Alonso, Orioles Outslug Rangers in Series Finale

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

August 9, 2026

Orioles 10, Rangers 5

ARLINGTON, Texas (Aug 9) — The Texas Rangers fell apart in their series finale to the Baltimore Orioles, losing, 10–5, Sunday afternoon. Pete Alonso had a big day with a multi-homer performance to help his team avoid a three-game sweep. From here, the Rangers embark on a seven-game road trip, beginning with four against the Los Angeles Angels. That set will get underway Monday with first pitch slated for 6:38 pm Pacific at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Lefties MacKenzie Gore (6–9, 4.55 ERA) and Reid Detmers (3–8, 4.12 ERA) will go head-to-head in the series opener.

As for the Orioles, they will head out on the second leg of their nine-game road trip with a three-game tilt against the Minnesota Twins, which also begins Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm Central at Target Field. Left-hander Trevor Rogers (7–7, 4.20 ERA) will go up against righty Dean Kremer (1–4, 5.93 ERA) in that contest.

Rangers–Orioles Game Summary

The Orioles got into the run column in the top of the first against right-hander Kumar Rocker. Alonso lined a one-out single to center and Jackson Holliday followed with a double to right. Tyler O’Neill struck out swinging to bring up Dylan Beavers, who scored Alonso with an infield single that first baseman Jake Burger dove to his left for. After Burger retrieved the ball and got back on his feet, there was no time to make a play. On deck was Leody Taveras, who plated Holliday with a double to right.

The lead stretched to 3–0 when Colton Cowser led off the top of the second with a blast to deep center. It marked his ninth of the season, on a full count. After Carlos Narvaez grounded to short, Gunnar Henderson reached on a free pass. Up next was Alonso. He snuck a ball inside the foul pole in left for a two-run dinger to make it 5–0 Orioles.

The Rangers cut into the lead in the bottom of the third off left-hander Cade Povich. Wyatt Langford hit a one-out single that Povich bobbled in front of the mound. After getting Corey Seager out on a pop fly to Coby Mayo at third, Povich walked Ezequiel Duran. Up next was Brandon Nimmo, who demolished the first pitch of his at-bat to center for his 13th big fly of the campaign. The restless crowd of 35,334 appreciated the spark.

The Pete Alonso Show

The Orioles added two more in the top of the fourth. Narvaez led off with a walk, prompting Rangers manager Skip Schumaker to bring in lefty Jordan Montgomery in relief of Rocker. This was the first major league appearance for Montgomery since September of 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Narvaez moved to second when Henderson grounded into a 4–6 force play. Henderson moved himself into scoring position with his ninth stolen base of the season. On deck was Alonso, who worked the count full before belting a two-run bomb to left-center. It was his second of the afternoon. It marked the first multi-homer game for Alonso in 2026.

The Orioles extended the lead to 9–3 in the top of the sixth. Alonso reached on a leadoff walk but jogged back to the dugout after Holliday grounded into a 4–6 force play. On deck was O’Neil, who brought Holliday home with a blast to right on a 1–0 pitch, his 10th of the season.

The lead was extended to 10–3 in the top of the ninth off reliever Cole Winn. Beavers led off with a walk and Taveras moved him over with a single up the middle. Mayo loaded the bases with a single to right, and Cowser forced in Beavers with a free pass.

The Rangers split the lead in half in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Albert Suarez. The trend continued among both teams as Cam Cauley drew a leadoff walk. Nicky Lopez brought Cauley home with a triple to the alley in center. Austin Wynns entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Seager and popped softly to Suarez in front of the mound. Lopez scored on the next play when Duran grounded to third.

What Went Right for the Orioles

The Orioles were homer happy in Sunday’s finale. Alonso had his two round-trippers and Cowser and O’Neil joined the chat with their bombs as well. Cowser later drove in their final run with his bases-loaded walk. Taveras added a nice RBI double in the first, as they were able to get to Rocker early in the matinee.

What Went Wrong for the Orioles

The Orioles were able to keep the Rangers at bay until Nimmo hit his blast in the third. They were caught off-guard again in the ninth when Lopez drove in Cauley with his triple. To add to his day, Lopez scored the Rangers’ fifth and final run of the afternoon when Duran grounded to third.

Tough Outing for Rocker

Rangers starter Kumar Rocker made his 20th start and 22nd appearance of the season Sunday. He took his ninth loss, now 4–9 on the year with a 4.46 ERA. His final line was 7 H, 6 R-ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR, 69 pitches/40 strikes. Sunday signaled his most earned runs allowed since a season-high seven earned runs on July 11 versus the Houston Astros. Rocker allowed a pair of runs in the first before surrendering three more runs in the second on the two home runs by Cowser and Alonso. He gave way to Montgomery after walking the leadoff man in the fourth, allowing another bequeathed run. Rocker has yielded eight home runs in his last six starts dating back to July 5 for a 2.32 HR/9 mark over that stretch. He had a 0.90 HR/9 in his first 16 games and 14 starts.

Povich’s Day

Orioles starter Cade Povich took a no-decision in his fifth start after pitching three innings. His line was 4 H, 3 R-ER, 2 BB, and 2 K. He tied a season low in innings pitched. Povich held the Rangers in check in the first two frames but got dinged in the third as Nimmo launched his two-out, three-run blast to center. Povich logged his second start for the Orioles since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk after a three-month stint away from the big league club.

Reliever Yaramil Hiraldo picked up the first win of his major league career on Sunday. He took over for Povich to start the fifth and allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three in two stanzas.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Schumaker gave his take on his team’s performance at the plate Sunday. “I thought we actually took some decent at-bats when we got the starter (Povich) out quick,” he said. “(Brandon) Nimmo had a great day. We had some hard contact early. Some good walks, some deep counts. I thought we did a pretty good job.”