The latest off-day arrives with the Orioles at 42-49 and 3 1/3 games back in the Wild Card.

They’ve failed seven times to extend their winning streak to four games, including yesterday’s 3-2 loss in Cincinnati that prevented a sweep.

“There’s no cloud in here over us, thinking like, ‘Hey, you can’t get that fourth one,’” Blaze Alexander told the media. “I don’t even think anyone really looks at that, besides maybe me.”

And everyone who covers the team.

The Orioles would match their record for shortest winning streak in a season, set in 2021, if they can’t push it past three.

They didn’t win more than four straight in 2018, 2010, 2006, 2002, 1994, 1988 and 1959, according to STATS.

In the search for anything that’s encouraging in 2026, the Orioles showed a lot of fight again in Cincinnati. They led 3-0 after the top of the first inning Saturday, fell behind 4-3 by the second and responded with a five-run fourth. They trailed 3-1 after the eighth yesterday and staged an immediate rally in the ninth that fell short.

Dylan Beavers drew a leadoff walk after pinch-hitting for Tyler O’Neill. It’s one of his strengths. Beavers and Taylor Ward should move in together.

Jackson Holliday walked with one out after winning a challenge and Blaze Alexander singled to load the bases. This team keeps pushing, especially in the late innings.

Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly cut the Reds’ lead to 3-2, but Adley Rutschman lined out to center field.

If only the ability to throw a scare into the Reds counted for more than another loss.

What else can we focus on this morning besides the team being allergic to four-game winning streaks?

*The rotation is comfortably set with Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Brandon Young and Dean Kremer – and not in that order.

Chris Bassitt told the truncated beat crew in Cincinnati, rather than a full house in the home clubhouse at Camden Yards, that he began feeling discomfort in his lower back in April and it reached the point where he couldn’t pitch through it. Rest and anti-inflammatories didn’t work, so he underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from the facet joint near his lumbar spine.

Bassitt believes he might be the first player to have this procedure, and the lack of any public information confirming or contradicting makes it impossible to establish a timeline for his return.

“We’re kind of writing the script a little bit,” he said.

The Orioles are trying to avoid another horror story in 2026.

Bradish turned in another quality start yesterday – his seventh in his last 11 games – with three runs in 7 2/3 innings. He’s looking again like the ace of the staff, though Trevor Rogers is doing the same with seven runs allowed in his last six starts totaling 35 2/3 innings for a 1.77 ERA.

Brandon Young ranks among the biggest surprises on the team, jostling with Alexander and Rico Garcia among the most positive developments. His 3.38 ERA is the lowest among the qualified starters – and by that, I’m excluding Kremer (3.18), who’s made only three starts, and Zach Eflin (2.45), who made one.

This team would be buried without Young, and not only because they’re 11-3 in his starts.

Young hasn’t turned in a quality start in his last three outings after registering five in a row, but he allowed one run in five innings at Dodger Stadium and two runs in five against the Nationals.

Baz whittled his ERA from 5.48 on May 9 to 4.04 on June 18. He held the White Sox to two runs in seven innings in his last outing.

Having Kremer at the back end of the rotation is a luxury. Amazing how much stronger it becomes with him in it.

*Tyler Wells seems to be the first choice at closer while Ryan Helsley is weighing his elbow options.

Helsley returned to the injured list and we should know more about what lies ahead when the Orioles begin their next homestand Tuesday against the Cubs. In the meantime, Wells earned his first two saves Friday and Saturday since September 2023 with scoreless ninth innings.

This isn’t new territory for Wells. He’s pretty much handled every role with the Orioles, from starting to middle and long relief to set-up to closing. He had four saves in September 2021 as a Rule 5 pick. He certainly has the stuff and the mentality for it.

Manager Craig Albernaz can turn to other relievers when Wells is unavailable, whether it’s Garcia, Andrew Kittredge, Yennier Cano or Anthony Nunez, who returned to the club over the weekend. And president of baseball operations Mike Elias figures to strengthen the bullpen if he’s in buyer mode.

*Henderson is the leadoff hitter again.

The proof is in the lineups. Henderson has batted first in the last six games.

Henderson had a sacrifice fly yesterday. In the previous five games, he was 6-for-19 with two doubles, four walks and six runs scored.

Albernaz now seems to prefer Henderson first, Rutschman second and Ward third. And he also seems to have an “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality with Alexander, who collected three more hits yesterday at the bottom of the order.

Alexander is slashing .310/.365/.433 in 77 games. He’s batted ninth 43 times, eighth 13, seventh once and sixth twice. Nothing higher.

Should he? Or is it smart to leave him where he’s thriving?

Note: Double-A Chesapeake catcher Ethan Anderson was removed from yesterday’s game with left ankle discomfort. He was 1-for-2 with a walk and run scored and is batting .270 with 17 home runs and an .889 OPS in 68 games.

MLB Pipeline ranks Anderson as the organization’s No. 23 prospect.