Orioles Overcome Rain and Heat for 7-5 Victory Against Mariners

BALTIMORE — The sweltering summer heat enveloped Camden Yards, and the Baltimore Orioles matched the intensity with a powerful performance. On Thursday, the season's hottest game commenced with a first-pitch temperature of 94 degrees, culminating in a 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners that allowed the Orioles to split the series against last year's American League Championship Series runners-up.

In a pivotal third inning, the Orioles capitalized on the conditions, scoring six runs and sending nine batters to the plate. Colton Cowser ignited the rally with a 416-foot home run off Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo, while Pete Alonso finished it off with a towering 439-foot shot to left field. In between, Jackson Holliday crossed home plate on a wild pitch, followed by Adley Rutschman’s two-run double that further extended Baltimore's lead.

Despite heavy thunderstorms threatening a rain delay from the fifth to the seventh inning, both teams continued to battle it out. The Mariners fought back, knocking Orioles starter Kyle Bradish out of the game after four innings, during which he allowed five runs on seven hits and issued three walks while striking out five. Bradish's struggles peaked in the fourth inning when back-to-back home runs from Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone, along with a clutch RBI single from Julio Rodríguez, inflated his pitch count.

Tyler Wells took over for Bradish, delivering three solid innings of relief that saw him strike out four batters while allowing only one baserunner. The Orioles added an insurance run in the fifth when Taylor Ward, who was hit by a pitch, later scored on Rutschman’s single. Both Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, who had been sidelined by injuries, returned to the lineup, boosting the team's offensive capabilities.

Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram combined for a flawless eighth inning before Andrew Kittredge stepped in during the ninth to secure his first save of the season.