Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson walked into the clubhouse together yesterday after getting in some early work. They kept the conversation going as they approached their lockers, which are set up next to each other.

The only way to separate them is with the lineup.

Alexander made his second start and third appearance at second base last night and went 1-for-3 with a single to leave him 3-for-7 overall. Jackson has started twice at second.

The Orioles are only four games into their season.

The Opening Day lineup had Alexander hitting ninth and he delivered a crucial run-scoring single in the seventh inning that became the winning RBI. The reward was a seat on the bench for the next two games, but he was a defensive replacement Sunday and singled in his only at-bat.

Jackson got the back-to-back starts after the opener and went 3-for-7 with an RBI before last night’s pinch-hit strikeout in the ninth.

Manager Craig Albernaz can’t go with a platoon because they bat from the right side. He can, however, use his gut and try to keep both players busy.

“It’s a great problem to have,” he said. “And that’s kind of like what we envisioned this roster being where we have 13 quality position players that can go out there and play. So now it’s making sure, finding time to get guys at-bats, keep them in regular playing time.

“But also, I think everyone seeing that just because guys are not starting, they’re not off. They’ll be used. So it’s like how we want to make sure our players feel that and the team feels that.”

The Orioles will be facing a roster decision in April with Jackson Holliday on his injury rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk. He’s the starting second baseman. Everyone else is a seat filler.

The two choices to create space appear to be optioning Jackson or trying to get outfielder Leody Taveras through waivers.

*Tyler Wells has allowed a run in each of his three appearances. He was burned last night in the ninth inning by a one-out double, infield hit and bloop single at 67.9 mph. All of it with one out.

Albernaz wasn’t worried about Wells yesterday.

Wells surrendered a run in the eighth inning on Opening Day when Byron Buxton tripled and came home on Luke Keaschall’s sacrifice fly. Wells struck out Ryan Jeffers to preserve a one-run lead.

Used in the eighth inning again on Sunday, Wells loaded the bases with no outs and was charged with one run and two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Yennier Cano replaced him and struck out Buxton with the Orioles ahead 8-6.

“His first outing was good. I liked that. Byron Buxton is a good hitter,” Albernaz said.

“For him, just like any reliever, you’ve got to settle into the season. (Sunday) it wasn’t his sharpest but he still made pitches when he had to make pitches, and to me, that’s the biggest thing.

“Yes, I don’t like walks. No one likes walks. We like strikes. But baseball’s hard and there’s no level above this, so you’re facing the best of the best every night. And so with Tyler, he was off, but when he needed to make pitches, he made pitches, and that’s a trait that we love to have. And I bank on Tyler when he gets the ball next, he’ll be right back filling up the zone and doing what he does best.”

*Rookie Anthony Nunez retired all six batters he faced Saturday in his major league debut, striking out three. He threw 22 pitches, 16 for strikes.

Nunez began throwing late in Sunday’s game. He was announced in the press box as warming. It seemed pretty aggressive to have him go back-to-back days, especially after he worked multiple innings.

Here’s the rest of the story.

“I was just getting my throwing in for the day, just in case it was needed for extra innings or whatever,” he said. “It was just getting some light tossing for worst-case scenario, we’re in the 11th inning and a pitcher’s needed.”

This was Nunez’s idea. The phone didn’t ring for him.

“It’s just my own thing I like to do,” he said.

Nunez got up again last night in the seventh, threw a little and sat down. He didn’t pitch.

It would be shocking if he isn’t in tonight’s game. The bullpen is getting some heavy usage.

*Rico Garcia recorded one of the biggest outs of Sunday’s game after entering in the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, two outs and the score tied. Yaramil Hiraldo surrendered a first-pitch home run to Royce Lewis and walked the bases loaded. Garcia got a called third strike on Matt Wallner.

Of course he did.

Opponents are 1-for-15 against Garcia with the bases full in his career. He escaped two bases-loaded, no-out jams last summer, joining Chris Tillman (2014), George Sherrill (2008) and Ken Holtzman (1976) as the only Orioles to accomplish the feat.

“At the end of the day, it can go two ways. Either you blow the game or you keep your team in it. And so that’s how I view it whenever I get in situations and just attack the hitters and hopefully give my team the best chance of winning the game,” Garcia said.

“I know the stakes of that situation, obviously, so I just try not to put too much added pressure on myself and just kind of focus on the moment and just attack the hitter.”

Hiraldo didn’t say anything to Garcia after the inning. Garcia actually sought him out.

“I went in there and I told him, ‘You’re all good. Keep your head up,’” Garcia said.

“You know, any one of us can be in those situations and that’s what we’re there for. We’re just there to pick each other up, regardless of who’s in the game.”

Garcia is pretty good with the bases clean, too. He retired the side in order last night in the seventh inning, striking out two batters. He also retired the side in order in the eighth and notched another strikeout.

Garcia tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in spring training.

*Ryan Helsley is bringing the velo, as expected.

Helsley’s fastball reached triple digits six times on Opening Day and four times Sunday while he recorded another save – 100.9 mph, 100.2 mph, 102.1 mph and 101.7 mph.

Orioles relievers had the third-highest average fastball velocity before last night at 96.1 mph, trailing only the Padres (96.5 mph) and Marlins (96.2 mph), according to STATS. The Orioles ranked 15th last season at 94.3 mph, with Félix Bautista’s shoulder injury lowering their mark.

Helsley, of course, leads the Orioles with a 99.8 mph fastball velocity that’s the highest among all major league relievers with at least 10 fastballs thrown.

*Pete Alonso collected his first RBI with the Orioles Sunday on a tie-breaking single in the seventh inning.

Also per STATS, it marked the 29th go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning or later in his career, which tied for third with Eugenio Suárez for third most in the majors since he debuted in 2019. The pair trailed Josh Naylor and Teoscar Hernández with 30.

*Let’s close with an odd one.

The Orioles have played 73 day games since 2025, including three in their opening series this year, which ties the White Sox for third most behind the Cubs (78) and Nationals (76). They played 70 last season, which ranked fourth.

Prior to 2025, the last time that the Orioles finished in the top five was during the 1958 season with 111 day games. They ranked fourth.

The more you know …