Chris Bassitt was fidgeting pretty much throughout the bottom of the third inning last night, bending forward to scoop up some dirt, twisting to his right and reaching back with his right hand. He took deep breaths. The frustrated look on his face, not an unusual expression for him, could have been due to some discomfort or the two-run homer by Wilyer Abreu and bases-loaded jam.

Health seemed to be the issue, with the MASN broadcast showing head athletic trainer Scott Barringer talking to manager Craig Albernaz, who hustled to the mound to check on Bassitt.

Albert Suárez began to warm and entered an 8-1 loss in the fourth. Bassitt had his shortest outing since April 5 and the Orioles had a new concern.

Albernaz told the media afterward that Bassitt felt some lower back tightness. Bassitt wanted to push through it but the decision was made to remove him.

An update will come later this morning.

Bassitt told the media that he wasn’t going to get into it but confirmed that it was his back.

Bassitt had a 5.91 ERA after his first start in May but got it down to 5.06 in his final appearance of the month after holding the Blue Jays to one run in six innings. He was charged with three last night in three innings and it could have been a lot worse after loading the bases.

The Orioles are down to 10 players on the injured list. Closer Ryan Helsley said he could begin a rehab assignment after the club returns from the road trip.

*Jackson Holliday hasn’t played much against left-handers, and he was hitless in six at-bats against them before last night. He walked once and struck out four times in three games.

Holliday led off the third inning last night against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle and lined a 105.6 mph single into left-center field.

*I’ve got to stop thinking that I’ve seen it all in my 30 years covering baseball.

Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson moved to the infield grass last night while waving home Wilyer Abreu in the first inning.

Not the coaching box. Not the grass in foul territory. He crossed the line and stood behind Coby Mayo, then darted back to his usual spot.

The Orioles challenged the safe call and it was overturned after a great throw from Taylor Ward, smart move by Blaze Alexander to let the ball go through, and nifty pickup and tag from Adley Rutschman.

I was waiting for Epperson to dry his hands with the rosin bag before sending Abreu.

“In real time, I’ve never seen that before,” Albernaz said.

Same here.

*The Orioles drew a pair of bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning Saturday to key the rally that produced a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays. Rutschman walked with the sacks full in the previous game.

Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Rutschman again – on an extremely close pitch – accounted for half of the team’s total this season.

Leody Taveras milked a walk against Arizona’s Merrill Kelly on April 14, Dylan Beavers against Houston’s Jason Alexander in Game 1 of an April 30 doubleheader, and Colton Cowser against the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler on May 4.

The Orioles already have surpassed last year’s total by two. Cowser (twice), Henderson and Cedric Mullins accounted for those four.

Adam Jones had the only bases-loaded walk in 2016. Seth Smith and Jonathan Schoop accounted for the only two in 2017, and Brian Roberts and Chris Davis had the only two in 2013.

The 2009 Orioles drew 17 walks with the bases loaded, and the 2016 Orioles did it 16 times.

*Outfielder Taylor Ward walked in 20.6 percent of his plate appearances in May, the highest in the majors last month. He edged out Mike Trout at 19.7 percent.

Ward is the third Orioles player this century to walk in at least 20 percent in any month in a minimum 100 plate appearances, along with Mark Reynolds at 21 percent in 2011 and Brady Anderson at 24.3 percent in 2000.

*Samuel Basallo’s .597 slugging percentage in May was the second highest by any Orioles player age 21 or younger in a single month after Eddie Murray’s .605 in September 1977.

Here are some of the players below Basallo:

Manny Machado at .556 in May 2013
Cal Ripken Jr. at .550 in June 1982
Boog Powell at .548 in May 1962

Basallo’s .597 slugging ranked as the fifth-best mark in the American League among players with at least 50 plate appearances.

A side note: Going into the Red Sox series, Orioles catchers combined for 62 hits and 13 home runs this season to rank first and second, respectively, in the majors among team catchers.