ARLINGTON, Texas – Danny Coulombe and John Means are visiting teammates at Globe Life Field this weekend, another reminder of how much they are missed.

Means is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and has his left elbow in a brace. Coulombe underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

Coulombe said his recovery is “going along really well.”

“I feel like it’s right on track. We’re pretty optimistic about it,” he said.

“We’re still just working on a little bit of range-of-motion stuff. But it’s coming along really well. And, hopefully, soon we can start some catch and then just get it rolling.”

The Orioles traded a National League Central opponent tonight for one in the American League East. They had won 73 percent of their division games this year. But even that wasn’t enough to get their offense going again.

After scoring two runs in being swept by the Cubs, the Orioles ended their scoreless innings streak tonight but extended a losing streak to four.

Gerrit Cole allowed one run on 106 pitches over six frames as the New York Yankees beat the Orioles 4-1 in front of 39,566 at Camden Yards in the opener of a three-game series.

But what happened in the last of the ninth will be the lasting memory of this night. Yankees closer Clay Holmes hit Heston Kjerstad with a pitch in the batting helmet and a few minutes later both dugouts emptied as O's manager Brandon Hyde had words with someone in the visiting dugout.

"I was walking back and I hear stuff from their dugout," Hyde said. "So I just reacted the way I did. Saw what they were pointing at me and the whole thing, so just reacted the way I did.

They are the top two teams in the American League East, with the Orioles (57-36) leading the Yankees (56-39) by two games atop the division. But both have been playing under .500 ball for a couple of weeks or more. 

Heading into the weekend series, the Orioles are coming off being swept three straight by the Cubs. They have lost four of five and five of their past seven games. They are 8-11 since June 21. But they have actually gained 2.5 games on the Yankees since that date as New York is 5-13 since then.

The Yankees have lost three of four and seven of their last nine games. They are 6-17 since June 15 with a -35 run differential and 5.91 team ERA in that span, allowing 40 homers in those 23 games.

Will one team get well at the expense of the other this weekend?

Both have struggled with pitching lately, although the Orioles scored just two runs in the series with the Cubs. They still are among the best pitching staffs in baseball on the stat sheet. With a 3.60 team ERA, the Yankees rank second in the AL and at 3.66, the Orioles are fourth. O's starters have a 3.54 ERA to rank third while New York is fifth in the AL with a 3.66 rotation ERA. The Yankees bullpen is second (3.55) while the O's are eighth (3.86).

Cade Povich brings a certain level of curiosity into tonight’s start against the Yankees.

Specifically, how will the rookie respond to his worst outing in the majors, when he failed to retire a batter in the second inning in Oakland and was charged with eight runs.

Povich has surrendered six runs in the first inning and six more in the second over his six starts. Three runs scored in the first in his last outing and the Athletics tacked on seven more in the second, with Dillon Tate unable to stop the bleeding.

So yes, manager Brandon Hyde is curious about tonight.

“I think we’re going to find out in the first inning,” Hyde said. “His first innings have been a little rocky, where he has a tough time kind of finding his command. So hopefully tonight he finds that command early.

The Orioles hold a two-game advantage over the Yankees in the American League East and they begin a weekend series tonight that leads into the break. They haven’t lost a division series in the last 22.

They haven't scored in the last 24 innings.

Heston Kjerstad is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center. Colton Cowser is on the bench again.

Jordan Westburg is at second base. Ryan O'Hearn is the designated hitter.

Ryan Mountcastle is batting seventh.

In the final game of a three-game series and six-game road trip, the Orioles (56-33) play at Oakland (34-57) today. The O's won the series-opener 3-2 Friday and lost 19-8 on Saturday. 

That game produced season-highs or really lows for the Orioles.

* It was the most runs they have allowed this season, topping the 14 from June 21 at Houston.

* It is the most runs the Orioles have allowed since a 22-7 loss on Sept. 12, 2021 against Toronto.

