The Orioles have learned to be prepared for anything, whether it’s an old or present regime, but having one available left-handed reliever last night in Chicago wasn’t in the plans.

They could function just fine. It’s just that, they expected three and began the season with two and were down to Grant Wolfram at Rate Field.

Keegan Akin is on the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain that cropped up while he warmed for the last exhibition game in Florida. He slipped and wasn’t able to pitch.

Dietrich Enns, who’s battled control issues since reporting to camp, went on the IL yesterday with an infection in his left foot.

A slip and a bug removed two important relievers from the bullpen.

You can’t make up this stuff.

Late last night came word that the Orioles acquired left-hander Nick Raquet from the Cardinals. Enter at your own risk.

“(Enns) said his foot was swollen, and it’s swollen pretty good,” manager Craig Albernaz told the assembled media yesterday. “He went to the hospital and got some IVs with antibiotics. It’s crazy. I’m not sure how it happened, but his foot is pretty gnarly.”

This is more than just a footnote. The Orioles placed right-hander Yaramil Heraldo on the IL Sunday with right shoulder inflammation. Andrew Kittredge is two games into his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk after beginning the season on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Félix Bautista and Colin Selby are on the 60-day IL.

Cade Povich is a second bullpen lefty, but he threw 87 pitches in 5 2/3 innings Sunday. The Orioles held onto him instead of calling up a fresh arm.

Albernaz told the media yesterday that he wasn’t concerned about having only one southpaw because he trusts his other relievers to get outs from either side.

“They have weapons to do that,” he said. “It’s going to be challenging to maneuver just one lefty, but we trust our other guys to get the opposite-handed hitters out.”

*Former Orioles outfielder Austin Hays has dealt with a multitude of injuries over his career, a prime example of bad things constantly happening to good people, and he suffered a right hamstring strain in the fourth inning last night chasing Tyler O’Neill’s fly ball down the left field line.

Hays pulled up before getting to the ball and flipped it to his teammate, allowing Adley Rutschman to score all the way from first base and break a scoreless tie. O’Neill thought it was foul, stopped running and had to settle for the single.

Ryan Mountcastle singled and would have gotten an RBI if O’Neill reached second base.

Hays signed a $6 million free agent contract with the White Sox in early February that included an $8 million mutual option.

*The Orioles got their second run on Gunnar Henderson’s leadoff homer in the sixth at 105.3 mph off the bat.

Henderson has scored 21 runs in 20 career games against the White Sox. The only other active major league players to average at least one run per game versus Chicago’s North Side team in a minimum 15 games are Trea Turner (18 runs in 16 games) and Aaron Judge (43 runs in 39 games), per STATS.

*Taylor Ward stayed hot last night with a leadoff double in the first inning.

Ward had 12 hits and six walks through nine games before last night. Per STATS, the last player to reach those marks though nine career games with the Orioles was catcher Javy Lopez in April 2004 with 18 hits and six walks.

*Erick Fedde replaced White Sox opener Grant Taylor in the second inning and allowed two runs in six innings to take the loss.

Fedde owned a career 1.26 ERA in five games against the Orioles before last night, with four earned runs in 28 2/3 innings. He had a streak of 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings from 2019-24.

Per STATS, Fedde’s ERA was the third lowest against the Orioles in a minimum four starts after Tarik Scubal’s 1.17 and Ed Lopat’s 1.22.

*Rutschman attempted two more back-picks at second base last night and his second throw  wound up in center field for an error, though the runner was stranded at third.

Rutschman has been much more aggressive so far this season with the back-picks, which field coordinator and catching coach Joe Singley talked about Sunday morning.

“We’re definitely trying to prevent as many runs as we can,” he said.

“We’re very confident in our throwers. I think we have two guys that throw the ball really well, and again, the main premise to that is just trying to keep runs off the board. We see the opportunities there, we try to take them.”

*Here’s another example of veteran leadership in the Orioles’ clubhouse, which I don’t think can be overstated.

Reliever Anthony Nunez was making his third major league appearance when Albernaz handed him the ball in the eighth inning Saturday in Pittsburgh. The lead was down to 2-1 and Nunez was trusted in a high leverage situation.

He allowed the tying run to score with two outs when he misplayed Jake Mangum’s soft bouncer to the right side of the mound, reaching with both hands and failing to grab it. A leadoff single and two-out walk came back to haunt him, but ironically, the former infielder was hurt most by his defense.

Or is that a coincidence? Anyway, Nunez slammed his glove on the bench when he returned to the dugout, and the Orioles lost 3-2 when Ryan Helsley allowed a walk-off double in the ninth.

Afterward, Nunez handled his first media scrum under bad circumstances like a pro. He was at his locker and said all of the right things. You’d think he was an eight-year vet. But what I noticed more was how Tyler Wells, sitting on one of the clubhouse chairs, gave Nunez an encouraging pat as the rookie walked past him. Kyle Bradish was a few lockers down and stood up during Nunez’s interview, looking down at his phone but clearly listening to see how the young man handled himself and how reporters handled each question.

That’s what every team’s more experienced players should do. That’s a good clubhouse.

*Starter Shane Baz misplayed a ball in the fourth inning that night which was ruled an error and led to an unearned run. Nunez’s ball was scored a hit.

The pitchers fielding practice in spring training may seem monotonous – to players, fans and media – but there’s a reason for it.

Fundamentals are a priority with this team and there have been too many breakdowns in the first two weeks of the season.

Albernaz was asked in Pittsburgh about the balance between doing extra work and not wearing out players.

“To me, there is no balance,” he replied.

“I think that’s where the old adage in baseball where it’s like practice with batting practice or whatever, that’s just not going to cut it. I’m a believer in, if players don’t want to do extra work and get their bodies tired, you’ve got to make sure you perform in the game, because the game is the ultimate indicator of what you need to work on. So we have to stay with our work and continue to work on the fundamentals even in batting practice or before the game starts. So we have to really double down on that.”

*In closing:

Wells had two more scoreless innings last night. Is everyone done worrying about him?

Helsley doesn’t have a clean outing in his four appearances and he allowed a run last night, but he struck out Edgar Quero to strand two runners and record his third save in a 2-1 win.

Is anyone worrying?

Helsley’s four-seam fastball lived in the high 90s but reached triple digits only once, to his last batter.

Rico Garcia will never give up a run or a hit. Put him on the All-Star team.

Better yet, extend that man!