Aug 9, 2025: Baltimore Orioles edge Oakland A’s 3-2 as Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle homer and Tomoyuki Sugano fires 7 strong. Jen Pawol makes history.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Camden Yards got the story it wanted and then some. In his first plate appearance since May 30, Ryan Mountcastle turned on a first-inning pitch and parked it — moments after Adley Rutschman had already cleared the wall to open the scoring. That early thunder held up behind Tomoyuki Sugano’s surgical seven innings in a 3-2 win over the Athletics, a night that also belonged to history as Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a Major League regular-season game.
“First trip to the plate back and he unloads — welcome back with a bang.”
This was the blueprint: jump a young team early and let the pitching play downhill. Rutschman ambushed a first-inning offering and drove it to right-center for his ninth of the season, and Mountcastle — first game back from the 60-day IL — followed by unloading in his very first trip to the plate. The instant payoff mattered more than the box score. With Mountcastle back, the middle of the order suddenly looks deeper, and opposing staffs can’t pitch around Adley with the same comfort. The Orioles rode that three-run burst the rest of the night.
Seven innings, five hits, one run, no walks, five strikeouts — that’s a veteran road map. Sugano attacked the zone all night and never let traffic become drama. The zero in the walk column is the tell: when he’s filling it up like that, soft contact and quick innings follow, and Brandon Hyde can script the late game instead of chasing it.
Yennier Cano gave a run back in the eighth to tighten things, but Keegan Akin slammed the door with a clean ninth for his second save. The Orioles haven’t committed to a single ninth-inning blueprint, and nights like this are why: play the matchups, keep arms fresh, and take the win that’s in front of you.
Speed and defense were the priorities today. Baltimore signed veteran outfielder Greg Allen after he opted out with the Cubs and immediately started him in center, batting eighth. That move pairs with an unfortunate one: Colton Cowser landed on the 7-day concussion IL (retro to Aug. 7). In the margins, the club also lost Vidal Bruján on a waiver claim to Atlanta. Allen’s game translates to late-inning value — range in center, smart baserunning — and he’s a tidy bridge while Cowser gets right.
Yes, the homer is the headline, but the ripple effect is the story. Mountcastle changes how teams sequence the heart of Baltimore’s order and gives Hyde more flexibility with DH/first base on any given night. He’s now at three homers and a .247 average in 190 AB this season — numbers that can move quickly if his timing holds. If Mounty stacks competitive at-bats, it eases the burden on Rutschman and lets complementary bats hunt fastballs again.
Catcher Maverick Handley (sprained right wrist) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, an important depth note behind Rutschman and the catching group. The Orioles released pitcher Kyle Brnovich from Norfolk and pitcher Preston Johnson from Double-A Chesapeake, a reminder that the organization continues to churn the back-end depth chart as the season turns to the stretch run.
Before the first pitch and well after the last out, the moment resonated: Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball regular-season game, working tonight’s Orioles–Athletics contest. It was fitting that it happened at Camden Yards, where Baltimore fans are never shy about recognizing when the game takes a step forward. A win on the field and a milestone for the sport made for a night to remember.
The Orioles have won two straight and sit at 53-63. There’s a path to make August interesting: stack series against beatable teams, let the rotation carry length like Sugano did, and trust the reconfigured outfield defense while Cowser heals. Watch for how Hyde deploys Greg Allen’s speed late in games and whether Mountcastle’s presence unlocks better pitches for the hitters around him. The series with Oakland continues Sunday at Camden Yards — another chance to keep the momentum moving in the right direction.
Early thunder, efficient starting pitching, and just enough bullpen — that’s a winning formula the Orioles can ride. Add in Mountcastle’s return, a depth boost in center with Allen, and a piece of baseball history with Jen Pawol, and Saturday felt bigger than one win. Keep stacking days like this, and the standings will start to listen.
