Rockies Walk Off Orioles 6-5 in 11 Innings, Sink Baltimore’s Wild-Card Push

DENVER — Wednesday, September 2, 2026

The Baltimore Orioles saw a two-run, 11th-inning lead evaporate in agonizing fashion Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field, as Brett Sullivan’s two-out, two-run single off reliever Grant Wolfram capped a three-run rally and handed Colorado a 6-5 walk-off win. The loss closed out Baltimore’s nine-game road trip on a sour note and dropped the Orioles to 69-71, a game and a half back of Cleveland for the final American League wild-card spot. The Rockies, who entered the day mired in a 10-game home losing streak snapped just one night earlier, improved to 54-86 with their second straight win.

Rogers Was Brilliant — and It Wasn’t Enough

Orioles right-hander Trevor Rogers turned in one of the best starts of his season, striking out a career-high 11 batters without issuing a walk over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits. He retired seven straight hitters by strikeout at one stretch and didn’t allow another baserunner from the third inning until Cole Carrigg singled in the seventh.

“To be honest, I had no idea that I struck that many people out in a row,” Rogers said afterward. “Some of the guys told me and I had no idea. I was just locked in on pitch to pitch and making my pitches.”

Manager Craig Albernaz praised the outing: “He did a great job of navigating that lineup and it was almost like he was getting stronger as he was going a little bit. It was one of Rogers’ better outings.”

Infielder Blaze Alexander, who had a front-row view from second base, called one particular sequence against Ryan Ritter “like MLB The Show,” describing how Rogers mixed a pair of changeups with a well-located sinker away to freeze the Rockies infielder.

None of it translated into a win.

Colorado’s Third-Inning Answer

Baltimore struck first in the top of the third against Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano, who was working to rebound from a rough three-start stretch. Pete Alonso singled home a run, and Luis Robert Jr. — playing his first game as an Oriole — followed with a two-run double to make it 3-0.

Colorado answered immediately. Adael Amador led off the bottom of the third with a single, and after Rogers struck out the next two hitters, Jake McCarthy tripled to center to drive in Amador. A wild relay throw on the play nearly turned into a second run, as McCarthy tried to score from third, but a heads-up backup throw home from Rogers himself — after a replay challenge — got him out at the plate. Cole Carrigg’s RBI single in the fourth trimmed the deficit to 3-2, and that’s where the score stood deep into the game.

Bullpens Take Over

Both bullpens dominated the middle innings. Rockies relievers Juan Mejia, Jimmy Herget and Jaden Hill combined to allow just one hit over three innings with a strikeout and two walks. On the other side, Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano limited Colorado to one hit over 1 1/3 innings with no walks and a strikeout, keeping the 3-2 Baltimore lead intact into the ninth.

Down to the Last Strike — Twice

Closer Andrew Kittredge came on for the save in the ninth and nearly finished the job. Hunter Goodman appeared to tie the game with a leadoff home run, but the ball hooked foul, and he struck out. TJ Rumfield lined out for the second out, putting the Rockies down to their final strike. Carrigg then came within inches of a walk-off homer himself, the ball clanging off the yellow padding atop the outfield wall for a double instead. Pinch-hitter Zac Veen followed with a two-run — er, RBI double into the gap that scored Carrigg and tied the game at 3-3, forcing extra innings and handing Kittredge his fifth blown save in 14 chances.

“Pitching in Colorado is tough, and also, we’ve been using him a lot, which is a good thing,” Albernaz said of Kittredge. “That one mistake was to Veen. He executes his slider where he needs to, who knows what might happen? But the slider just popped out of his hand and it was a good pitch to hit.”

A Baserunning Mistake and a Missed Chance

The game stayed tied into the 10th, when Jackson Holliday — running as the automatic runner at second — broke for third on a Pete Alonso groundball to short and was thrown out, a mistake that cost Baltimore a potential go-ahead run.

“He was just trying to do too much there,” Albernaz said. “He knew right away when he broke where the shortstop was, and he was just being aggressive. He knew it right away, right as he came into the dugout, he knew he messed up.”

Holliday finished the series a bright spot regardless, going 5-for-11 over the final two games.

Orioles Take the Lead, Rockies Take It Away

Baltimore finally broke through in the top of the 11th. Samuel Basallo and Blaze Alexander each singled home a run off Blas Castaño (1-1) to put the Orioles up 5-3 and put Kittredge’s rough day behind them.

It didn’t last. Grant Wolfram (6-3 despite the loss allowed) took over for Baltimore in the bottom half and immediately ran into trouble. TJ Rumfield’s RBI single made it 5-4. Two batters later, Dylan Beavers singled to put runners on, setting the stage for Brett Sullivan, who lined a two-run single to left to complete the comeback and send Coors Field home happy, 6-5.

By the Numbers

• Cole Carrigg led the Rockies with three hits; Adael Amador, TJ Rumfield and Jake McCarthy each had two.
• Blaze Alexander paced Baltimore with three hits; Jackson Holliday had two.
• Colton Cowser, who saved Monday’s win with a spectacular catch, went hitless in five at-bats and is now 0-for-19. Gunnar Henderson finished 1-for-12 on the series, Pete Alonso 2-for-10.
• Attendance was announced at 15,616.
• The Orioles were outscored 9-9… actually scored just nine runs total across the three-game series in Colorado, a lineup that had won 10 straight games at home before Tuesday.

What It Means

Baltimore salvaged a 6-3 record on its three-city road trip — sweeping Oakland and taking two of three in St. Louis — but stumbled at the finish, losing two of three to a last-place Rockies team. With Cleveland now 1 1/2 games up for the last AL wild-card spot, the Orioles head home to Camden Yards for a critical seven-game homestand: four against Boston starting Thursday night (Brandon Young vs. Jake Bennett, 7:15 first pitch on FOX), followed by three against Cleveland itself.

“Leads are never safe here, and this one hurts,” Albernaz said. “It’s tough, but it was a good road trip for us. We’re pumped to get back home, get in front of our fans. Ultimately, good road trips right now, they’re OK, but not good enough. When we have the lead, we have to close it out.”

Rogers, despite his career day, echoed the frustration: “We didn’t get the job done today. Should have won the game. We didn’t. Very frustrated. We’re all frustrated right now, but we got to flush it as soon and quick as we can. We got some really important ballgames left.”

Around the Organization

Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Nick Raquet was released after clearing waivers. High-A Frederick utilityman R.J. Austin had a hamate bone removed from his left wrist this week in a procedure the club says was successful.

Up Next

Orioles at Orioles Park at Camden Yards vs. Boston Red Sox, Thursday, 7:15 PM ET, FOX. Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38 ERA) starts for Baltimore against Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA).