CLEVELAND – Reliever Cam Foster was watching a broadcast of yesterday’s Orioles game when a thought occurred to him.

“I was like, ‘They could use some arms,'” he said. “I was like, ‘Hopefully, I’m the next guy up. That’s where I want to be.’”

Quite the coincidence.

The Orioles recalled Foster this afternoon and optioned catcher Maverick Handley to get back to 13 position players and 13 pitchers. He’s waiting to make his debut.

Foster came to the organization in the Gregory Soto deadline trade with the Mets. He impressed in spring training but allowed seven runs and 10 hits in six innings with Triple-A Norfolk.

“It’s just been exciting. I was really pumped to be here. I got the call yesterday and I was just ready to go,” he said.

“I was kind of taking it day-by-day. If they need me or not, I’ll just keep on my plan and see what happens.”

Foster is reunited with reliever Anthony Nunez, who was acquired from the Mets in the Cedric Mullins deadline trade.

“I finally get my throwing partner back,” Foster said. “We did the minors together last year and we’re really close. It’s fun to be back and it’s like we never left, so it’s gonna be good.”

The Orioles made another move today, trading pitcher Chayce McDermott to the Dodgers for minor league right-hander Axel Perez.

McDermott, a former top pitching prospect in the system, was designated for assignment over the weekend. Perez, 20, made 10 appearances last year in the Dominican Summer League and posted a 5.48 ERA with 13 walks and 32 strikeouts in 23 innings.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz returns to Progressive Field in Cleveland tonight, where he spent the 2024 season as bench coach and 2025 as assistant manager.

Shane Baz makes his fourth start with the Orioles after registering a 4.50 ERA and 1.563 WHIP in 16 innings. He’s made two career starts against the Guardians and allowed five runs in 11 innings. He allowed three runs and three hits over six innings in his lone appearance in Cleveland.

Baz has pitched at least five innings and recorded at least four strikeouts in his first three starts with the Orioles, the first player to do so since Dean Kremer in 2020, per STATS. The last two Orioles with longer streaks were Andrew Cashner (five in 2018) and Wei-Yin Chen (seven in 2012).

Taylor Ward went 0-for-5 yesterday to snap his 16-game on-base streak.

Pete Alonso has drawn a walk in six consecutive games.

Catcher Sam Huff became the first player yesterday with an RBI hit in his first plate appearance with the Orioles since Vimael Machín on Aug. 22, 2025.

No one is hotter than Jeremiah Jackson, who has multiple hits in three straight games to tie his career high. He went 12-for-25 (.480) with two doubles, four home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.040 OPS on the six-game homestand.

Jackson had seven hits, three home runs and eight RBIs against Arizona, becoming the fourth Oriole this century to reach those totals in a three-game series, per STATS. He joined Manny Machado (2016), Chris Davis (2013) and Melvin Mora (2008).

Jackson still hasn’t drawn a walk, but the aggressive approach is working.

“Pitchers here are good,” he said. “I don’t see the point in getting myself in a hole. If I see something early on that I like or I feel like I can handle well, I try to get a good swing off. Obviously, the game and the flow will dictate a lot of that. But if you’re going to put something over the middle of the plate early on, I’d like to hit it.”

The Orioles have scored multiple runs in their last 20 games against Cleveland (9-11) dating back to May 30, 2023, tied for their longest active stretch with the Dodgers, which goes back to June 16, 2004, according to STATS.

Also from STATS: Since 2024, Gunnar Henderson is hitting .389 and slugging .704 against the Guardians. Among players with at least 50 plate appearances in that span against Cleveland, those marks rank second to Aaron Judge (.442, .977).

The Orioles are seeing back-to-back left-handed starters after going the first 17 games without facing one.

Parker Messick, a second-round draft pick in 2022 out of Florida State, has allowed one run in 17 2/3 innings over three starts. He’s made 10 starts in the majors and registered a 2.04 ERA in 57 1/3 innings.

Blaze Alexander is the only Oriole who’s faced Messick, going 0-for-3.

The Guardians are 10-9 and a game behind first-place Minnesota in the American League Central. They’re 4-2 at home and 6-7 on the road.

The Orioles won two of three against the Guardians last season in Baltimore and lost three of four at Progressive Field. Their last three-game sweep in Cleveland was in April 1987 and their last four-game sweep was in September 1971. The Guardians last swept the Orioles in a four-game series at home in June 2021.

The Guardians are 35-20 against the Orioles since 2017, the best record for any American League team. The Orioles haven’t won a season series since 2016.

The Orioles signed left-hander Riley Cooper to a minor league contract after releasing him on Aug. 4, 2025. They assigned him to the Florida Complex League.

The Reds signed Cooper in February and released him a month later. The Orioles drafted him in the 13th round out of LSU in 2023.

For the Guardians
Steven Kwan CF
Chase DeLauter DH
José Ramírez 3B
Kyle Manzardo 1B
George Valera RF
Angel Martínez LF
Juan Brito 2B
Austin Hedges C
Brayan Rocchio SS

Parker Messick LHP

For the Orioles
Taylor Ward LF
Gunnar Henderson DH
Pete Alonso 1B
Johnathan Rodriguez RF
Samuel Basallo C
Jeremiah Jackson 2B
Coby Mayo 3B
Leody Taveras CF
Blaze Alexander SS

Shane Baz RHP