The Orioles rode high on an Earl Weaver special Monday night, only to be reminded of his timeless wisdom on Tuesday: "Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher." That truth hit hard as Baltimore stumbled to a 6-2 loss to the Yankees, erasing any good vibes from their dramatic comeback victory just 24 hours earlier.
Monday's win was pure magic, highlighted by Coby Mayo's three-run homer that had Camden Yards buzzing. But by Tuesday, that buzz was silenced. The Bronx Bombers struck fast and furious, plating five runs in the third inning against a returning Trevor Rogers, who was making his first start since coming off the injured list after battling the flu.
Rogers looked sharp early, allowing only a solo shot to Paul Goldschmidt on the very first pitch of the game. But the Yankees turned up the heat in the third, and Rogers' defense didn't do him any favors. Two runs scored on ground balls that should have ended the inning, and then came the knockout punch: Trent Grisham's three-run homer that just cleared the wall in right-center field. In a flash, it was 6-0, and whatever momentum Baltimore might have hoped for was gone.
The loss drops the Orioles to 19-24, five games below .500 and trailing far behind the Yankees (26-16) and Rays (27-13) in the American League East. It also snaps a brief two-game winning streak—both one-run victories—and extends a frustrating pattern. Baltimore hasn't won three straight games since April 11-13, when they were 9-7 and looking like contenders. Since then, they've gone 10-17.
For Rogers, the story is especially tough. He was the Orioles' Opening Day starter after a stunning 2025 campaign that saw him post a 1.81 ERA over 18 starts and earn an AL Cy Young Award vote. He started this season on fire, with three straight quality starts and a 1.89 ERA. But then came the downturn, and he's been stuck in quicksand ever since. Rogers has allowed 19 runs over his last 15 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 5.77. His worst start came on April 25, when he couldn't escape the second inning, and the flu sidelined him soon after. His velocity was up on Tuesday, but the results were a painful reminder that baseball doesn't care about comebacks—it only cares about what happens on the mound that day.