Corbin Burnes lost his catcher tonight shortly before the national anthem. He warmed and then paused while a member of the grounds crew ran onto the field with a rubber cleat cleaner and hammer, using spikes to secure it behind the mound. Burnes got the green light to pitch and surrendered multiple runs in the first inning for the only time in his 25 outings with the Orioles.

Typical wasn’t part of the game plan. Nothing around him seemed right.

A 20^th quality start would elude Burnes after Rafael Devers' two-run homer in the third. Two Red Sox batters already were halfway to the cycle. The Orioles were careening toward a loss on Burnes’ bobblehead night.

The heads nodded but also shook at the absurdity that unfolded at Camden Yards.

Burnes allowed a career-high eight runs and 10 hits in four innings, the tie provided to him unraveling in a flash, and the Red Sox hung on for a 12-10 victory before an announced crowd of 34,541.

The Orioles who have lost only two American League East series this year - one to the Yankees, one to the Blue Jays - get back into division play tonight when they host Boston to start a four-game series at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (71-50) and the third-place Red Sox (63-56) are the only two clubs in the division that have winning records in 2024 in AL East games.

.667 - Orioles (26-13)
.519 - Boston (14-13)
.489 - New York (22-23)
.425 - Tampa Bay (17-23)
.415 - Toronto (17-24)

The Orioles are 8-2-2 this season in 12 AL East series. They are 18-2-6 their past 26 division series dating to early last April.

The Birds are 5-1 this season versus Boston, sweeping three in Boston from April 9-11 and going 2-1 at home May 27-29. The O's in this series have a chance to win each of their first three series against Boston in a season for the first time since 1976.

Zach Eflin makes his fourth Orioles start tonight to kick off a four-game series against the Red Sox.

Eflin is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA since joining the Orioles. He’s allowed five runs in 19 1/3 innings.

In his only start against the Red Sox this season, Eflin allowed three runs and six hits over five innings at Fenway Park. He’s faced them five times and gone 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.417 WHIP in 24 innings.

Rafael Devers is 6-for-13 with three doubles and two home runs against Eflin. Dominic Smith is 7-for-21 with four doubles.

Eflin and Kyle Gibson are the only Orioles to win their first three starts with their new team in their first three appearances, per STATS. Ben McDonald won his first five starts beginning July 21, 1990 after 12 relief appearances.

Austin Slater is leading off and playing left field tonight and Coby Mayo is at third base against a left-handed opposing starter.

Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser is in center field.

Jackson Holliday stays at second base and is batting ninth.

Dean Kremer has made two career starts against the Nationals and is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.

Kremer has held opponents to a .523 OPS his first time through the order, compared to .817 for the rest of the game.

The home clubhouse at Camden Yards had new lockers for four players who joined the Orioles on the road trip. Among them was left-hander Trevor Rogers, who made his first career start tonight in Baltimore.

Anthony Santander was in his usual spot in the back row and on the field. He’s become a constant. And now he’s a record holder.

Santander tied the game in the third inning with his 36^th home run, the most by an Orioles switch-hitter. Ken Singleton had 35 in 1979.

The Orioles went to the World Series that year. Santander is swinging the bat like he’s trying to carry his team deep into the postseason. But he’ll need some cooperation. The offense can’t keep shutting down. More outs are needed from the rotation. More trust must be earned in the bullpen.

Rogers was removed at 78 pitches after James Wood’s leadoff single in the sixth, with four runs and seven hits on his line. Bryan Baker let an inherited runner score and two of his own, and the Orioles lost to the Nationals 9-3 before an announced crowd of 28,058 at Camden Yards.

James Wood and Jackson Holliday have been dueling all season. Not on the diamond, but in rankings as two of the top prospects in baseball.

In whatever order you put them in as two of the best young players in the sport, Wood and Holliday take center stage as they face off on a major league field over the next two nights for the first time in their promising careers.

Holliday has been the top prospect in the sport for the better part of the last year. The Orioles selected him with the No. 1 overall pick out of high school two years ago. Last year, he claimed the top spot in almost every prospect ranking by playing at four different minor league levels in his first full professional season.

Some expected Holliday to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster out of spring training. But he started this year at Triple-A and made his major league debut on April 10. Although highly anticipated, he struggled during his first stint in the big leagues.

In 10 games, Holliday went 2-for-34 (.059) with a .170 OPS and 18 strikeouts. He was optioned back to Triple-A on April 26, where he also spent some time on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. He even strictly served as the designated hitter over three weeks when he returned from his injury.

What do my mailbag and mimosas have in common? They both can be bottomless.

Next question: Anyone surprised that I chose to use mimosas as a comparison? The options were plentiful.

I had some extras from the last mailbag, which led us to the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

Also, my leftovers stay fresh for days and yours change colors overnight.