* The Orioles also allowed season highs in hits with 18 (the previous most was 15) and homers, allowing five, one more than the four they gave up to Texas on June 29.

OAKLAND – Cade Povich issued two walks in the first inning and took one of his own.

Brent Rooker, the third batter faced, made loud contact on a cutter that traveled 414 feet to the seats above the out-of-town scoreboard in left field. The ball was in flight as Povich drifted toward the third base line, his head turned in the direction of the landing spot.

The rookie had to watch. He didn’t have to stand on the mound to do it.

He’d leave it for good the next inning.

Max Schuemann also hit a three-run homer after the first two Oakland batters reached in the second. A walk and bloop single followed and Povich was removed from the game, his worst outing in the majors leading to the Orioles’ 19-8 loss before an announced crowd of 8,526 that witnessed five home runs from their team.

OAKLAND – A home run and walk in the first inning last night and a leadoff single and an error in the second threatened to detonate Albert Suárez’s start.

A runner stood on third base with one out. With his typical calm demeanor, Suárez struck out the next two batters to escape the jam and retired 12 in a row and 17 of his last 20.

Suárez allowed two runs in six-plus innings, and Orioles starters have surrendered only four in the last 23 1/3.

The Orioles began the series ranked first in the American League and second in the majors with a 3.42 ERA. Their 3.28 rotation ERA also was first and second, respectively.

They held those spots after last night’s 3-2 win at Oakland Coliseum, the staff at 3.40 and rotation still 3.28. The starters have allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of the last nine games.

Heston Kjerstad heard the crowd roar, looked up at the video board and locked eyes with himself. Unsure what to do, he smiled and pumped his fist. The fans had found him. They wanted to salute the rookie, but it’s much easier when he jogs back onto the field.

Kjerstad was confined to the dugout as the designated hitter. At least it kept him close to the hydration station.

The hoses were in demand after his grand slam.

The noise for Kjerstad lingered and he finally moved to the top step of the dugout and raised his cap in appreciation, his bases-filled blast off Michael Lorenzen in the bottom of the fifth inning lifting the Orioles to a 6-5 victory over the Rangers before an announced sellout crowd of 44,286 at Camden Yards.

They were down 2-1 in the fifth when Gunnar Henderson doubled, Ryan O’Hearn and Anthony Santander drew back-to-back walks with two outs and Kjerstad jumped on a cutter for the Orioles’ fifth slam of the season.

In their first series against each other since Texas swept the Orioles last October in the American League Division Series, the Orioles have beaten Texas 11-2 and 2-1 the last two nights to begin this four-game series.

After losing five in a row to Houston and Cleveland, the Orioles (52-30) have won their past three games.

During the five losses, Baltimore pitching allowed 40 runs with a team ERA of 7.71 and OPS against of .936 in those games. The team ERA increased from 3.13 to 3.40 for the year.

During the past three wins, Baltimore pitchers have allowed five total runs with a team ERA of 1.67 and a .582 OPS. The team ERA is down to 3.34. That ERA ranks first in the American League and is third-best in the majors behind Philadelphia (3.04) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.27).

The O's three-game win streak has come by a combined 17-5 score. The Orioles are now 8-11 in one-run games and, after last night, 3-15 when they score two runs or fewer. They are 28-16 at home and 16-11 in June.

The gut check came early tonight for Orioles rookie Cade Povich.

The first three Cleveland batters reached against him – a leadoff single on an 0-2 pitch, a walk after getting ahead 1-2 and José Ramírez’s run-scoring single that had fans grumbling and a manager wondering how he’d cover the rest of the game if Povich didn’t stick around.

The inning lasted 31 pitches, far from ideal, but Povich struck out Josh Naylor on a sweeper and David Fry on a changeup after a double steal. Will Brennan flied out and the Guardians settled for one run.

They scored again in the second and the Orioles tied the game again in the third. Ramírez led off the sixth with a homer to give him the last word.

