A big round of applause awaited Trevor Rogers as he walked off the mound after completing a career-high eight innings.

When he got to the dugout, after taking a moment to enjoy the standing ovation, his teammates put the home run pirate hat on his head. It’s an honor reserved only for hitters. But on this night, after a scoreless outing like that, they made an exception. After all, stellar performances call for new traditions.

Rogers does not have a permanent spot in the rotation, at least not yet. But after he put together the longest start for an Orioles pitcher since Sept. 26, 2023, it’s getting harder and harder to deny him a place.

Rogers’ performance, as the Orioles are in a stretch of 16 games without a day off, helped a depleted bullpen and led the Orioles to a 6-0 win over the Rangers in the first game of a three-game set. And by being so dominant, Rogers continued to show that the changes he’s made over the last year — both physical and mental — are finally paying off.

“I just put too much pressure on myself and self-doubt crept in and a bunch of other things,” Rogers said. “But I look back now and [I’m] thankful for that. Really, I had to take a hard look in the mirror and figure some things out and just get better. I think the Orioles did an unbelievable job as far as the plan in place. Obviously, I didn’t understand the plan at the time when getting sent down, but I think we had a long-term plan here, and I think it’s finally coming to fruition.”

On a day when the temperature read 100 degrees at first pitch, Rogers struck out four and walked none. He allowed just three hits — a leadoff single in the second from Adolis García and back-to-back base hits from Sam Haggerty and Wyatt Langford in the sixth. Each time, Rogers remained calm, quickly dispelling any damage.

His velocity also topped out at 96.3 mph, the result of Rogers focusing on keeping his chest closed during his delivery until his foot lands and then rotating as hard as he can as he throws the ball. Against a right-handed heavy lineup, Rogers used his changeup to his advantage.

“He was gonna need the changeup against a right-handed lineup, that was kind of a prerequisite for the night,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “And in the first inning he threw a couple and you thought, ‘OK, this is gonna be OK tonight.’ But then just the way the fastball jumped through the zone tonight, that was impressive. I think it was in the eighth inning there were some 95s up on the board. To carry that velocity through the eighth inning on a 130-degree night, super impressive.”

All of that is helping him as he aims to show that he is indeed the caliber of pitcher the Orioles traded for last year. In his three major league starts this season, Rogers has pitched to a 1.62 ERA, allowing just three runs across 16 2/3 innings. It’s a stark contrast from where he was after the Orioles traded for him last July, when he pitched to a 7.11 ERA before being demoted to Norfolk for the rest of the season. And it may be just enough progress to show he can stick in the rotation, even with Cade Povich scheduled to go out on a rehab assignment soon.

A year ago, the pressure of knowing he could be sent down at any second would be enough to tear him down. Now, he knows how to handle it.

“I’m at the point now where I’m not afraid it,” Rogers said. “I want to be in the big leagues, but the world didn’t end when I got sent down. So I think getting rid of that fear of getting sent down, control what I can control and if it happens again this year, I’m going to keep working and find my opportunity to get sent back up.”

Second baseman Jackson Holliday, meanwhile, lifted the Orioles offensively, collecting four of the the team’s RBIs and further propelling himself in the All-Star conversation in his first full major league season.

Earlier on Monday, MLB released their second All-Star voting update, with Holliday in second place behind Detroit’s Gleyber Torres among American League second baseman. The top two at each position advance to phase two, where the votes are re-set and the top vote-getter will be named an All-Star starter. The two players advancing to phase two will be announced on Thursday. Voting in the next round will begin June 30 and the winner at each spot will be declared July 2. Players who are not voted in can also be selected via the player ballot or commissioner’s office.

“It’s quite a blessing to even be in this situation,” Holliday said. “To even be on All-Star voting is pretty, pretty awesome. I’m very blessed and lucky to be in this situation. Whatever happens, happens but it’s an honor either way.”

Holliday still has work to do — he’s only 11,010 votes ahead of Houston’s Jose Altuve — but a performance like Monday can only help his chances.

In the third inning, catcher Chadwick Tromp, brought up Monday to replace Maverick Handley after he was placed on the injured list, got the first hit of the day. Holliday took it from there, hitting his 12th double of the season to send Tromp in and give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, Holliday hit a three-run homer, his second off a left-handed pitcher this year. He’s now hitting .273 against left-handed pitchers this year, just above his .263 average against righties.

“It’s been encouraging lately to be able to face some really good left-handed pitching and have some success,” Holliday said.