The Orioles are back home tonight and trying to improve their record to 28-13 in series openers.

Anthony Santander is out of the lineup again with lower-back soreness. Ryan McKenna is in right field.

Gunnar Henderson is batting third. Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter.

James McCann is catching, with Adley Rutschman serving as designated hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle has reached base in 26 consecutive games. He went 11-for-13 against the Blue Jays during a four-game series in Toronto.

On Sept. 24, 2014, the Orioles defeated the Yankees 9-5 in the Bronx to move 32 games above .500. They lost their next three, won 1-0 in Toronto and finished the regular season 96-66.

The 2023 edition is 77-47 heading into tonight’s series opener against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards, with a chance to soar 31 games beyond the .500 mark for the first time in nine years.

Can’t clip those wings, though strains happen. And be careful with that back.

I remind myself of this daily as I hoist my mailbag. Lift with the legs, the only exercise they get.

I’m lightening the load by answering a few more questions this morning, the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original, while my body adjusts to East Coast time.

OAKLAND – The joke landed and also elicited a quick and serious response.

With a six-man rotation, multiple pitchers nearing a return from the injured list and others who are candidates to return from the minors, is it possible that the Orioles actually have, dare we say, too much pitching?

Manager Brandon Hyde, sitting in the dugout yesterday during his media session, smiled and fired back.

“Can never have too much pitching,” he replied.

This is true.

OAKLAND – Jorge Mateo paused before sprinting out of the batter’s box, knowing he hit JP Sears’ changeup a long way, thinking maybe it would clear the fence in left-center field. He slowed as he got halfway to second base, realized that Lawrence Butler wouldn’t make the catch or contain the ball, and slipped into another gear.

The Jorge Mateo gear that few players can find.

Mateo dived across home plate, with the Athletics botching the relay and unable to challenge him. His first home run since April 30, in a month where he hit six of them.

Austin Hays drove in two runs on a ball that deflected off Sears and bounced into shallow left field to pad the lead.

The Orioles wouldn’t just sweep the Athletics. They decided to get creative with it.

OAKLAND – Anthony Santander is out of the lineup again this afternoon, as the Orioles conclude their 10-day road trip and attempt to sweep the Athletics.

Santander is day-to-day with back soreness.

Ryan McKenna is in right field and Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter. Austin Hays is in left field and batting cleanup.

Jordan Westburg moves down from fourth to seventh. He’s starting at second base, with Ramón Urías at third and Jorge Mateo handling shortstop.

Ryan Mountcastle extended his on-base streak to 25 games last night. Jonathan Schoop is the last Oriole with a 26-game streak in 2017.

OAKLAND – Ryan McKenna knows the drill.

An outfielder is injured while he’s down at Triple-A Norfolk, and instructions are coming to board a flight and join the Orioles. It’s become a routine.

Maybe not the way McKenna first imagined his major league career unfolding, but he’s developing a niche and a reputation.

He’s the outfielder with plus speed and defense who rides the shuttle, stays ready and hops back in the lineup or his bench role. Always with a positive attitude. Unshaken by the disruptions.

The energy guy in the dugout who’s tracking the game like a manager, anticipating when he’s needed.

OAKLAND – The crowd didn’t rise to its feet or generate even a smattering of applause. A tribute didn’t play on the video boards.

Cole Irvin could have been any other starter tonight, his return to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum met with utter indifference.

Irvin’s fourth pitch nailed leadoff hitter Esteury Ruíz on the left elbow. At least he got someone’s attention.

Appearing at the ballpark for the first time since a January trade to the Orioles, Irvin held the Athletics to one run over five innings and departed with a lead.

Shintaro Fujinami also came back for the first time, the response muted until Aledmys Díaz hit a game-tying home run in the sixth. Then, it got pretty loud.

OAKLAND – The Orioles primarily right-handed lineup tonight against Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk includes Ryan McKenna in right field and Jordan Westburg playing second base and batting cleanup.

McKenna was recalled today from Triple-A Norfolk, with Aaron Hicks going on the 10-day injured list.

