Trevor Rogers came in fresh off maybe his best start of the year, 6.1 innings of 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts against Washington, and Brady Singer came in fresh off the worst kind of familiar: another shaky outing, this time 5 earned runs over just 4.1 innings against Pittsburgh. That gap in recent form showed up on the scoreboard.
Cincinnati's lineup has been banged up for weeks, and Friday didn't offer much relief. Ke'Bryan Hayes is still working his way back from a bad back, now on a rehab assignment, and the Reds are also without both of their center fielders, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn. The rotation news is more encouraging, with Hunter Greene finally lined up to make his long-awaited season debut this weekend, but that boost arrived a day too late to help Singer on Friday.
Baltimore has its own injury mess in the bullpen, with Ryan Helsley and Keegan Akin both banged up and Felix Bautista still working back from shoulder trouble. None of it mattered Friday. The Orioles didn't need length or lockdown relief, just enough offense to make Rogers' start stand up, and they got exactly that.
Baltimore did its scoring early and let Rogers handle the rest. A run in the first and two more in the third were more than enough against a Reds offense that managed just 4 hits and never got a runner past second all night. Cincinnati's lone error didn't help matters either, adding a bit of self-inflicted misery to an already quiet evening at the plate.
Both teams arrived at Friday sitting under .500 and trending the wrong way, Baltimore having dropped 4 of its last 5 before that, Cincinnati riding a 4-game skid it had only just snapped against Milwaukee. With the trade deadline a month out and Mike Elias still publicly insisting the Orioles are "going for it," nights like this one make that case harder to sell. For the Reds, the whole season increasingly reads as an audition for what comes after Greene returns to the rotation.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Helsley is dealing with right elbow discomfort and will undergo further testing, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeegan Akin RP — The Orioles are awaiting MRI results on Akin's left elbow, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Bassitt SP — Bassitt (back) underwent a minor procedure to have bone spurs removed from his back, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYaramil Hiraldo RP — Hiraldo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at High-A Frederick, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista RP — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Saturday that Bautista (shoulder) has been "throwing really, really well" in his bullpen sessions, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILColin Selby RP — Selby plans to receive a second opinion on his right shoulder before continuing his rehab program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle 1B — Mountcastle (foot) did some running Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg 3B — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes (back) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Dayton on Friday.
- 10-Day-ILDane Myers CF — The Reds placed Myers on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left shoulder contusion, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn CF — Dunn (elbow) underwent an MRI on Saturday and is likely to return to Cincinnati for more testing, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTony Santillan RP — Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday that an MRI on Santillan's left oblique showed a significant strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft is expected to resume throwing soon after receiving good news Tuesday regarding the imaging on his injured right elbow UCL, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) will make his season debut for the Reds on Saturday versus the Orioles, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — Williamson (shoulder) injured his finger while working out, and his rehab program has been pushed back by about 10 days as a result, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.