Reliever Alex Hoppe got a head start on learning about his new team, becoming familiar with it about two months before the trade that brought him here from the Mariners.

The 27-year-old rookie faced the Orioles twice in June at Camden Yards and allowed an unearned run in 2 2/3 innings. He surrendered a run in the seventh in a game later that month at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

“They’re a good young team,” he said earlier today at his locker. “Coincidentally, a few months ago I came here with Seattle and faced this exact lineup and stuff, and I know they’re really good hitters and it’s a really good organization, and I haven’t heard a bad thing said about them ever, so I’m excited to be a part of it.”

The lineup has undergone some changes with Taylor Ward sent to the Mariners in the deal that brought Hoppe to the Orioles, and Adley Rutschman traded to the Red Sox. Hoppe was activated today, with the Orioles optioning Anthony Nunez to Triple-A Norfolk.

“I would say crazy excitement is a pretty good way to describe it,” he said. “Going coast-to-coast anytime in a short amount of time can be kind of crazy, but I’m happy to be here, happy to be in Baltimore. It’s a great organization and I’m ready to get feet on the ground and get rolling.”

The trade didn’t come as a total shock to Hoppe, a sixth-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2022 out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“There’s always a possibility,” he said. “That’s just the nature of the sport. I mean, any guy will tell you that it’s a business. I really enjoyed my time with Seattle, world class organization, but I’m also excited to be here in Baltimore because I’ve heard great things about it, too.”

The trade gets him back to the East Coast, which adds to his excitement. Hoppe lives in North Carolina in the offseason.

“It’s much easier for my family to watch the games,” he said.

The Orioles had an opening in the bullpen after trading Tyler Wells to the Rays. Hoppe entered games for the Mariners from the sixth to 10th innings. He could work in middle relief, set up and maybe even close, especially with Wells gone.

“Anytime they give me the ball, I’m gonna take it until they take it from me, so it doesn’t matter what role that is,” he said. “My job is to go out there and throw strikes and get outs, so that’s what I plan on doing.”

Right-handers have hit .220 with a .679 OPS against Hoppe in the majors, compared to .267 with a .712 OPS for left-handers. He had a 5.79 ERA in 24 games, with 11 walks and 34 strikeouts in 28 innings.

“Stuff has played great,” he said. “The big thing for me is throwing strikes. We can go look at the numbers and stuff. When I throw strikes, hitters have a tough time hitting me, so that’s the name of the game is like, how often can I throw the ball in that imaginary box? And when I do, I usually have pretty good success.”

Hoppe has learned techniques designed to relax when he’s experiencing bouts of wildness.

“We’re on the biggest stage you can possibly pitch on,” he said, “so it’s like, OK, can I calm myself using breath work and stuff to lower my heart rate and get back to it, because we know I can throw strikes. I know I can throw strikes. So OK, can I be calm and not rush my mechanics so much to get back in the strike zone?”

Hoppe has a four-seam fastball and sinker that average a tick above 97 mph. His primary pitch is a slider at 88.5 mph.

“From all the reference checks over in Seattle, the person, the individual is awesome,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “Great teammate. And he has loud, electric stuff. Two fastballs that are in the upper (90s) to touching 100 and a really good slider that he can shape a couple different ways. It’s really gonna add to our bullpen, and especially our depth, so we’re really excited to have a talent like that on our team.”

Nunez was optioned again with a 4.60 ERA in 40 appearances. He can get more regular work in Triple-A and continue his development in a less-pressurized environment.

“He’s shown what his potential can be, especially early in the year,” Albernaz said. “He also showed that there’s some things he needs to work on, like in particular just the efficiency of his pitches, pounding the strike zone, being competitive in the strike zone. And those are the biggest things that we want him to work on.

“It’s tough enough in the big leagues to go out there and compete, but then also for a young pitcher to try to really work on those things, so to give him some development runway over at Triple-A Norfolk.”

*Tonight’s lineup has Christian Franklin in the leadoff spot in his second major league game, the latest attempt to improve the team’s offensive output against a left-hander. The Angels are starting Reid Detmers.

“With Christian coming in, he has a track record of being a hitter, especially hitting left-handed pitching, and his at-bat quality yesterday was outstanding. And it’s someone that, his path to the big leagues looks different than other guys where he was kind of roadblocked a little bit, three years in Triple-A waiting for his chance, and yesterday he showed that he was ready for the moment. He just went out there and played baseball. He wasn’t trying to do anything else.

“We’re extremely confident that he can take the leadoff spot. The only thing that changes is you hit first one time and that’s it.”

*Jeremiah Jackson is making his second start in left field tonight, with Franklin moving over to center.

“He showed that he can play a really good left field. He did it in Dodger Stadium for us,” Albernaz said.

“He has been in the outfield, he has some track record of being out there, and he’s been putting a ton of work in behind the scenes for over a month now out in left field and in right field, as well. And I think he’s actually getting some work in in center field. So we want to give him and all of our players every opportunity to step in and be in the starting lineup. And with J.J.’s versatility, it’s still developing, but that’s a big asset for him if he can go out and play left field.

“We know what he can do at second base. He came up as a shortstop. And usually guys that come up as a shortstop, they’re athletic enough to go play other positions. So with J.J., we’re just trusting the work he put in, and what he showed at Dodger Stadium in left field makes it really encouraging.”

*Chris Bassitt has one more rehab start to make with Norfolk. Would the Orioles consider a six-man rotation?

“Anything’s possible,” Albernaz said.

*The Angels named their starter for Thursday afternoon – right-hander Ryan Johnson, a second-round draft pick in 2024 who’s posted a 7.63 ERA and 1.587 WHIP in 12 games (nine starts).

The Orioles are starting Brandon Young.