Westburg is making his cleanup debut. He’s the 11^th player to bat fourth this season.

Anthony Santander is out of the lineup after leaving last night’s game with “general soreness,” per manager Brandon Hyde.

Gunnar Henderson moves down to third in the order. James McCann is catching.

OAKLAND – The Orioles couldn’t wait any longer for outfielder Aaron Hicks.

Hicks was placed on the 10-day injured list this morning with a lower-back strain, the move retroactive to Wednesday. Outfielder Ryan McKenna was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Hicks is making his second trip to the IL. He missed three weeks with a left hamstring strain, returned Monday in San Diego and lasted seven innings before leaving with the back discomfort.

“It’s kind of hit or miss right now,” Hicks said yesterday. “What I’m really trying to get over the hump with is hitting. I wake up, I have good mobility, and as soon as I start hitting it kind of starts to flare up a little bit. It’s what I’m dealing with.

“It’s just annoying. Walking around I feel fine, doing little things feel fine, rotation feels fine. And then as soon as I start to try to fire it up and get moving as fast as possible is when it starts wanting to shut down.”

OAKLAND – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde posted another lineup yesterday that didn’t include Aaron Hicks.

Hyde isn’t playing matchups.

He can’t play Hicks.

The veteran outfielder retained his day-to-day status with discomfort in his back. He exited Monday night’s game in San Diego in the eighth inning after singling twice, with Austin Hays replacing him in left field.

Hyde won’t broadcast his players’ availability to the opposing manager, but Hicks didn’t appear in the next two games of the series and followed Thursday’s off-day by sitting again last night.

OAKLAND – Using an opener tonight didn’t work for the Athletics. Bringing in a rookie behind him didn’t work.

The idea of a Jerry Garcia tie-dye promotion also backfired, with the Orioles truckin’ around the bases.

The Orioles scored three times in the first inning, built on their lead with Gunnar Henderson’s long two-run homer in the second, and defeated the Athletics 9-4 before an announced crowd of 8,942 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Henderson had three hits and three RBIs by the fourth inning, and the Orioles improved to 75-47 overall, 39-24 on the road, 27-13 in series openers and 16-5 in openers away from Camden Yards.

The win also assured that they would go 79 consecutive series without being swept. They still lead the Rays by two games in the division.

OAKLAND – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t know which pitcher would start for the Athletics tonight until receiving a text message yesterday afternoon from manager Mark Kotsay.

“Pro move by him,” Hyde said.

Hyde’s club would face an opener, left-hander Francisco Pérez, who’s never started in the majors. Pérez made four relief appearances with the Guardians in 2021, 10 with the Nationals last season and two with Oakland this year.

Pérez hasn’t started in the minors since 2019.

“Usually, if you change your starter, it’s kind of an unwritten professionalism type of thing to let the other team know, as much advance as you can give them. And then you want to reciprocate it, too,” Hyde said.

OAKLAND – Aaron Hicks remains out of the Orioles lineup as they resume their West Coast trip with three games against the Athletics.

Jordan Westburg is batting ninth and playing third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman.

Adley Rutschman stays in the leadoff spot, followed by shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter and attempting to extend his on-base streak to 24 games. Cedric Mullins is batting sixth, followed by Austin Hays.

In Kyle Gibson’s last start in Seattle, he allowed a career-high nine runs and tied his career high with 12 hits. He faced the Athletics on April 10 and held them to one run in 6 1/3 innings.

OAKLAND – An analytics department that’s grown exponentially since the Orioles revamped their front office, and the entire operation, following the 2018 season can’t measure every aspect of a young player. What’s inside isn’t as easy to decipher, dissect and quantify as the tools. Advanced data and modernized techniques – gasp - have their limits.

This is where the Orioles fall back on more traditional methods to grade makeup. To determine the right fits and find potential red flags.

A sport that keeps evolving, to the chagrin of many traditionalists, hasn’t dismissed all of the old school ways.

The organization is proud of the high-character young players woven through each level. How they blend, how the veterans with spotless clubhouse reputations accept and embrace.

