Cade Povich celebrated his 26th birthday with a strong outing, pitching 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball to earn the win as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-2 at Camden Yards. The victory gave the Orioles a series win and improved their record to 8-7. Povich received a standing ovation from the crowd after his performance.
BALTIMORE -- Filling in for the injured Zach Eflin, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier in the week, Povich retired the first 12 Giants batters before allowing a leadoff single to Casey Schmitt in the fifth. His only run came on a two-out RBI single by Daniel Susac later that inning. Povich scattered five hits, struck out five, walked none, and threw 97 pitches over 65 strikes while inducing 17 whiffs in the 6-2 victory on Sunday afternoon. Rookie catcher Samuel Basallo, who hit a two-run homer in the first, worked in sync with Povich throughout the game. Basallo said through interpreter Brandon Quinones, “He's just being really confident and aggressive with his pitches.” Povich added, “My ultimate goal was to ride with Sam and what he called. We had a good game plan.” The outing marked the second strong performance from Baltimore's rotation depth this week, following Brandon Young's five scoreless innings in a spot start against the White Sox on Monday. Manager Craig Albernaz praised the group's versatility: “I love our rotation depth, with B.Y. and Povich. We’ve got some depth.” Dean Kremer is expected to rejoin the rotation soon, providing long-term stability alongside Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, and Chris Bassitt. Povich became the sixth Orioles pitcher since 1954 to work at least 6 2/3 innings on his birthday and the first to do so allowing one or fewer runs with five or more strikeouts. First baseman Pete Alonso, who had two hits and two RBIs, emphasized resilience amid injuries, including 12 players on the IL and an upcoming move for Ryan Mountcastle's broken foot. “If we can just be battle tested the whole year... that’s ultimately the goal,” Alonso said.
