O'Neill returns to Orioles, notes before tonight's game

Tyler O’Neill will give it another try and hope to make it through the rest of the month.

The Orioles reinstated O’Neill from the 10-day injured list this afternoon and optioned outfielder Daniel Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk. O’Neill hasn’t played since Aug. 5 in Philadelphia due to right wrist inflammation. He just finished a rehab assignment that ended with Triple-A Norfolk.

O'Neill has made three stops on the injured list this season. He's appeared in 43 games in his first season with the Orioles and slashed .210/.293/.434 with six doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 23 RBIs. He homered and went 3-for-3 with three RBIs on Opening Day at Rogers Centre. He also homered against the Blue Jays on April 13 in Baltimore.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers makes his 16^th start after posting a 1.51 ERA and 0.868 WHIP in 95 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Dodgers in his last outing, the first time that he surrendered more than one since July 20 in Tampa.

Rogers’ 1.51 ERA through 15 starts is an all-time low among Orioles pitchers.

Rogers had made only two career starts against Toronto and allowed five earned runs (six total) and 12 hits in 10 innings. He’s made one start at Rogers Center and allowed two earned runs (three total) in five innings.

The Orioles won all three games against the Pirates this week by one run. Per STATS, it was their first three-game sweep with only one-run wins since July 4-6, 2022 against the Rangers in Baltimore.

The bullpen has a 1.14 ERA this month, a little more than half the ERA of the second-best ‘pen, Seattle’s 2.03.

Opponents are batting .167 this month with runners in scoring position, also the lowest in the majors.

Right-hander Chris Bassitt is 11-8 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.323 WHIP in 30 games (29 starts). His first start came against the Orioles on March 30, when he allowed one run and eight hits in six innings.

Bassitt also faced the Orioles at Camden Yards on July 28 and was pounded for six runs and seven hits in 2 1/3. Cedric Mullins and Coby Mayo homered. He has a 5.40 ERA and 1.473 WHIP in 10 career starts against the Orioles.

Gunnar Henderson is 4-for-11 with two home runs against Bassitt. Ryan Mountcastle is 3-for-10 with a double.

Mountcastle is a career .302/.361/.575 hitter in 71 games against the Blue Jays, with 14 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 53 RBIs. He’s hit .287 with nine doubles, eight home runs, 26 RBIs and a .903 OPS in 33 games at Rogers Centre.

The Jays are 84-62 and in first place in the American League East. They’re 47-25 at home.

Anthony Santander, who left the Orioles as a free agent and signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract, hasn’t played since May 29 due to a left shoulder injury. He was batting .179/.273/.304 with five doubles and six home runs in 50 games.

The Orioles and Jays split a four-game series in Toronto to begin the season. The Orioles are 4-2 against them at home.

Baltimore needs one win in this series to clinch a winning record against Toronto for the third consecutive season. The Orioles’ last three-season winning streak against the Blue Jays ran from 2012-14 and their last four-season streak was 1994-97, per STATS.

Brendan Mortensen is in Toronto for MASNsports.com. I’m joining the team in Chicago.