ARLINGTON, Texas — Grayson Rodriguez struck out eight over six innings for his AL-best 12th win, and Cedric Mullins became the eighth Baltimore batter with 10 home runs this season as the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Saturday night.
Jordan Westburg and Ryan O'Hearn also went deep to increase Baltimore's major league-best total to 156 home runs, 16 more than the New York Yankees.
The AL East-leading Orioles, the first American League team to reach 60 wins, went ahead to stay with a four-run second against Max Scherzer (1-3). The three-time Cy Young Award winner didn't return at the start of the next inning.
Rodriguez (12-4) struck out the side in the sixth to end his night. The right-hander allowed his only three hits and two runs in a four-batter span in the second inning before retiring 13 of the last 14 he faced. He is the first Orioles pitcher since Sidney Ponson in 2003 to win 12 of his first 18 appearances in a season.
Mullins' bunt single with two on in the second led to the first run, when Scherzer's throwing error past first allowed each runner to advance an extra base. No. 9 batter Ramón Urías followed with a two-run single and later scored on Anthony Santander's single.
Scherzer threw 34 of his 53 pitches for strikes while allowing five hits and two walks. He struck out one, moving within two of tying for 10th place on baseball's career strikeout list, and committed a throwing error.
His velocity was down a bit, with 20 fastballs averaging 91.3 m.p.h. — below his season average of 92.7 m.p.h. It was also down on his 11 sliders and 11 changeups.
It was Scherzer's shortest outing since June 11, 2021, when he threw only 12 pitches for Washington and was facing just his second batter against San Francisco when he felt a groin tweak. He exited that game after stretching his body and taking one warmup pitch.
After surgery last December to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, Scherzer dealt with a nerve issue during his rehab that was diagnosed after he experienced right thumb soreness.
A night after the Orioles got all their runs on four homers in a 9-1 series-opening win, they were up 4-0 before Mullins went deep off José Ureña in the third. Westburg, an All-Star who was in an 0-for-15 slide before his leadoff single in the second, hit a two-run homer in the sixth and O'Hearn had a solo shot in the ninth.
Andrew Knizner had a two-run single in the Texas second. The Rangers didn't score again until Wyatt Langford snapped an 0-for-27 slide with an RBI double in the eighth, after Corey Seager walked to extend his on-base streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Heston Kjerstad was activated from the seven-day concussion injured list, and started in right field. He took a 97 mph fastball to the helmet on July 12. He went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout. To make room on the active roster, the Orioles optioned outfielder Kyle Stowers to Triple-A Norfolk.
Rangers: After LHP Cody Bradford (low back strain) made a rehab start for the Rangers' rookie-level team in Arizona on Friday, RHPs Tyler Mahle (right elbow surgery rehab) and Dane Dunning (right rotator cuff strain) both pitched Saturday for Triple-A Round Rock. ... OF Derek Hill was designated for assignment when INF Justin Foscue was recalled from Round Rock.
UP NEXT
RHP Dean Kremer (4-5, 4.38 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday for Baltimore. Left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-10, 3.79) pitches for the Rangers.
