A 2-4 road trip through Minneapolis and Anaheim isn’t cause for celebration. Lockers weren’t covered in plastic yesterday. And to be clear, last-place teams don’t have soft spots in their schedules, especially one with a worse record than the opponent.

However, Zach Eflin’s return to the rotation, Cedric Mullins’ emergence from a slump and Gunnar Henderson wearing a pirate hat while drinking from the homer hose created a more festive mood for the Orioles heading into the off-day and return home.

Being swept at Target Field felt like a death blow, though it’s only May, but the Orioles claimed two of three against the Angels and won their first Sunday game. They improved to 3-9 against left-handed starters.

“Gotta start somewhere,” manager Brandon Hyde said in his media scrum.

“Today was a good day." 

The Orioles are facing a left-hander today, the Angels’ Tyler Anderson, which again puts them at a statistical disadvantage.

The team is hitting .178/.257/.245 against lefties this season.

Manager Brandon Hyde lowered Cedric Mullins to eighth and is batting Gunnar Henderson leadoff.

Mullins moved down to sixth in the order last night and went 0-for-4 to increase his slump to one hit in his last 34 at-bats. He’s 0-for-19.

Mullins still needs one RBI for 300 in his career. Henderson needs one for 200.

While other players string together hits or prevent runs from scoring in consecutive games, Orioles infielder Emmanuel Rivera might become known more for his stubborn streak.

Rivera is a waiver claim in August, dumped by the lowly Marlins, and bats .313 with a .948 OPS in 27 games with the Orioles. Eight of his 20 hits went for extra bases, including four home runs.

The Orioles avoid a possible arbitration hearing by signing Rivera to a $1 million contract on Nov. 22 and designate him for assignment on Jan. 31. He clears waivers, accepts an outright assignment on Feb. 10 and injures his left shoulder in camp.

Any chance to make the team, however slim, is ruined. But Rivera can’t be deterred and the Orioles are rewarded again for having him in the organization. His contract is selected on April 28 with Jordan Westburg going on the injured list, and he just keeps on hitting.

Rivera went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Friday night’s series opener in Anaheim to make him 8-for-19 in six games, and he started again last night, going 1-for-4. The Orioles also like his play at third base. “The Octopus” brings a lot to the table.

The Orioles snapped a five-game losing streak last night with a 4-1 victory in Anaheim and will try tonight to win back-to-back for only the third time.

Jackson Holliday moves atop the order for the second time in his career. Cedric Mullins is lowered to sixth.

Mullins went 0-for-5 last night and is in a 1-for-30 slump. He’s hitless in his last 15 at-bats.

Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter and Jorge Mateo is at shortstop. Emmanuel Rivera had two hits and an RBI last night and he’s at third base again tonight.

Kyle Gibson makes his third Orioles start tonight after allowing 12 runs and 16 hits with six homers in 7 2/3 innings. He’s registered a 5.83 ERA and 1.452 WHIP in 15 career starts against the Angels, and he owns a 7.27 ERA and 1.587 WHIP in seven starts in Anaheim.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill was reinstated from the injured list yesterday and Zach Eflin should follow on Sunday to start the final game of the road trip. Reliever Andrew Kittredge made his second rehab appearance on Thursday. Infielder Ramón Urías is trending toward a return perhaps by Tuesday or Wednesday after the latest break in the schedule.

Unable to get on a roll that moves them out of last place, the Orioles are implementing a new tactic this month - subtracting from the IL instead of adding to it.

Can’t hurt to try it.

Fifteen different Orioles have gone on the IL this season, only two fewer than in 2024. That’s the most in the American League and second in the majors to the Dodgers’ 17.

The White Sox and Reds have 15 different players, and the Marlins and Mets have 14.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill has returned to the Orioles after two games with Triple-A Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment.

O’Neill was reinstated from the IL this afternoon, but the corresponding move didn’t involve another outfielder. The Orioles optioned corner infielder Coby Mayo to Norfolk after yesterday’s game in Minnesota.

The transactions was made official today after O’Neill went 2-for-6 with the Tides. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since April 23 in D.C. because of neck inflammation and is batting .215/.284/.385 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs in 18 games.

