Janson Junk outdueled former Marlins standout Trevor Rogers in a tense pitcher’s duel, then watched his Miami Marlins teammates break through late to secure a 6-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
Junk (4-1) was superb across seven shutout innings, allowing five hits, striking out two, and walking none in the longest outing of his major league career. Though the right-hander had only two perfect innings, he showed poise under pressure and delivered the right pitch when needed to keep the game scoreless through the sixth.
Facing his former team for the first time since being traded last July for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby, Rogers (2-1) was equally impressive early. The lefty held the Marlins to a single hit — a pair of singles by Dane Myers — and struck out a season-high eight before being lifted with two outs in the seventh after Myers’ second hit.
The departure of Rogers proved decisive. Baltimore reliever Gregory Soto immediately hit Stowers with a pitch, and Derek Hill followed with an RBI single to break the deadlock. Miami padded its lead with a run in the eighth, then pulled away with a four-run ninth, highlighted by Xavier Edwards’ two-run homer off Scott Blewett.
Myers finished with two hits and a run scored, while Hill drove in two runs as the Marlins capitalized on the Orioles’ shaky bullpen. Edwards’ blast sealed the victory and capped Miami’s late offensive surge.
Baltimore missed its best scoring opportunity in the first inning when Stowers threw out Gunnar Henderson at the plate from right field on Ryan O’Hearn’s two-out single. After that, the Orioles didn’t get another runner in scoring position until the sixth inning. Still, the Orioles did extend their streak of drawing at least one walk to a franchise-record 172 consecutive games when O’Hearn walked to lead off the ninth.
Up next, the Orioles will send rookie Brandon Young (0-3, 6.14 ERA) to the mound on Sunday as he searches for his first major league win. The Marlins will counter with 22-year-old right-hander Eury Pérez (2-2, 4.00 ERA) as they look to clinch the series at Camden Yards.
