Moving Tony Mansolino into the manager’s office on an interim basis didn’t provide a permanent solution to the Orioles’ issues in 2025.

That’s a huge ask.

However, the club is 21-19 since he replaced Brandon Hyde, and most of the improvement is credited to an uptick in starting pitching and in health. The early record assuredly would have been better if the Orioles hadn’t failed in those areas. But nothing is sustainable this year except for the setbacks.

The rotation had produced only two quality starts in the last 16 games before Dean Kremer’s seven scoreless innings yesterday. The injured list is growing again, with starter Zach Eflin likely to join it a second time later today with lower back tightness. But the Orioles took two of three games from a Rays team that's challenging for first place in the American League East.

Mansolino was a popular coach on the staff and he remains that way in a new role unexpectedly thrust upon him.

“I think he’s been outstanding,” said first baseman Ryan O’Hearn. “He’s got great relationships with the guys in the clubhouse, he’s a good communicator, even keel. He’s done a great job, and I think he’s a great big league manager.”

Jackson Holliday is playing for his second manager in his first full season in the majors. He appreciated having Hyde to break him in, but he also developed a solid relationship with Mansolino from their daily infield instruction.

“I think Manso’s done a really good job of handling everything that he was thrown,” Holliday said. “It’s a tough position to be in, to take over a team that’s kind of struggling, and I think he’s done a great job. We all really respect Manso and want to go out and play really well for him.

“I think being a third base coach for however long he’s been doing that, that relationship with the players, I think it’s a little bit different than, say, a typical manager because he’s kind of in it with us and he likes to give guys a hard time and have a lot of fun. I think he’s done a really good job.”

The changes in the team beyond the manager and John Mabry’s hiring as a special advisor appear to be minimal. The messages and expectations basically are the same. 

“I think both of them are really great baseball guys, so I don’t think there’s anything too drastic,” Holliday said. “We’ve got a lot more show-and-go’s, I guess, as far as staying out of the heat, but they’re both great baseball guys, so I don’t think there’s anything too different.

“I think the aggressiveness on the basepaths might be a little more preached. But other than that, pretty similar. He just kind of lets us go out and play and wants us to play hard and play to win.”

The Orioles probably will open up a managerial search in the offseason. They won’t disclose their plans this early, waiting until after the break and trade deadline.

Mansolino figures to be tossed into the candidate pile and will have plenty of support in the clubhouse.

“Absolutely yeah. Without a doubt,” O’Hearn said.

“I would definitely want him still on the staff no matter what, but I think he’s done a good job,” Holliday said. “That’s not up to us, but I’d love for Manso to be in the clubhouse either way.”

* The Orioles played nine innings yesterday and didn’t need a position player to pitch. Score it as another win.

Shortstop Luis Vázquez (twice), catcher Gary Sánchez and infielders Jorge Mateo and Emmanuel Rivera have been forced into emergency mound duty. Vázquez has tossed three scoreless innings. That alone should keep him around.

This is known as a last resort for team’s trying to live another day. Don’t burn out the bullpen completely and be exposed to further punishment.

It also happens when a club simply runs out of actual pitchers.

“It’s not in a vacuum,” Mansolino said last week. “As you look at that problem, it all goes back to starting pitching, whatever’s causing pitchers to throw five innings. If you came out in the fifth inning (in the past), that was a bad day. Now, it’s pitchers come out in the fifth inning and in some ways we might celebrate it.”

Sánchez wasn’t in a celebratory mood when making his first pitching appearance on April 20 in a 24-2 loss to the Reds. He allowed four runs in one inning.

It seemed like an OK idea at the time.  

“I wanted to do it at least once before I retired,” Sánchez said through interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I was looking forward to it, but honestly, I didn’t like it too much.”

Being on the other end of it is no thrill ride, either. Getting a hit is expected. Failure can lead to ridicule.

“In my opinion, I don’t like facing them,” Sánchez said. “It’s part of the game, but when you see them out there throwing really soft, it just feels weird, and I think that’s why I don’t like facing them.”

* Statcast was down for half of yesterday’s game due to the intense heat, but starter Dean Kremer didn’t notice because he isn’t glued to it in the dugout. He isn’t checking his data and only becomes aware of it from staff members.

“I actually have no idea,” he said. “I don’t look at the iPad during a game. Frenchy (Drew French) and (Ryan) Klimek and Grant (Anders) will come up to me if need be, if they see something or something needs to be said. But for the most part, we’re kind of talking through the lineup as the game kind of goes on. But I have no idea.”

* Félix Bautista pitched the ninth inning yesterday in a non-save situation and surrendered a leadoff home run to Brandon Lowe. He hadn’t appeared in a game in five days. He can’t sit too long.

“My gut feeling was he needed to get working,” Mansolino said. “The way we handled that was we kind of put it in Félix’s court and said, ‘Félix, what do you want to do here?’ And he wanted the inning.

“We've had conversations going back to the road trip in Milwaukee, when he told us that he needed more consistent work at that time. So we've tried to accommodate it. We didn't want him to go five, six days without throwing. He doesn't want to do that, either, so just trying to get him work.”

Bautista walked the next batter in a 5-1 game and struck out three. One of his sinkers was clocked at 99.3 mph to fan Jake Magnum. He reached 99 against Curtis Mead.

* Ramón Laureano was supposed to be an extra outfielder but he’s getting regular work and thriving.

Laureano had two more hits yesterday and is batting .273 with an .863 OPS. He has eight hits in 18 at-bats in his last five games, with two doubles and a home run.

“I feel good,” he said. “Just continue to try to see the ball good and be ready to hit.”

Laureano loves the aggressive sends from Buck Britton, who became third base coach after Mansolino’s promotion. Another one came yesterday on Colton Cowser’s single into left field in the second inning.

“It’s great,” Laureano said. “You know you’re going, so you’ve gotta get your legs loose and yeah, go for it.”

* Kremer has thrown at least five innings in 13 consecutive starts to tie the longest streak of his career in 2023.

Mansolino called Kremer “Day game Deano,” but maybe it should be “Home game Deano.”

Kremer has posted a 2.37 ERA at Camden Yards and a 5.49 ERA on the road.

* Here’s a leftover from Coby Mayo’s first major league home run:

Mayo is the first Oriole to hit it against a position player and the sixth batter since 2020, per STATS.

Former Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto served up a homer to the Cardinals’ Alec Burleson on Sept. 23, 2022 while playing for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing homered off Yankees infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes last month. The Phillies’ Johan Rojas homered off Twins outfielder Jordan Luplow on Aug. 11, 2023, the Rangers’ Jason Martin homered off Dodgers infielder Andy Burns on June 12, 2021, and the Brewers’ Tyrone Taylor homered off Tigers outfielder Travis Demeritte on Sept. 9, 2020.

The more you know ...