Mayo was recalled on May 3 with infielder Ramón Urías going on the IL due to a right hamstring strain. He singled yesterday but went 1-for-12 with six strikeouts during his most recent stretch with the Orioles, and he’s 5-for-53 with five walks and 28 strikeouts in the majors.

Mayo did some early infield drills yesterday at third base, fielding ground balls and working on the accuracy of his throws to first. He will keep getting starts at the corners with Norfolk, where he slashed .255/.353/.539 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 21 RBIs in 28 games.

MINNEAPOLIS – The scene keeps playing out with only a few small changes.

Players sit at their lockers, staring at their phones or in space. Others walk through the clubhouse to or from the showers. Meals are consumed mostly in silence. The televisions are turned off and there’s no music. Media waits out its targeted interview subjects, trying to stay out of the way.

There are no signs of panic or distress, but the joy of playing baseball is masked and muted. The Orioles have lost five games in a row, their longest stretch since June 21-25 and July 9-13, 2024. The last six-game skid happened from May 13-18, 2022.

Five veterans sat in chairs and formed a circle yesterday with plates of food in their laps – Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin and Kyle Gibson. They could have touched on a variety of topics – there’s a lot going on in the world – but the plight of the Orioles probably was the predominant subject.

Why this is happening to them and how to fix it. With no easy answers or it would have ceased instead of sending the team spiraling into last place, 10 games below .500 and losers of 12 of the last 16. They need to lead, being among the most equipped on the 26-man roster.

MINNEAPOLIS – Dean Kremer deserved much better and wasn’t asking for it. Baseball can be a fickle and frustrating game. He knows it. Just keep going after hitters and accept the outcome.

Kremer completed seven innings again today and held the Twins to two runs, exiting with the score tied and the Orioles having left runners on base in each of the first six frames. He retired 10 of the last 12 and 18 of 21, and hoped that the worst part of the day would be a no-decision.

He couldn’t enjoy a team victory. He had to dress and eat inside another quiet clubhouse.

Brooks Lee drove in two runs with a two-out double off Gregory Soto in the bottom of the eighth inning and he scored on Ty France’s single to give the Twins a 5-2 win and complete the sweep at Target Field.

The Orioles had 10 hits for the second day in a row and stranded nine runners, their failings with men in scoring position littering the scoresheet. Trevor Larnach finally made them pay with a game-tying home run off Kremer in the sixth inning. The slightest of margins was erased with one swing, and Kremer spun around to wait for a new ball without watching the old on land.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles have designated Matt Bowman for assignment this morning and recalled Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk to put a fresher arm in the bullpen.

Bowman tossed a scoreless inning last night but allowed runs in five of his last eight appearances. His ERA grew from 1.98 to 5.19 since April 27.

The Orioles outrighted Bowman on Opening Day but selected his contract after Albert Suárez went on the injured list March 30. He can reject another outright assignment and become a free agent.

The 40-man roster holds 39 players.

Selby has allowed two runs and three hits with four strikeouts in two innings with the Orioles this season. He has a 6.14 ERA in seven games with Norfolk, striking out 11 batters in 7 1/3 innings.

MINNEAPOLIS – Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano was playing catch in left field yesterday during early batting practice when a Twins player hit a line drive at him. Sugano reacted late, stumbled and fell as interpreter Yuto Sakurai – standing in front of him - leaped and deflected the ball.

Sugano stayed on the ground laughing before finally getting back on his feet to resume his long tossing.

This is proof that the Orioles can avoid some injuries, and their sense of humor remains intact. The losses haven’t broken them. They’re in a good headspace. They just need to get on the right side of the score.

A heavy mailbag can lead to pulls and strains, so let’s lighten the load. You ask and I answer, creating the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

My editing consisted of changing “last night” to “Tuesday night” in a question. I tossed and turned over it, which is OK in bed, but it impacted my driving.

MINNEAPOLIS – The first two Twins batters struck out tonight and six of seven were retired. Charlie Morton appeared to be launching his redemption tour at Target Field.

Byron Buxton had to ruin it in the third inning by launching a curveball into the second deck for a three-run homer.