Brandon Hyde got 5 2/3 innings and 95 pitches out of Povich. Much more than the kid appeared capable of offering back in the first. But the offense has scored four runs in the last three games. Much less than what it usually does.

After losing three games over the weekend at Houston and getting swept for the second time this year by a combined 27-13 score, the Orioles are back at home tonight. They host the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of a three-game series and seven-game homestand.

The Orioles (49-28, .636) have the third-best record in the American League and begin play tonight 1.5 games back of the division-leading New York Yankees.

When they faced the Phillies, they held the best record in the National League and the Yankees were atop the AL when the O's played them in New York. Tonight they host a Cleveland team that at 49-26 (.653) currently holds the best record in the AL and second-best in the majors behind Philadelphia.

Cleveland has won five in a row over Seattle and Toronto by a combined 33-12 score. Cleveland batters clubbed 12 homers and batted hit .273 in the win streak with a team OPS of .899 while scoring 6.6 runs per game.

Cleveland has scored at least six runs in each of those five wins. The last time the team won five consecutive games with at least six runs in each was in July 2019, last doing so in six straight in May 2018.

Heston Kjerstad marks his return to the majors by starting in left field tonight for the series opener against the Guardians.

Ryan O’Hearn is the first baseman and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench.

Cedric Mullins is in center field and Anthony Santander is in right, which also puts Colton Cowser on the bench.

Gunnar Henderson has reached base in 30 straight games. Per STATS, the only other Orioles shortstop to do it in 30 or more consecutive games is Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. – twice at 30 in a row in 1986 and in 46 straight in 1998.

The Orioles won their last two games against Cleveland with their starters going at least seven innings with only one run allowed. The last time they got three consecutive starts like this against an opponent was in 2017 versus the Royals, per STATS. The last time against Cleveland was in 1978.

NEW YORK – The intense atmosphere didn’t get to rookie Cade Povich. He wasn’t rattled. But he didn’t know how long he could stay in it.

Four walks in the first two innings and a pitch count of 56 didn’t align for a long outing. But Povich settled down and retired nine batters in a row in his third major league start, coming within an out of qualifying for his first win.

The Orioles entered the bottom of the ninth with a chance to get one for themselves after leaving the bases loaded in the top half, but Anthony Volpe led off with a double against Craig Kimbrel and scored with one out on Giancarlo Stanton's game-tying single.

No wonder manager Brandon Hyde began his postgame media session by exhaling and shaking his head. Somehow it had worked out in their favor. The roughest terrain doesn't topple them.

Hyde doesn't always understand how they do it, but he'll just enjoy the ride as much as he can, even if it leaves him exhausted.

In Game 2 of this series between the Orioles and Yankees at Yankee Stadium tonight, a rookie making his third major league start faces the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner.

It's lefty Cade Povich for the Orioles versus right-hander Gerrit Cole for the Yankees. Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA last season with a 0.981 WHIP in winning his first Cy Young Award. He has now finished in the top five in the voting six times and second or higher three times.

He has 1,859 career innings on his resume compared to 11 1/3 for Povich. He has made 300 starts in the bigs to two for the O's southpaw.

But Cole is making his 2024 season debut after going on the 60-day injured list March 28 with right elbow inflammation. He made two starts at Double-A and one at Triple-A in rehab outings leading into tonight. In those games, he threw 45, 57 and 70 pitches for a combined 12 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and one earned run with no walks and 19 strikeouts.

Cole faced the Orioles twice last year, going 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings. In 12 career games and starts versus the Orioles, he is 5-3 with a 2.55 ERA and 0.940 WHIP, allowing a .203 batting average and .572 OPS. 

One pitcher tonight will be making his third MLB start while the other has made 300. One will be looking for his first major league win while the other has 145. O's rookie Cade Povich pitched 11 1/3 innings his first two starts while the Yankees' Gerrit Cole has 1,859 innings under his belt.

