The Baltimore Orioles blanked the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 Friday as Samuel Basallo's two-run home run and a combined shutout from four pitchers carried them to a second straight win in a series-opener in Cincinnati.
Basallo went 1-for-3 with the opposite-field homer to left. Trevor Rogers earned the win with five strong innings, allowing just two hits and no runs on 93 pitches while striking out four, and Tyler Wells finished it off with a scoreless ninth for the save.
Baltimore scored in the first before Basallo went deep in the third to build a 3-0 lead that Cincinnati's offense never threatened. The Reds managed just five hits on the night.
Although he walked five, Rogers (6-7) was mostly stellar and hit 97 miles per hour on the radar gun with a fastball on a warm, humid night in Cincinnati. Rogers again appeared to have great chemistry with Basallo and after the game lauded his presence behind and at the plate.
“We have a chemistry unlike I’ve had in a long time," Rogers said of Basallo. "I hardly ever have to think because we’re so in sync. I trust what we calls. He put us on the board today with that homer. He’s doing it from both sides of the plate.”
Brady Singer (3-8) took the loss for the Reds, allowing three hits and two earned runs over five innings while striking out six. The Orioles and Reds continue their series Saturday.
In the Orioles first game since hopeful closer Ryan Helsley returned the IL with a bad elbow, Wells got the nod for the save opportunity, given his ability against lefties, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.
"I enjoy trying to step up and fill in," Wells said after the game. He did that, getting his first save since September 28, 2023, when the O's clinched the AL East title against the Boston Red Sox.