Morton was removed after the fourth with his pitch count at 70, Harrison Bader provided some cushion with a two-run shot off Keegan Akin in the seventh, and the Orioles lost again, 5-2, to fall nine games below .500 for the first time since July 2, 2022.

The Orioles have dropped four in a row and 11 of 15. Their last four-game skid came within a stretch of five straight defeats from July 9-13, 2024.

Ramón Laureano led off the top of the third inning with a 425-foot shot to center field off Simeon Woods Richardson for his fourth home run of the season. The Orioles had an early lead, but it didn’t last long.

MINNEAPOLIS - Zach Eflin threw a bullpen session today and is ready to be reinstated from the injured list.

Eflin is scheduled to start this weekend in Anaheim in his first appearance since April 7. He’s allowed six runs in 18 innings, giving the Orioles three quality starts.

Finally, the Orioles are taking from the IL instead of adding to it.

Eflin made one rehab start and tossed four scoreless innings at High-A Aberdeen. He’s recovered from a mild lat strain and can slip into come-to-rescue mode for a rotation that ranks last in the American League and 28^th in the majors with a 5.75 ERA.

Charlie Morton is starting tonight after three relief appearances, and Dean Kremer gets the ball Thursday afternoon to finish the series. Cade Povich started last night.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles haven’t been nine games below .500 since July 2, 2022. A loss tonight would take them down to that mark.

They’ve dropped their last three games and 10 of 14. The most recent four-game skid came within a five-game streak from July 9-13, 2024.

Charlie Morton returns to the rotation tonight after three relief appearances and is trying to lower a 9.76 ERA and 2.205 WHIP. His 30 earned runs and 21 walks lead the American League.

Morton has a 4.50 ERA in four career starts against the Twins and a 4.50 ERA in two starts at Target Field. Christian Vázquez is 3-for-22 with two doubles, a home run and nine strikeouts.

Coby Mayo is out of the lineup after going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts last night and committing two errors. Emmanuel Rivera is starting at third base.

MINNEAPOLIS – The absence of an opposing left-handed starter in the Twins series could allow manager Brandon Hyde to do less juggling with his lineup. Jackson Holliday might stay at second base. Heston Kjerstad might stay in left or right field. Ryan O’Hearn could keep getting starts as the designated hitter or at first base.

Matchups don’t factor much at third base. Hyde can play a hunch or the No. 2 prospect in the system

Coby Mayo started last night over Emmanuel Rivera – both right-handed hitters with pop who provide options while Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías are on the injured list. And that’s the only time that “options” is used with Rivera, who’s out of them.

Mayo is 0-for-8 since the Orioles recalled him over the weekend, including a called third strike last night on a ball out of the zone. He also struck out swinging twice to complete his 0-for-3 night. Rivera is 2-for-8 with a home run after slashing .313/.370/.578 last year in 27 games.

“Just going to kind of play it a little bit by ear and give Mayo a little bit of an opportunity,” Hyde said after Sunday’s loss to the Royals. “He came in late (Saturday) night, that’s why he didn’t play. But kind of pick my matchup a little bit until we get Urías and Westy back.”

MINNEAPOLIS – An off-day didn’t provide a reset for the Orioles. Facing a right-handed starting pitcher wasn’t a reprieve.

Striking out 11 times against the Twins’ Pablo López in five innings and 17 overall wasn’t going to bring them back from an early deficit.

Cade Povich allowed five runs in the third, including Carlos Correa’s 458-foot shot into the second deck in left field. López had hitters barreling air, and the Orioles lost their third consecutive game 9-1 before an announced crowd of 19,779 at Target Field.

It seemed like the appropriate venue for target practice.

Povich retired six of the first seven batters, with Correa reaching on an infield hit leading off the second, but Trevor Larnach and Willi Castro singled with one out in the third and Byron Buxton put the Twins ahead with a 109.7 mph double off the left field fence. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run single into right field with the infield in.

MINNEAPOLIS – Zach Eflin accompanied the Orioles to Minneapolis and will throw a bullpen session tomorrow afternoon at Target Field as a follow-up to Sunday’s rehab start with High-A Aberdeen.