Povich can't even think about winning Cy Young Awards. He just wants to establish his MLB career. Not only has Cole finished in the top five for the Cy Young Award six times, he's been in the top two three times and was the AL Cy Young Winner just last year when he went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA. Tonight, it's Povich against Cole in Game 2 of this series.

Reverse lock anyone?

The Orioles have gone 21 straight AL East series without losing one. But if they are to keep that streak going, they need to win the next two nights in the Bronx against the defending Cy Young winner in the American League one night and the next beat the pitcher in right-hander Luis Gil, who leads the AL currently in ERA.

Hey, the Orioles won their series at home with Philadelphia after losing the series opener on Friday night.

NEW YORK – If Cade Povich made a previous trip to New York, the memory isn’t sharp enough to cut through the fog.

“Maybe one time for like a night,” he said, “but other than that, no.”

Povich isn’t a tourist this week. His third major league start is coming tonight and he’s facing the team that’s blocking the Orioles from first place.

“It’s definitely going to be cool,” he said, certain that he hadn’t stepped inside Yankee Stadium before yesterday. “Knowing from watching games and growing up around baseball, it’s probably going to be a rowdy atmosphere, but at the same time probably pretty fun.

“We played in Regionals at Arkansas and it was pretty rowdy there, and I had a blast pitching there. Honestly, just real excited for it.”

The Orioles’ bats hadn’t even cooled Sunday afternoon and manager Brandon Hyde already was asked about the upcoming series against the Yankees. Fans hadn’t cleared the parking lots. Players hadn’t finished their showers and meals. Kids still ran the bases with music playing from “Frozen” and “The Little Mermaid.”

(If you have young children or grandkids, you know.)

Under the sea is fun. Being under the Yankees is not. But the gap has closed to 1 ½ games with the Orioles going 4-2 on their homestand.

The Orioles are 22-12 against teams currently above .500. The Yankees hold the best record in baseball at 50-24 despite losing back-to-back games in Boston. The matchup in the Bronx comes on the heels of a series against a Phillies team that has the best record in the National League.

"We get a day off first, which is well deserved and needed for a lot of our guys," said manager Brandon Hyde, his immediate response to a question about going to New York.

Orioles bench coach Fredi González took maybe one step away from the umpires gathered at home plate for the exchange of lineup cards and left-hander Cade Povich already had climbed the dugout steps and began his walk to the mound for his warmup tosses.

Teammates paused to let the rookie lead them.

He did a fine job of it after the game began.

Making his second major league start and first at home, Povich shut out the Braves over six innings before manager Brandon Hyde turned to a bullpen that wasn’t at full strength. Matt Olson turned on a Keegan Akin four-seam fastball and sent it 423 feet to right field for a game-tying two-run homer.

Akin put his hands on his hips in disgust. Povich wouldn’t get his first win. Colton Cowser wouldn’t waste his only at-bat of the night.

From May 23-27, the Orioles won five games in a row, taking four straight at Chicago against the White Sox and the next game in the next series. Now they have matched their season-long win streak by winning five in a row again. They swept four at Tampa Bay and took the homestand opener last night against Atlanta.

Tonight, they look for a season-high six straight wins in the second of a three-game series with the Braves.

The Orioles (44-22) have the second-best record in the American League, playing .667 ball. They trail first-place New York (48-21) in the American League East by 2 1/2 games. The Yankees beat the Royals 10-1 last night, have won 11 of their past 13 and are 22-6 since May 11. The O's are 19-10 since that same date. 

The Orioles keep mostly winning to keep pace with the Yankees, with the teams having a three-game series looming beginning next Tuesday in New York. 

Right-hander Albert Suárez and four relievers teamed on the four-hit shutout Tuesday night, the Birds' sixth shutout of the year and second in their past four games. Their 33 shutouts since the start of the 2022 season rank as second-most in the AL in that span and are tied for fourth-most in the majors behind the Dodgers (36), Padres (35) and Mariners (34). In five seasons from 2017-2021, the O's tossed 28 shutouts, fourth-fewest in the big leagues.