Perhaps before the final out was recorded in the middle contest of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and host Baltimore Orioles, there was a little spice added in advance of Sunday afternoon’s finale.

The Padres won 9-3 on Saturday to split the first two games of the series, but there was ninth-inning drama. That came after San Diego reliever Ron Marinaccio hit Gunnar Henderson with a two-out pitch.

Marinaccio was ejected and moments later Padres manager Craig Stammen was tossed as well.

“It would have been fine if they just warned everybody,” Stammen said, “and we’d have been fine, and move on from there.”

Earlier in the game, San Diego shortstop Xavier Bogaerts was hit on the helmet by a pitch from starter Trey Gibson. Bogaerts left the game a couple of innings later.

“I get there why they’re mad — ball hit (Bogaerts) in the head, had to come out of the game,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said.

The Orioles were calm for a reason, Albernaz said, after Henderson was struck in the ninth inning.

“It was done the right way, and that’s why there was no gripes from us,” Albernaz said.

San Diego also lost catcher Freddy Fermin to a strange injury during Saturday’s game. He was hit on what appeared to be the side of his head on a warm-up pitch that went into the dirt prior to the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Padres made a move earlier Saturday by calling up utility player Nick Solak from Triple-A El Paso when infielder Miguel Andujar went on the injured list. Solak provided a sacrifice fly Saturday and he’s bound to be in Sunday’s lineup.

“He’s kind of a lefty crusher, so he will get some opportunities against left-handed pitching and see where he fits on defense on the ballclub,” Stammen said.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers (3-6, 6.15 ERA) will start Sunday’s game for the Orioles. He has had two 5 2/3-inning outings this month, allowing a total of four runs in those games. Sunday will mark the sixth home appearance in Rogers’ last eight games.

This will be the third time that Rogers faces the Padres in his career. He has yet to record a decision against San Diego, while his ERA is 0.87 in 10 1/3 innings.

Right-hander Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.33) is listed as the starter for the Padres. He has gone nearly a month without a victory, though he has been solid in June with two starts registering a total of 10 2/3 innings while allowing two runs.

Buehler is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in four career starts covering 20 2/3 innings vs. the Orioles.

Despite the margin Saturday, the Orioles managed to save their bullpen, largely because Albert Suarez ate up the final four innings despite surrendering three solo home runs.

Sunday marks Baltimore’s final contest prior to a nine-game road swing to the West Coast. The Orioles had won three in a row prior to Saturday’s result.

The Padres belted five home runs Saturday, including one from ex-Oriole Manny Machado.

Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso also went deep Saturday, giving him five of his 16 home runs in 11 games this month.

–Field Level Media

Right-hander Emerson Hancock will look to continue his stellar 2026 when the visiting Seattle Mariners conclude their three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

The teams have split the first two games with Seattle winning 10-2 on Friday night and Washington taking an 8-3 decision Saturday.

Hancock (5-2, 2.74 ERA) will be making his 14th start of the season. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 12 of the first 13 and has pitched at least five innings in each start. Last time out he allowed a run on three hits over five innings in a 6-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

“I thought he threw the ball extremely well,” manager Dan Wilson said after that game. “Everything on display against them. Some heaters, some sliders, a couple changeups. He was able to use his stuff well. He was finding the zone with it.”

Hancock allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his only previous appearance against the Nationals. He didn’t figure into the decision of that 10-inning, 9-3 loss on May 29, 2025.

Left-hander PJ Poulin (3-0, 3.20) has been the opener in seven of 26 appearances and will fill that role again Sunday for the Nationals. He will give way to right-hander Miles Mikolas (1-5, 5.90).

Mikolas has worked behind an opener in each of his past five appearances, going 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA over that stretch to bring his ERA under 6.00 for the first time this season. In his most recent appearance, he pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings on June 8 against the San Francisco Giants. He gave up three hits and did not walk a batter in the 4-3 win, but did not get a decision.

Mikolas is 1-1 with a 4.87 ERA in four career starts against the Mariners. His only win against Seattle came in 2014 when he was a member of the Texas Rangers.

On Saturday, Washington surrendered a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning but Luis Garcia Jr.’s two-run shot in the bottom half put the Nationals ahead to stay as they scored five unanswered runs to secure the win.

“They’ve got a good team over there, so we’re doing our job here on the mound and with the bats,” said Dylan Crews, who singled and has reached base in 19 of 21 games since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on May 19. “Let’s just keep it going. This is fun.”

The Nationals (382 runs) continue to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the MLB lead in runs scored, with the teams tied entering play on Sunday.

CJ Abrams had three hits and scored twice on Saturday. He also drove in two runs, and his 53 RBIs put him in the top five in MLB.

Colt Emerson has homered in each of the first two games for Seattle, which has lost three of four. The 20-year-old rookie has six home runs in 22 games and now ranks third in Mariners’ history for the most homers before turning 21, trailing Ken Griffey Jr. (38) and Alex Rodriguez (26). Emerson turns 21 on July 20.

“We knew he was a special player, but to see the power come this quickly like that is impressive,” Wilson said.

Cole Young was 2-for-5 and has now hit safely in 15 of his past 16 games.

Randy Arozarena was not in the lineup and is day-to-day after leaving Friday’s game with a left hamstring strain, Wilson said.

–Field Level Media