Eflin will make his return this weekend against the Angels in Anaheim. He’d be on normal rest Friday night if that’s the chosen date.

“I’m feeling great, obviously, here traveling with the team,” he said. “As close as I can be to being ready and kind of just waiting to get back out there.”

Eflin made three starts with the Orioles, completing six innings in each appearance and posting a 3.00 ERA. He went on the injured list with a right lat strain after holding the Diamondbacks to one run on April 7 in Arizona, vowing to make it a short stay and doing everything possible to get back quickly.

“I’d like to say so, but at the same time I have to listen to the training staff,” he said. “It’s an amazing training staff and if it was my way, I would have liked maybe a day or two extra and then not even go on the IL, but I understand there was something there in my lat and I had to listen to the trainers, I had to listen to my body. Nothing that you ever want to do, go on the IL. You just don’t feel like you’re a part of the team. You want to be out there kind of in the trenches with the guys every day, so it’s hard to kind of have that reality, but at the end of the day, I think it’s what my body needed to be able to go out and make every start for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles begin their three-game road series against the Twins with Coby Mayo at third base and Dylan Carlson in left field.

Heston Kjerstad is in right. Jackson Holliday is the second baseman.

Left-hander Cade Povich has a 5.16 ERA and 1.652 WHIP in six starts. He faced the Twins, the team that traded him at the 2022 deadline, on Sept. 27 at Target Field and tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits.

Povich owns a career 2.08 ERA in eight starts against the American League Central, the lowest for any Orioles starter in a minimum five starts. Kyle Bradish is next at 2.51, per STATS.

Also from STATS: Povich has gone at least five innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer in four straight road starts. The only Orioles lefties with longer streaks this century are Erik Bedard (2004-2005), Bruce Chen (2005) and John Means (2021) with five apiece.

The Orioles' rotation isn’t set for Minnesota and there isn’t a clear explanation for it.

Dean Kremer would have started Wednesday on normal rest but the most recent game notes had him listed for Thursday. The extra day could be attributed to the 103.2 mph line drive that bounced off his right thigh in the first inning of Friday night’s game, causing the leg to stiffen as he worked through the seventh.

I asked manager Brandon Hyde about the probables, and specifically Kremer, following Sunday’s 11-6 loss, and he replied, “We’re kind of still figuring things out right now. We’ve got an off-day tomorrow. We’ll let you guys know.”

My interpretation goes in a couple of directions.

1. The Orioles haven’t settled on a starter for Wednesday, but they want Kremer on extra rest.

The Orioles won’t face a left-handed starter this week in Minnesota, denying them a chance to improve on a 2-9 record but also eliminating the possibility that it gets worse.

They couldn’t score Saturday in a combined seven innings against Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV. Of course, the two right-handers who followed also shut them out.

Yesterday began with the club batting .174 with a .490 OPS against lefties, the lowest in baseball. The Royals started veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzo and he surrendered a career-high four home runs to match his season total. So yes, the Orioles lost but they did better against righties.

“Obviously, been a bit of a struggle for us,” said major league coach Buck Britton, in his first season on the staff after managing at Triple-A Norfolk. “We actually just had a conversation in the clubhouse today with the hitting coaches and it’s back to the drawing board.

“I feel like we’ve got a great training environment. But yeah, it’s out there and we’ve got to get out in front of it. I don’t know if there’s an easy fix, but we have the talent in there to make adjustments and get this ship back on the right track, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Orioles reliever Yennier Cano stood with his hands on his hips. He did it once, twice, as if in a state of disbelief.

He had no other reaction. The season hadn’t prepared him for it.

Cano surrendered his first earned runs in 13 appearances and his first homers, with the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino going back-to-back to break a tie in the seventh in an 11-6 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 31,956 at Camden Yards.

Kansas City began the series ranked last in the majors with 15 homers, but they set the club record with seven today and have 10 over the past two games. The Orioles hit four, including a pair from Jackson Holliday, and fell way short, lowering their record to 13-20 as they ready for their next road trip following an off-day.

Every homer today was a solo on Star Wars Weekend until Michael Massey’s two-run shot off Matt Bowman in the ninth. The jokes write themselves.