HOUSTON — For most of Saturday evening, the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, two teams jockeying in the American League wild-card race, did almost everything they could to not win the game.

But as the ballclubs played hot potato with the game’s fate, an Orioles player stepped up and took the game into his own hands to deliver a 4-2 win in 11 innings.

Tyler O’Neill, who has struggled mightily in his Orioles career after signing a three-year, $49.5 million contract, made one of the best defensive plays of the season — a miracle throw from right-center field to save the game in the 10th inning. Then in the 11th, he hustled down the first base line to beat out an infield single, driving in a run and helping bring in a second.

The Astros had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th inning, needing only one more run to win the game, but O’Neill’s throw home to nab a runner trying to score on a fly ball flipped the game on its head. Reliever Andrew Kittredge then made a nice defensive play to send the game to the 11th, and the Orioles’ offense finally put up a crooked number thanks to O’Neill’s infield single and a line drive knock from Leody Taveras.

Newcomer Cam Sanders, who was one of the heroes of Friday’s win, then slammed the door in the 11th with a scoreless frame.

The improbable win marks the Orioles’ sixth straight victory after they won four in a row to end the first half and a fifth on Friday. Baltimore is 48-51 and only 1 1/2 games back of the third and final wild-card spot in the mediocre AL.

While Trevor Rogers was on the mound in the bottom of the first inning, the Orioles made a major announcement that one of Rogers’ rotationmates will be sticking around for quite some time.

The Orioles and starting pitcher Kyle Bradish agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract extension, signaling that the right-hander is the future ace of the franchise. The deal is the largest for a pitcher in Orioles history — and the third-largest for any player behind only Chris Davis ($216 million) and Pete Alonso ($55 million).

Bradish didn’t start opening day for the Orioles this season, though. That was Rogers after his stellar 2025 campaign. The left-hander’s first two months were a roller coaster that included a mix of a start, the flu, bad luck and poor performance. But over the past two months, Rogers has pitched like his dominant self, and he did so again Saturday.

Rogers mowed down the Astros lineup through the first six frames without allowing a run and striking out eight. He got into trouble a few times, but he stranded seven runners and got every big out he needed. That is, until the seventh inning. Manager Craig Albernaz sent Rogers back out to face the bottom of Houston’s lineup, and two of the first three batters reached to give the Astros runners on the corners with one out.

Albernaz called on Rico Garcia, the Orioles’ fireman, to put out the flames, and he mostly achieved that goal. He gave up one run on a safety squeeze bunt that tied the game, but Garcia then got Isaac Paredes to ground out to end the threat.

Over Rogers’ past eight starts since the beginning of June, he’s recorded a 1.69 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP. Those are similar figures to what he put up last season when he earned an AL Cy Young vote.

Rogers didn’t get the win Saturday, though, because of the Orioles’ lackluster offense.

After scoring only three runs on five hits in Friday’s fortunate win, Baltimore’s bats were even worse Saturday against Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti, who took a no-hit bid into the fourth, and his bullpen. Dylan Beavers’ RBI single in the fourth, which gave the Orioles a lead that lasted until the seventh, was the only big hit they got — until extra innings.

Arrighetti pitched five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts, and relievers AJ Blubaugh, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader pitched the next four frames without allowing a run. Orioles relievers Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells matched serve with clean eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to send the game to extras.

In the top of the 10th, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, starting his first game of the season after being recalled from Triple-A to begin the second half, smacked a single off the third base bag. The unlucky placement stole an RBI double from Encarnacion-Strand, but it put runners on the corners with no outs. Albernaz then pinch hit Jeremiah Jackson, a right-handed hitter, for lefty Jackson Holliday against Astros southpaw Steven Okert.

Jackson has been one of the Orioles’ most clutch hitters this season, including multiple homers in high-leverage moments. But instead of hacking away, he laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Taveras, the automatic runner, and give Baltimore a 2-1 lead. But the offense stranded Encarnacion-Strand on second, as Adley Rutschman lined out and Gunnar Henderson struck out.

The game started to unravel for the Orioles in the bottom half, and an Astros win appeared inevitable. Nick Allen’s leadoff bunt to advance the zombie runner to third base resulted in a hit because of a breakdown from the Orioles’ defense. Yordan Alvarez, the best hitter in the American League, then proved just that with an RBI double to tie the game, and a throwing error from Henderson loaded the bases with no outs.

All the Astros needed was one more run to win the game, but O’Neill had different plans. The Orioles went with a five-man infield, moving center fielder Taveras to the dirt and going with only two outfielders. Jose Altuve hit a shallow fly ball to center field, and O’Neill ranged over from right, caught the ball, and in one motion fired the ball home while falling to the ground. The throw was in time to nab Allen at the plate and keep the Orioles alive. Baltimore native LaMonte Wade Jr. then nearly won the game for Houston with a two-out bunt, but Kittredge remained calm, fielded the ball with his bare hand, and fired it to first to send the game to the 11th.

Taylor Ward led off the frame with a walk to give the Orioles runners on first and second with no outs, but Alonso and Samuel Basallo both struck out against hard-throwing righty Enyel De Los Santos. O’Neill then hit a routine grounder to second base, but the Astros’ defensive alignment made it a tough play for Altuve. O’Neill reached a near-elite speed of 29.3 feet per second to beat the throw, and Henderson, the automatic runner, raced all the way from second to score easily. Taveras then singled to score Ward and double Baltimore’s advantage.

The Orioles will look to go for the sweep Sunday with Bradish, their new $90 million man, on the mound opposite Astros righty Hunter Brown.

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