Orioles explode for eight-run third, beat Guardians 9-5 to stay alive in Wild Card race

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-5 Wednesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, riding an eight-run third inning to one of their biggest offensive explosions of the season. Baltimore erased an early 2-0 deficit and improved to 71-76, taking two of three games from Cleveland in a series that carried major American League Wild Card implications. The victory moved the Orioles within three games of the Guardians, who currently occupy the third AL Wild Card position. citeturn474632search0turn474632search8

Baltimore entered the game without Gunnar Henderson, who was held out because of left knee soreness, while Blaze Alexander went on the 10-day injured list with lower-back discomfort. Cleveland immediately took advantage when Chase DeLauter launched a two-run home run off Orioles starter Shane Baz in the top of the first inning. The early deficit could have become another frustrating night for Baltimore, but the Orioles responded with their biggest inning of the homestand. citeturn474632search0turn972336search2

The entire game changed in the bottom of the third. Leody Taveras and Carlos Narváez opened the inning with consecutive singles before Dylan Beavers ripped a two-run double to tie the game at 2-2. Christian Encarnacion-Strand was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the go-ahead run, giving Baltimore a 3-2 advantage with nobody out. citeturn474632search0turn972336search4

The Orioles were nowhere close to finished. Jackson Holliday added an RBI single, Rece Hinds brought home another run with a sacrifice fly and Jeremiah Jackson drove in a run with a single after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk earlier in the day. Taveras followed with an RBI single before Beavers came through again, driving home another run and completing an eight-run inning that gave Baltimore an 8-2 lead. citeturn474632search0turn972336search10

It matched Baltimore’s largest single inning of the season. The Orioles previously scored eight runs in the fifth inning of their 13-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 25. More importantly, Baltimore produced the type of sustained rally that has been missing too often throughout an inconsistent 2026 season. citeturn474632search0

Beavers was at the center of the offensive breakout and finished with three RBIs. His two-run double started Baltimore’s comeback and his later RBI single helped put the inning out of reach. For an Orioles club trying to stay relevant in September, getting that level of production from one of its young players is exactly what the organization needs to see.

Cleveland refused to go quietly. Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning before Patrick Bailey added an RBI double, trimming Baltimore’s advantage to 8-5 and ending Baz’s night after 5 2/3 innings. Baz allowed five earned runs but still earned the victory, improving to 6-15 while striking out five. citeturn972336search10turn474632search8

Coby Mayo immediately answered Cleveland’s rally in the bottom of the sixth. Mayo blasted a solo home run to left-center field off Franco Aleman, pushing Baltimore’s lead back to 9-5 and giving him 22 home runs on the season. The ball left Mayo’s bat at 106.6 mph and traveled 406 feet, and the homer marked his third consecutive game with a home run. citeturn972336search11turn474632search0

Baltimore’s bullpen made sure Cleveland did not complete another comeback. Rico Garcia recorded the final five outs and earned his seventh save of the season, including three strikeouts over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Garcia worked out of trouble in the eighth before striking out Jo Adell to end the game in the ninth. citeturn474632search8turn972336search10

The Orioles finished with nine runs on 10 hits while Cleveland recorded five runs on nine hits. Foster Griffin took the loss after being charged with eight earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings. Baltimore’s eight-run third ultimately provided enough separation to withstand Cleveland’s three-run sixth. citeturn474632search8

The victory also gave the Orioles two wins in the three-game series after Baltimore beat Cleveland 6-4 Monday before falling 9-5 Tuesday. Cleveland still owns the season-series tiebreaker after taking four of seven meetings, which makes Baltimore’s remaining schedule even more important. The Orioles now have 15 games remaining as they attempt to make a late run toward an American League postseason berth. citeturn474632search0

Baltimore gets an off day Thursday before beginning a crucial three-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night at Rogers Centre. Toronto is also ahead of Baltimore in the Wild Card chase, meaning the Orioles have another opportunity to directly gain ground against one of the teams standing between them and October. The Orioles and Blue Jays will meet six more times during the final stretch of the season. citeturn474632search0turn474632search6

MSB Take

This was exactly the type of game the Orioles needed to win. Baltimore fell behind early, played without Henderson and Alexander and easily could have folded after another difficult start, but instead the offense delivered an eight-run response that completely changed the game. Beavers continues to show why he should be a major part of the Orioles’ future, while Mayo’s power surge is becoming another encouraging development during the final month of the season.

The postseason odds are still working against Baltimore, and losing the season-series tiebreaker to Cleveland makes the three-game deficit feel larger than it appears. However, the Orioles cannot control what Cleveland does from here; they can only keep winning and put pressure on everybody above them. Taking two of three from a team they are directly chasing was a good start, but the upcoming games against Toronto are now absolutely massive.

This season has provided plenty of reasons to question whether the Orioles can sustain a run, but Wednesday night’s third inning showed what this lineup is capable of when everything clicks. Baltimore still has a pulse in the Wild Card race. If the Orioles want to turn that pulse into something meaningful, the urgency they showed Wednesday has to continue every night.