Is Jackson Holliday here to stay forever?
In the majors? Yeah, he’s planted like a redwood. With the Orioles? Well, stay tuned.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo remains with the club on its road trip that concludes today. He’s on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow subluxation.

Mateo hasn’t undergone surgery at this point. He’s got another medical appointment that the club says will determine the plan.

Mateo wears a brace on his arm occasionally and is allowed to remove it.

The Orioles go for another Tropicana Field sweep this afternoon with Coby Mayo making his first start in his home state.

Mayo is 0-for-13 with two walks and eight strikeouts since his promotion.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew that the Rays would use right-hander Drew Rasmussen as an opener tonight and left-hander Tyler Alexander was prepped to follow. He knows that ace Corbin Burnes gives his club a chance to win anytime the four-time All-Star is on the mound.

What couldn’t be predicted was the manner in which the rest of the game played out. How Ramón Urías, the ninth hitter in the lineup, would impact it.

The fifth inning bit Burnes again but he registered his 19^th quality start and the Orioles carried a slim lead into the seventh, where it disappeared on José Caballero’s game-tying home run off Burch Smith. Perhaps a situation fitted for Jacob Webb if he didn’t land on the injured list.

Jackson Holliday, who hit his first left-on-left homer in the majors earlier in the game, drew a leadoff walk against lefty Colin Poche in the eighth, Hyde stuck with Urías rather than going to his bench, and the infielder rewarded him with a two-run homer in the Orioles’ 7-5 win over the Rays before an announced crowd of 23,898 at Tropicana Field.

The Yankees split their doubleheader with the Rangers, leaving the Orioles (70-48) one game ahead in the division race. They’re the first team to 70 wins.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles made another move today to upgrade their infield depth at the Triple-A level, signing veteran Jean Segura to a minor league contract.

The news comes two days after corner infielder J.D. Davis agreed to terms on a similar deal.

Segura, 34, is a career .281/.327/.401 hitter in 12 major league seasons with six teams. He made the All-Star team with the Brewers in 2013 and Mariners in 2018 and placed 13^th in National League Most Valuable Player voting with the Diamondbacks in 2016.

The 2024 season was passing by without Segura, who didn’t play in the majors or minors. He appeared in 85 games with the Marlins last summer and hit .219/.277/.279.

The Marlins traded Segura to the Guardians on Aug. 1, 2013 in the Josh Bell deal, and he was released that day.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jackson Holliday is the humble, hot-shot prospect whose ceiling reaches the clouds. Eloy Jiménez is the former Silver Slugger Award winner whose career trajectory threatened to bounce him off the floor.

They may have little in common but they’re doing tremendous work as teammates - and for different reasons.

Holliday appeared to be overwhelmed in his first attempt against major league pitching, with only two hits and 18 strikeouts in 34 at-bats. The expectations were unreasonable, no matter how much talent he carried to the Orioles. Holliday turned 20 in December and began the 2023 season in low Class A. He played in only 18 games with Triple-A Norfolk before the International League playoffs.

Anyone who thought he’d hit the ground running after the Orioles selected his contract on April 10 underestimated the difficulty in hitting at this level. He didn’t make it through the month.

Holliday 2.0 is a different player – more relaxed and confident, staying behind the ball with that perfect swing, just letting his talent play. And he’s making people who suggested that he be offered in trades at the deadline look even more foolish.

TORONTO – Coming into the rubber match of their series at Toronto tonight, the Orioles had lost just one American League East series in 10 tries this year and just one in their past 24 division series dating to early April of 2023.

If there was a player who could change that it would be Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Hitting against a team he loves to torment, Guerrero homered and added a double and triple with four RBIs tonight as Toronto beat the Orioles 7-6 in front of 27,910 at Rogers Center.

Even with Guerrero's monster night at the plate, the O's had a chance to steal the series in the ninth inning. Trailing 7-2 at the turn of the ninth, the Orioles loaded the bases behind three consecutive singles from Ryan O'Hearn, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle. 

Then the runs followed. Jackson Holliday drove in a run with a groundout, Cedric Mullins doubled in another and then Colton Cowser singled for two more. It was quickly 7-6. And with the O's homer leader, Anthony Santander coming up. 

But righty reliever Chad Green got the final out as he induced Santander to fly to center on a 2-2 fastball and Toronto hung on. The O's rally fell a run short.  

Since early last season, the Orioles have lost just one American League East series. They need a win tonight at Rogers Centre for that stat to continue. Right before the All-Star break the O's lost a series to the Yankees. But they are 17-1-6 in their past 24 division series. 

They went 32-20 in AL East games last year and are 24-11 this season heading into this series finale. The O's are 7-5 against Toronto and 12-4 in AL East road games.

After losing Tuesday in Toronto 5-2 as they were held to three hits, they won 7-3 last night when they hit three homers.