What’s the vetting process when setting up the draft board, looking beyond skill sets and projections for physical growth?

SAN DIEGO – No team is going to keep an Opening Day roster intact for 162 games. The first month is dicey. The first half is virtually impossible.

The Orioles have used 47 players this season and are 121 games into their schedule. They are expected to reinstate left-hander John Means from the 60-day injured list next month. They’d likely provide major league debuts to a few more prospects under different circumstances, but expanded rosters capped at 28 players and the improved depth make it much harder.

Means, catcher James McCann and relievers Mychal Givens and Dillon Tate began the season on the injured list. McCann is the only one on the active roster. Givens is out of the organization after the Orioles designated him for assignment this week.

Givens is expected to become a free agent. The reunion lasted six games before its cancellation.

Tate hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Orioles since Oct. 5, 2022 against the Blue Jays, when he allowed two runs and walked three batters in two-thirds of an inning. He was pulled from his injury rehab assignment after a June 21 appearance with Triple-A Norfolk, his 13^th game overall among three affiliates.

SAN DIEGO – Be careful with the soft spots in the schedule.

The footing can get slippery.

The Orioles are playing teams below .500 in four out of the next five series, beginning with the Padres and including a trip to Oakland. A reprieve on paper. A trap on the field the past two nights.

Left-hander Blake Snell held the Orioles to two runs over six innings, the bullpen was sturdy, and the Padres won again 5-2 before an announced sellout crowd of 42,318 at Petco Park.

The Orioles have gone 3-3 on their West Coast excursion, and their lead over the second-place Rays is down to two games going into the off-day.

SAN DIEGO – The Orioles are keeping their rotation in line for the series in Oakland that begins Friday night.

Kyle Gibson starts the opening game, followed by Cole Irvin and Kyle Bradish. The six-man arrangement isn't changing.

The club didn’t make a roster move today to bring in a fresh bullpen arm. The off-day on Thursday influenced its decision after Jack Flaherty worked only three innings last night and Nick Vespi threw 34 pitches in two innings.

"It's always helpful," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We're not in great shape, but if worse comes to worse, probably could throw a couple guys that I normally wouldn't throw."

Outfielder Aaron Hicks is out of the lineup again due to back soreness. He might be available off the bench.

SAN DIEGO – Aaron Hicks is out of tonight’s lineup as the Orioles attempt to win their 24^th series.

Hicks didn’t play last night after leaving Monday’s game with back soreness.

Adley Rutschman is serving as the designated hitter. Gunnar Henderson is the cleanup hitter and third baseman. Jordan Westburg is playing second base.

Austin Hays is in left field. Hays homered last night in the ninth inning but is batting .192 since the break.

Ryan Mountcastle has reached base in 22 consecutive games, the longest Orioles streak since Trey Mancini’s 23 from Sept. 5, 2019 to April 2, 2021, and the longest in a single season since Mancini reached in the last 22 games in 2019.

SAN DIEGO – Orioles reliever Jacob Webb achieved two milestones yesterday.

Webb turned 30-years-old, and he reached three years of major league service time. Both round and crooked numbers that made him smile.

“It’s a little bit more special today,” he said. “Kind of a cool little birthday present.”

Webb has been an unexpected gift for the Orioles, getting crucial outs since his arrival a week ago.

Claimed on waivers from the Angels, Webb has appeared in four games and tossed four scoreless innings with only an infield single, one walk and six strikeouts. He set a club record by striking out his first five batters.

SAN DIEGO – Jack Flaherty recorded the last out in the first inning tonight, glanced twice at plate umpire Laz Diaz on his way to the dugout and didn’t break stride.

Diaz didn’t check Flaherty’s hands for a sticky substance until the Orioles were done batting in the top of the second. After Gary Sánchez hit a grand slam as part of a five-run outburst. After Flaherty walked three consecutive batters and threw 34 pitches.  

The Orioles didn’t hold any advantages tonight.

Diaz forgot to do it or yielded to the absurdity.  

Flaherty couldn’t find his command early in his third start since the trade deadline, and the Padres evened the series with a 10-3 victory at Petco Park.