guardians, while Daniel Espino and Craig Yoho each contributed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. The loss dropped Cleveland to 73-72 and snapped its three-game winning streak.
What’s Next: The Guardians continue their series against the Orioles on Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Tanner Bibee is scheduled to start for Cleveland against Baltimore right-hander Brandon Young. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
