Mayo Goes Yard Twice as Baltimore Holds Off Cleveland Rally

Coby Mayo hit two home runs — 426 feet and 411 feet — driving in 3 and scoring twice as Baltimore beat Cleveland 6-4. A ninth-inning three-run shot from Nathaniel Lowe made it interesting, but the Orioles had already built too much cushion to lose.

Baltimore seized control early and never really let go. Beavers doubled to right in the second, scoring Basallo and pushing Hinds to third — a play that swung Baltimore's win probability from 65% to 79%, the single biggest momentum shift of the night. That early punch set the tone, and the third inning turned the game into a rout: Mayo launched a 426-foot solo shot to left, then Baltimore tacked on two more runs via back-to-back walks — one scoring Encarnacion-Strand, the next scoring Basallo — to go up 4-0 before Cleveland had even threatened.

The story of the night was Mayo, full stop. After his first homer, he came back in the sixth and did it again — 411 feet to left center, this time a two-run shot that scored Holliday and pushed the lead to 6-1. Two home runs, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored. That's the kind of performance that carries a lineup. Trevor Rogers was equally dominant on the mound, going 7.1 innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 6 hits, walking nobody, and striking out 6. Cleveland's bats had no answer for him through most of the game, and the Guardians burned through three pitchers — Slade Cecconi lasted just 3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs before Daniel Espino and Craig Yoho each threw a clean inning in relief.

Cleveland's offense did show a pulse, even if it came too late. Jo Adell doubled to right in the sixth to score Rocchio and cut it to 4-1, and Steven Kwan went 2-for-4 to keep things moving at the top of the order. But the real fireworks came in the ninth, when Lowe — pinch-hitting by the look of his 1-for-1 line — crushed a 371-foot homer to right center that scored Adell and Ramírez, suddenly making it 6-4. It looks like Cleveland had the right idea going to Lowe in that spot, but three runs in the ninth against a five-run deficit is a tough ask. Baltimore closes this one out 6-4, with Mayo's two-homer night the undeniable headline.