Game result and context
Guardians beat Orioles 9-5, hold third wild-card position at 74-72
Travis Bazzana's three-run homer keyed a four-run second inning, and Cleveland added three runs in the seventh after Baltimore had pulled within a run. The Guardians improved to 74-72 and remain in the third wild-card position, while the Orioles fell to 70-76.
Final result
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Baltimore Orioles 9-5 on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The game went the regulation nine innings before a crowd of 13,279.
Cleveland moved to 74-72 with the win. Baltimore dropped to 70-76.
How the game changed
The decisive swing came early. Cleveland scored once in the first, then broke it open in the second when Travis Bazzana hit a three-run home run as part of a four-run inning. Another run in the third gave the Guardians a six-run cushion.
Baltimore answered. The Orioles got on the board with a run in the fourth, then scored four in the fifth, highlighted by Pete Alonso's two-run homer, to close within a run.
Cleveland restored its margin in the seventh with three runs. Neither team scored over the final two innings, and the Orioles never got closer after that.
Key performances
Bazzana finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and 3 RBI, all on his second-inning homer. Brayan Rocchio went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Petey Halpin had two hits in four at-bats with a run and an RBI, and Patrick Bailey also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
For Baltimore, Alonso went 2-for-4 with a run, the home run and 2 RBI. Jackson Holliday collected two hits in five at-bats, scored twice and drove in a run. Each team hit one home run.
Season and playoff context
Entering play after the game, Cleveland sits second in its division, 2.0 games back, and holds the third wild-card position. The Guardians' division elimination number stands at 15.
Baltimore is fifth in its division, 17.0 games back, and has been eliminated from the division race. The Orioles rank sixth in the wild-card standings, 4.0 games out, with a wild-card elimination number of 12. Losses like this one shrink that margin for error.
Series context
This was the second game of a three-game regular-season series between the two clubs in Baltimore.