As the industry perception builds that the Orioles will be sellers at the trade deadline, their bullpen is attracting the expected interest.

The collective stats aren’t impressive, but woven in are numbers from position players Gary Sánchez, Emmanuel Rivera, Jorge Mateo and Luis Vázquez. The first three combined to allow 17 runs in three emergency innings. Vázquez tossed a scoreless inning last Saturday.

Catcher Jacob Stallings, signed to a major league contract on Tuesday and sent to Triple-A Norfolk, has made nine career relief appearances and allowed five runs in 11 innings. But he’s in the organization to fill a need behind the plate, not on the mound.

Pending free agents Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto are obvious targets due to their contracts and past production. Domínguez retired the side in order last night in the sixth and extended his streak to 14 appearances in a row without an earned run allowed. An automatic runner scored against him in the 10^th inning Tuesday against the Rangers.

Domínguez has let only one of 20 inherited runners score. Mark Thurmond holds the single-season franchise record of 10.5 percent scoring in 1988. Domínguez’s five percent is second on the club this year behind Keegan Akin’s 4.2.

The Orioles exercised the $8 million option on Domínguez’s contract in November, four months after they acquired him from the Phillies for outfielder Austin Hays. He began working on a splitter and gave it heavier usage in late May, which coincided with his dominant stretch.

The pitch generated a 56.8 whiff percentage before last night, per Statcast data, and opponents were batting and slugging .083.

Right-handers were hitting only .125/.253/.141 against Domínguez overall, compared to .298/.400/.532 by left-handers, but he’s getting outs either way. He was averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings and surrendered only three home runs in 34 games. That’s a big arm for the back of a contender’s bullpen.

Soto brings the obvious appeal to clubs seeking a lefty. He’s averaging 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and has surrendered only two home runs in 35 games. He’s allowed only two earned runs in his last 15 games and four in 20.

Left-handers are hitting .170/.259/.340 against Soto, compared to .262/.324/.344 by right-handers.

The Orioles avoided arbitration with Soto by signing him for $5.35 million. The bullpen is down to two lefty relievers – Soto and Keegan Akin – with Cionel Pérez in Triple-A.

An interesting trade possibility is Andrew Kittredge, whose $10 million contract includes a $9 million option in 2026. The Orioles could choose to keep him with the intent to contend next season. Otherwise, they’re going to be searching for another reliever with a similar pedigree. But that same controllability also makes him appealing to other teams.

“I promise you there’s a market for him if they’d trade him,” said a scout from another organization.

The scout wondered if the Orioles were showcasing Kittredge by using him on three consecutive days and four of five. The lack of deep starts from the rotation impacts bullpen availability, which is the main reason for Kittredge’s heavier workload, and he wanted to show his teammates that he could do it. But scouts were given a longer look at him, so that’s a bonus.

Kittredge got a late start to the season after undergoing cartilage repair surgery on his left knee in March. He’s been scored upon in four of 15 appearances, the worst on June 18 in Tampa with four runs allowed in the seventh, which began with the game tied 8-8. The Orioles led 8-0 in the second.

He’s been traded twice but never at the deadline, and he isn’t worrying about it.

“I’d be lying if I said it never crossed my mind, but I try not to focus on that,” he said. “Just take it one day at a time. I’m here right now. I like it here, I want to be here. If that’s something they ultimately decide to do, it’s their decision and I’ll make the best of it. But if anything, it’s just more of a distraction, and so I try not to think about it. And really have successfully not thought about it too much.”

Until a reporter brings it up at his locker.

“I’m here, I want to be here, and I think we’ve been playing a lot better ball,” he said. “I know we have a tough road ahead to be a playoff team, but I want to be here for that.”

Multiple scouts also are wondering if the Orioles would move outfielder Ramón Laureano, who signed a $4 million deal in February. Laureano also has a club option in his deal, for $6.5 million.

Laureano doubled last night, walked twice, drove in two runs with single, scored a career-high four and is batting .266/.341/.494 with nine doubles and nine homers in 54 games. His seven outfield assists are tied for second in the majors.

“There are clubs out there looking for right-handed bats,” said one scout. “He’s got enough track record, I think you kind of know what he is from an evaluation standpoint. He’s a good player. And he has a good reputation. You don’t want a bad guy in your clubhouse. It’s got to be the right fit.”

It’s worked out nicely for the Orioles.

“He’s been huge,” said Colton Cowser. “He’s really fun to watch, especially in front of me. He’s always in counts, working counts, laying off pitches. Extending ABs I think is huge, and I think he’s done a really good job with that. Not only extending them, but then capitalizing on them. Overall he’s been a huge offensive member for us.”

* Laureano and Cowser are the first Orioles teammates to score four runs in the same game since Bernie Castro and Melvin Mora on Sept. 27, 2005.

* The Orioles’ 14 extra-base hits last night were a club record.

* Coby Mayo is the first Oriole to hit his first major league home run off a position player, according to STATS.

Five other players have done it since 2020. Apparently, it's fairly common all-time. 

The most recent before Mayo was the Dodgers' Dalton Rushing on May 31 off the Yankees' Pablo Reyes.