Orioles beat Nationals 3-1 behind Rogers and Alexander's hit

Trevor Rogers gave the Orioles the kind of start that can change the tone of a homestand, and Blaze Alexander supplied the swing that made it stand up. Baltimore beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Friday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a result that kept the home club within reach in an uneven season and gave fans at the ballpark a clean, efficient win.

Rogers worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on five hits, striking out seven and walking none. ESPN’s box score listed the final line at 6.1 innings, five hits, one earned run, seven strikeouts and no walks, while Major League Baseball called it his third straight quality start and said the outing extended a strong June turnaround after a difficult start to 2026. Baltimore needed that kind of stability from its rotation, and Rogers delivered it while Alex Tosi worked behind the plate as home plate umpire.

Washington scored first with a run in the fifth inning, but Baltimore answered in the seventh with the decisive rally. Alexander’s two-run single gave the Orioles the lead for good, and Coby Mayo added an RBI double as Baltimore’s lineup did enough to separate from the Nationals without needing a late comeback. The Orioles finished with three runs, enough to support the pitching and close out the game in front of 26,901 at Camden Yards.

The win also came with a wider standings edge. Baltimore entered at 39-44, while Washington came in at 41-42, and the Nationals left town having lost four straight and seven of their last nine. That skid gave the Orioles a chance to pick up ground against a regional opponent that still draws extra attention in Baltimore, especially at Camden Yards, where games against Washington carry a little more edge than a typical interleague date.

Alexander’s hit added another layer to the night. The 27-year-old right-handed infielder, drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 11th round in 2018 out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, has been part of Baltimore’s infield mix, and Friday’s swing gave him a direct hand in one of the Orioles’ more orderly wins of the season. The scoreboard showed a simple finish, but the deeper value was in Rogers giving Baltimore length, the bullpen protecting it, and the offense cashing in when the game turned in the seventh.