The Orioles have kept the same 12-pitcher roster while in Boston, carrying three catchers and appearing confident that Samuel Basallo can avoid the injured list.

Basallo told the media yesterday that his right shoulder is improving, and less discomfort means less of a chance that he’s going to be lost for an extended period.

Adley Rutschman is on the 10-day IL with a left wrist inflammation. Sam Huff was behind the plate Monday and Chadwick Tromp was supposed to catch last night before the rainout.

Starter Chris Bassitt, on the 60-day IL while recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his lower back, will begin a mound progression this week. Reliever Colin Selby, who hasn’t pitched this season due to right shoulder inflammation, will get a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache next week in Los Angeles.

Let’s dig into a healthy mailbag for some leftovers while waiting for this road trip to end, the latest off-day to arrive and the Hawaiian shirt weekend home series.

The team is poi-sed to make a run at the Wild Card. (See what I did there?)

Who’s pitching for the Orioles in the split-doubleheader?
Dean Kremer in Game 1 at 1:35 p.m. and Kyle Bradish in Game 2 at 7:10 p.m.

Was Gunnar’s Monday night hitting a fluke?
Well, he had an RBI single into left field Sunday in Houston. Three doubles to left field Monday in Boston felt like a continuation of the same approach. Like most guys, Henderson is going to be more productive when he’s using the whole field. Most guys can’t necessarily do that, but Henderson is a skilled hitter. He’s capable of going with the pitch, of not becoming pull-happy, which, ironically, makes people unhappy. I’d be shocked if Henderson doesn’t go on a tear, and it might be the difference between the Orioles making the playoffs and sitting out again.  

What’s suddenly changed with Tyler O’Neill after a season and a half of consistently major disappointment?
There isn’t consistently major disappointment.

I mean …
I was gonna say that he’s hitting in better luck, except shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng made a leaping catch of his line drive in the ninth inning Monday night to strand two runners in scoring position. O’Neill hasn’t made significant changes to his stance or swing. It’s just the usual routine, his preparation earlier in the day and studying video. Hitting coach Dustin Lind was asked about O’Neill recently and he replied: “The biggest thing with him is just trying to stay short to the ball and really improve his direction. The early part of the season, the swing was just a little bit long. It was taking him some time to catch up to stuff, and now he’s just been much more direct point A to point B. And it’s really helped him to kind of cover more pitches in more areas of the zone.”

What’s the team doing to cut down on errors?
A ton of pregame work. Guys are taking ground balls, pitchers are going through drills. It started in spring training and has continued through the season.

Have you heard anything (or pressed your ear to the dugout door) about what, if anything, Craig Albernaz is doing to address this defense? The postgame comments tend to give the vibe of “bad games happen,” but the defensive sloppiness seems to be on another level, especially with a team that allegedly was going to stress fundamentals.
The dugout has a door? Never mind. This question gives me the opportunity again to warn against reading too much into pre- and post-game media sessions. Albernaz, like other managers that I’ve covered, aren’t going to share everything or call out every player publicly who makes a mistake. Throw too many of them under the bus and you lose an entire clubhouse. I think Charlie Rich said it best when he said, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors.” Even imaginary ones in the dugout. He wasn’t referring to baseball, but the point holds. The team does early work on defense. Some days the results are better than others. It’s just too inconsistent. Jeremiah Jackson was a prime example Monday night. He made multiple plays that could be classified as difficult but also committed a throwing error.

If you were hired tomorrow as president of baseball operations, would you be a seller or buyer before the trade deadline?
They do a lot of pregame work. Oh, sorry. We’ve switched topics. I’d have a little more time to decide but my gut tells me to buy. So do the Wild Card standings. It also tells me that an overstuffed burrito before bed is a horrible meal plan. But back to baseball. The American League is wide open, as you’ve probably heard. The Orioles are within striking distance. Selling in back-to-back seasons is as distasteful as that burrito.

Should the Orioles call up Payton Eeles or pursue Eugenio Suarez, another third baseman or a shortstop at the deadline (and move Gunnar Henderson to third) in hopes of less errors? It seems like Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are not the answer at third.
Henderson hasn’t played third base since 2023 and it doesn’t seem like a smart idea to move him now. Eels hasn’t played for Triple-A Norfolk since May 28. He was assigned to the Florida Complex League team earlier this month, made two appearances and moved up to High-A Frederick yesterday. Catcher Creed Willems rejoined Norfolk after his rehab assignment, but you didn’t ask about him. Luis Vázquez is a plus-defender and makes more sense for the Orioles if a change is implemented.

Oriole fans have no way of knowing which players the team has had conversations with in regards to contract extensions. Now that Kyle Bradish has signed his extension, do you know how long of a process it was? Are we talking days or did the process start last season?
Don’t know, but Bradish and Mike Elias will be available Friday at a press conference that airs live on MASN. Betcha Elias gets asked for details.

The last reports about Ryan Mountcastle’s recovery from his broken foot didn’t make it seem like he was anywhere close to returning from the IL? Has anything changed with his status? Is there any chance the team exercises their option to bring him back next season?
Team is singular. That would be “its” option. You’re welcome. Mountcastle is expected to begin appearing in games soon and should be able to rejoin the Orioles later this season. Don’t know about that $7.5 million option next season. Mountcastle’s injury history makes it a risky investment, but they’re paying him $6.787 million this season. The new ownership group makes it harder to predict anything financial. In past years, Mountcastle would have seemed like a definite goner.

If this were to happen, which would be the greater historical achievement, reaching the postseason with Chadwick Tromp and Sam Huff as primary catchers, or Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile in 1954?
Still Bannister. But a Tromp/Huff combo would put the 2026 Orioles in a special class.

What is going on with Cameron Foster? He is on the minor league injured list, apparently, but I haven’t heard anything about what the injury was. He’s been on the IL for a while.
Foster was removed from an appearance with Norfolk two months ago due to right shoulder discomfort. The inflammation forced him on the IL and that’s pretty much it for updates.

What is the worst thing about the internet and why is it Disqus?
X would like a minute for rebuttal. But like having a hacked account restored, it’s gonna take a lot longer.

So you’re selling Bitcoin?
No. But I chipped a tooth once on a penny.

You did?
No.

Who picks the lineup?
Elias was asked about his influence in June and gave the following response: “Our front office doesn’t, either, unless we’re asked for it, which we work very collaborative with Craig and his staff, and they will ask. But other than that, we don’t get involved in daily stuff. I always want the coaches that are close to the clubhouse situation, the health picture, what’s going on if the team’s on the road – and they’re also studying several games ahead, trying to plan out lineups – so we want them to take care of that and they do. We really like working with Alby and his coaching staff. We see a lot of good things in the operation.” So in conclusion, it appears that the manager has final say after collecting the data, input and anything else at his disposal.

If the Orioles can only address the defense or bullpen at the deadline, which of those would be a larger boost in the big picture?
You can make an argument for either one, as well as an impactful starter. I’m more inclined to focus on the ‘pen, especially a high-leverage left-hander, and try to remove some pressure from the rotation. Shorten the games, as past successful teams have done. The defense needs to tighten up, but the blame doesn’t fall on one player. It should be an offseason priority when constructing the next roster.

Is there anyone that can fix the defense? If Cal Ripken Jr. can’t, who can?
This seems like a good place to stop.

Why didn’t Superman attend the evening conference on Bitcoin? It was crypto-night
This is definitely a good place to stop.