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Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman appears to have avoided the seven-day concussion injured list.
Rutschman was scheduled to take batting practice outdoors if the rain stopped. The tarp is on the field but some players threw in the outfield before returning to the clubhouse.
Rutschman is out of the lineup again after taking a foul ball off his mask during Sunday’s game in Boston and leaving in the top of the fifth inning.
“You’ll see him on the field,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino, “and if all goes well, I think there’s a good chance we see him here pretty soon.”
Cedric Mullins is out of the lineup for the third time in four days and the reasoning isn’t as clear. The Orioles appear to be sitting him as a precaution and to freshen him after he went on the injured list twice last season with an adductor groin strain.
“Just trying to give him a couple days,” Mansolino said. “The day games, the doubleheader, it beat him up. In the past, as he’s gotten worn down in previous seasons, it hasn’t gone well for him, so we’re just trying to protect against that.
“Likely be available tonight if we need him.”
Jorge Mateo makes his third start in center field tonight. He played center and left over the weekend at Fenway Park.
Mateo flipped over the fence and landed in the Red Sox’s bullpen while chasing a home run ball in the ninth inning of Game 2 of a doubleheader. He made a sliding catch of a line drive for the last out.
“We need him to do it,” Mansolino said of Mateo moving from the infield to outfield. “That’s a big part with this. With kind of the way the bench is right now and where the roster’s at, we need him to do it.
“There’s a lot of energy to the game when he’s out there and he’s feeling it and he’s feeling good about it. I’ve got a lot of confidence in where he is mentally right now and his understanding of kind of what his role is on the team. You throw him out there the other night in Boston and running into the wall the way he did, you don’t ask any of your players to do it, but when you see a guy play the game that way, it gives you really good feelings and makes you want to get him out there again.”
Catcher Chadwick Tromp makes his first start with the Orioles tonight after signing as a free agent on April 13 and having his contract selected yesterday. He spent small parts of the last four seasons with the Braves. He caught against the Orioles this spring in the final exhibition game in North Port.
“I’ve seen him from afar over the years, and actually, I had his cousin in the minor leagues at one point, too, so I’ve always kind of followed him knowing that I managed his cousin years ago,” Mansolino said. “He’s a guy that Frenchy (Drew French) really likes. Frenchy had experience with him in Atlanta and has a lot of good things to say about him, so excited to see him back there.”
Tomoyuki Sugano has posted a 3.07 ERA, the fourth-lowest for an Orioles pitcher in his first 10 career starts after Zack Britton’s 2.35, Josh Towers’ 2.56 and John Means’ 2.89. He’s allowed two walks or fewer in each of those starts, the fourth-lowest stretch by an Orioles starter to begin his career after Towers (23 games), Tyler Wells (13) and Mark Williamson (11).
The Orioles are batting .283 (30-for-106) with runners in scoring position in their last 11 games after posting a .188 (56-for-298) average through 42 games that ranked as the lowest in the majors.
They’re hitting .177 (34-for-192) with RISP and two outs this season, the second-lowest average in the majors after the Rangers’ .173.
Outfielder Colton Cowser and infielder Jordan Westburg joined Triple-A Norfolk on injury rehab assignments. Cowser appeared in four games with High-A Aberdeen.
Update: Norfolk's game was rained out, so they'll have to wait until Wednesday.
Double-A Chesapeake placed infielder Max Wagner and pitcher Juan Nunez on the seven-day injured list. Outfielder Reed Trimble was activated from the IL.
For the Cardinals
Lars Nootbaar LF
Masyn Winn SS
Brendan Donovan 2B
Willson Contreras 1B
Iván Herrera C
Nolan Arenado 3B
Alec Burleson RF
Nolan Gorman DH
Victor Scott II CF
Andre Pallante RHP
