Orioles beat Mariners, 7-2, to end skid behind stellar start, grand slam

Jake Kauderer, Baltimore Sun on Jun 10, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — There’s been an abundance of surprises with the Orioles this season, but perhaps the biggest has been the emergence of a reliable starting pitcher.

The team went 3-9 in Brandon Young’s starts in 2025, when the rookie recorded a 6.24 ERA. But this season has been drastically different. Baltimore moved to 9-1 in the 27-year-old’s starts this season with a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Young fired seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts en route to his team-leading fifth win.

The victory ended the Orioles’ (32-37) four-game losing streak and kept them within two games of the final American League wild-card spot.

Young threw his fastball 34% of the time, just down from his season average of nearly 40%. He mixed in a strong splitter a quarter of the time and allowed just one runner to reach scoring position in his fourth straight start in which he pitched into the seventh inning.

Young’s run support started in a breakout sixth inning for Baltimore.

First baseman Pete Alonso led off the frame with his team-high 14th home run. Colton Cowser followed with a walk and steal before Leody Taveras ripped a double off starter George Kirby — his second hit against the righty on Wednesday after entering with just one knock in 15 career at-bats against him.

Taveras reached base again in the seventh with a walk, this time off reliever Domingo González, to load the bases for Jackson Holliday.

The second baseman delivered.

Holliday blasted his third-career grand slam — his first home run since May 29 — to build a seven-run lead and effectively put the game away. The offensive surge wasn’t new to Baltimore fans. The Orioles boast the second-most runs at home of any team this season.

They finished 4 for 13 with runners-in-scoring-position on Wednesday after going 2 for 20 across the first two games of the series. Early on, Baltimore’s offense looked similar to previous nights.

In the third inning, No. 9 hitter Sam Huff legged out an infield single to open the frame. Wednesday marked the catcher’s third straight start as Adley Rutschman remains day to day with hamstring tightness and Samuel Basallo deals with a chronic wrist injury.

Manager Craig Albernaz said pregame that sitting Basallo was a move of “short-term pain for long-term gain,” despite Basallo on Tuesday pushing back on the idea that managing the pain is a learning experience for him.

After Huff’s slow hit, leadoff hitter Taylor Ward worked his team-leading 59th walk, and Gunnar Henderson singled into center. Then, Alonso stepped up.

The five-time All-Star struck out swinging, dropping him to 1 for 12 with the bases loaded this year. He came into Wednesday’s game with an OPS of just .629 with RISP this season, well down from his career mark of .912.

But Alonso, known as a vocal and demonstrative leader, fueled the late-game offensive breakout with his homer in the sixth inning. Third baseman Blaze Alexander, who entered hitting .444 across the past two weeks, drove in Baltimore’s final run of the frame with a double.

That, combined with Holliday’s blast, proved to be plenty to support Young.

The righty became the first Baltimore pitcher to go seven or more scoreless innings since Trevor Rogers did it on opening day. Rogers was expected to be the Orioles’ best pitcher this season after recording a 1.81 ERA and 9-3 record in 2025. That hasn’t happened. The lefty is 3-6 with a 6.15 ERA.

Baltimore likely needs the 28-year-old to pitch much better to have any chance at a deep run this season. But the pitching staff has stayed afloat despite his struggles — largely thanks to Young, who surprisingly has been the team’s best starting pitcher.