Suárez and Rangers starter Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, traded zeros until rookie Colton Cowser blasted a solo home run in the fourth. Gunnar Henderson added what amounted to the winning run in the fifth with an RBI single to score Jorge Mateo, who led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a rare tag-up from first on a fly ball to right field.

Relievers Yennier Cano, Jacob Webb and Cionel Pérez combined to walk five batters in the seventh and eighth innings, but Webb and Pérez buckled down to record key outs and strand five runners to maintain the lead. Closer Craig Kimbrel then retired the side in order in the ninth for his 18th save of the season.

Baltimore is 52-30 and a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees, whose game Friday has yet to conclude, atop the American League East.

Around the horn

— Adley Rutschman didn’t play Friday after taking a foul tip off his throwing hand Thursday. He remained in Thursday’s game and hit a home run with the bruised hand. “It feels better now than it did when he woke up,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Friday’s game. Infielder Jordan Westburg also received a rare day off.

— Burnes was placed on the paternity list before Friday’s game after he pitched seven innings of one-run ball Thursday. Hyde said Burnes will meet the team in Seattle for its series next week before determining when he will make his next start. It’s possible he could make his start on schedule Wednesday. A player can only be on MLB’s paternity list for three games.

— To fill Burnes’ spot on the active roster, the Orioles recalled left-hander Matt Krook from Triple-A Norfolk. The 29-year-old reliever posted a 3.71 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings with the Tides this season. Baltimore acquired Krook from the Yankees in a cash trade this offseason. It’s likely he is returned to Triple-A before Tuesday’s series opener versus the Mariners when Burnes is activated off the paternity list.

— The Orioles announced the signings of MLB veterans Niko Goodrum and Burch Smith to minor league contracts on Friday. Goodrum, a 32-year-old infielder, has played 415 career MLB games with five teams, mostly the Detroit Tigers, and is a career .224 hitter. He’s appeared in 13 games with the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels this season. Smith, a 34-year-old right-handed reliever, has appeared in 127 games for six MLB teams since 2013 with a career 5.79 ERA. He posted a 4.25 ERA in 29 2/3 innings with the Miami Marlins earlier this season.

— Utilityman Nick Maton cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Norfolk on Thursday. Maton, who played two innings at second base and did not receive an at-bat during his five games with the Orioles, was designated for assignment Monday when the club recalled outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad.

— Max Wagner, who Baseball America ranks as Baltimore’s 14th-best prospect, was placed on Double-A Bowie’s injured list with a lower back injury, the Orioles announced. Wagner, a second-round pick in 2022, was hitting .109 in 19 games with the Baysox.

— A member of the Orioles’ front office is being recognized with a bobblehead next weekend. The Bethesda Big Train, a summer baseball team in the Cal Ripken collegiate league, will hand out bobbleheads of Orioles assistant general manager Eve Rosenbaum on July 5. Rosenbaum, one of the few female assistant GMs in MLB, is a Bethesda native.

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