Managers usually aren’t big fans of lineup questions, but Craig Albernaz probably saw them coming.

Returning Taylor Ward to the leadoff spot made sense against Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. However, the Orioles also have Dylan Beavers in center field instead of Leody Taveras, Samuel Basallo at designated hitter and Jackson Holliday at second base instead of Jeremiah Jackson.

Outfielder Colton Cowser is the only left-handed hitter who isn’t in the lineup.

The Orioles are 10-16 against left-handed starters. They’re batting .227/.304/.360 against lefty pitchers, compared to .242/.325/.409 against right-handers.

“Us as a coaching staff, we’re just trying to obviously problem solve hitting left-handed pitching,” Albernaz said, “and collectively this is the lineup that we felt like gives us a shot.”

Ward still hasn’t homered at Camden Yards, hitting all five on the road. He’s batting .238/.374/.262 at home and .268/.382/.446 away from it.

Asked whether the team is talking to Ward about the discrepancy and the impact of the left field dimensions, Albernaz smiled and said, “Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. Left field wall’s pretty far back.”

The Orioles apparently aren’t concerned about Ward changing his approach.

“Every single game he goes in, he doesn’t tailor it to ballpark,” Albernaz said. “It’s strictly tailored to the pitcher and how he wants to attack the pitcher, try to reverse engineer that pitcher’s attack plan and where you should look.

“Kind of like we talked about all season, just how diligent Taylor is to his prep and how he’s dialed in every at-bat.”

Adley Rutschman remains the only Orioles representative for the All-Star Game, though a replacement is a possibility, whether due to injury or availability. Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. declined his starting assignment in order to rest his back.

Albernaz admitted that his opinion on other deserving Orioles is jaded, but he included relievers Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano, starters Brandon Young and Kyle Bradish, infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander and Basallo.

“I mean, you can make cases for Taylor Ward, Gunnar (Henderson),” he added. “There’s a lot of guys, and that’s why the All-Star Game is awesome. It’s the best of the best in that year at the Midsummer Classic, and there’s only a select few that can go.”

Tyler Wells earned saves in back-to-back games against the Reds with Ryan Helsley on the injured list, but Albernaz didn’t anoint the right-hander as the team’s new closer.

“He happened to pitch the ninth inning twice,” Albernaz said. “With us, with Helsey out, the ninth inning is open, and for us, we have a variety of guys who can pitch in the ninth inning and we want to make sure that with all of our relievers, we’re putting them in the right spots to succeed.

“In Cincinnati, those two times it happened to be Wells’ night for that. And like we’ve shown this year, Rico has stepped up for us, as well. Anthony Nunez, (Andrew) Kittredge, as well. So for us, it’s just finding the right matchups and that’s who’s gonna pitch the ninth inning.

“For Wellsy, no matter what situation we put him in, early in the game if he has to go three innings, if he has to clean up an inning, he just goes out there, competes and nothing changes. He’s just trying to attack that hitter at hand, that hitter in front of him, and that’s what all our relievers do. That’s why we’re pretty confident that we could put anyone in the ninth inning.”

The Orioles added a second left-hander in the bullpen earlier today by recalling Nick Raquet from Triple-A Norfolk. He joins Grant Wolfram.

Having an extra lefty was deemed important, “or else Wolfy will be available every single game,” Albernaz quipped.

“We’re pumped to have Raquet back up here. He’s throwing the ball extremely well in Triple-A and it gives another lefty and another look.”