With last night's win, the Orioles have clinched a second straight season series win over the Blue Jays. This is the first time they’ve accomplished that since winning the season series in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

From 2020-2022, they went 16-32 against Toronto. But since the start of 2023, they are 17-8 versus the Blue Jays. 

TORONTO – It didn't happen in April when he went 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts. But it's happening now. Jackson Holliday, who will not turn 21 until Dec. 4, is now doing special things for the Orioles.

So special that last night, Holliday's go-ahead homer in the seventh led the Orioles to a win but he also became the youngest player in American League history to homer in three straight games.

Looking overmatched and not ready in April, now he looks every bit like the best prospect in baseball. Those that called him overhyped and overrated then are eating their words faster than a buffet lunch. 

The fun started last Wednesday in Baltimore, in his first game back in the bigs since April. 

He drilled a ball 439 feet in the sixth inning against Toronto for a grand slam. A 4-3 lead became 8-3 and Jackson got all of that one. He hit an 0-2 slider with 109.2 mph exit velocity.

TORONTO – The kid did it again. Jackson Holliday hit yet another homer off the Toronto Blue Jays and this one was huge.

With the Orioles down 3-2 in the seventh, Holliday connected on a two-run shot – his fourth in seven games since rejoining the club – and the O’s had a 4-3 lead.

Anthony Santander provided insurance, with a solo homer in the eighth, his second home run of the game. It came not long after he made a leaping catch against the right-field wall in the seventh to rob Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The robbery came with a man on second and two outs, which preserved the 4-3 lead.

The O’s bullpen got the outs late to make it stand up as the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 to even this three-game series.

They improved to 68-47 and are 10-9 since the All-Star break. The Orioles are 24-11 in AL East games and 12-4 in division road games.

TORONTO - After losing both a game and pitcher Grayson Rodriguez to injury last night, the Orioles have to figure night two in Toronto will go better for them. 

Now in second place for the first time in over a month (since June 26), the Orioles 67-47 are now 33-22 on the road and 6-5 against Toronto.

The Birds had won the last two games at Cleveland but have now lost three of five and nine of their past 16 games. They are 9-9 since the All-Star break.

The Orioles are 23-11 in American League East games and 11-4 in division games on the road. They are 3-0-1 in four AL East road series. To not lose their first one of the year, they'll need two straight wins at Rogers Centre.

The Orioles had scored 16 runs on 30 hits on Saturday and Sunday in Cleveland and they went 3-for-29 at-bat last night. Jackson Holliday's solo homer to right-center in the sixth was Baltimore's first hit and the Orioles went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

I’m using flashcards to learn the names of the new players. My family is quizzing me.

Their first question: How did we get stuck doing this?

For me it's like, is that Austin Slater? No? Oh, hey Blake Hunt. Is that Seranthony Domínguez? Nope? I was gonna say Gregory Soto. I swear.

One thing that never changes is my mailbag except for the weight of its contents.

You’ll have a long wait if you think I’m going to worry about clarity, length and style.

The Orioles, after an extended stretch of losing, may now be trending up again. Their offense and their won-loss record.

In the last two games at Cleveland, they scored 16 runs on 30 hits with nine doubles, a triple and two home runs. They went 12-for-31 (.387) batting with runners in scoring position. They created a lot of scoring chances and cashed a few of them in. They scored two or more runs in five different innings the last two games at Cleveland.

With those two wins, the Orioles now have the third-best record in the majors.

.604 – Cleveland (67-44)

.595 – Philadelphia (66-45)

CLEVELAND - A sense of calm finally settled over Cleveland yesterday. Two professional wrestling events over the weekend drew huge crowds at the arena and football stadium. Comedian Martin Lawrence’s standup tour made a stop at the arena. The city hosted the 2024 World Yo-Yo contest, which had its ups and downs. The Guardians inducted pitcher CC Sabathia into their Hall of Fame and welcomed back team legends like Mike Hargrove, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Andre Thornton. And an hour’s drive away were the NFL Hall of Fame inductions in Canton.

Hotel space was limited. Rooms cost the approximate amount of a home mortgage.

Interesting to learn that Cleveland is the entertainment capital of the world.

There’s also the craziness of the Guardians losing Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery and James Karinchak to a shoulder injury and being the only .600 team in baseball. And the Residence Inn a few blocks from the ballpark being perhaps the only hotel in the U.S. that doesn’t have a water dispenser to refill bottles – not even in the “fitness center.” Wanna hydrate? It’s gonna cost you.

What else did we find out?

CLEVELAND – Five runs scored against Corbin Burnes today, his most with the Orioles. Any chance at a 19^th quality landed in the center field seats in the fifth inning. An abnormal result from the reliable ace.

Eloy Jiménez was in the lineup against a right-hander and collected three hits in his first three at-bats, including a run-scoring single in the third. Didn’t see that one coming, either.

Baseball’s unpredictability surfaced again today and the Orioles were happy to settle for a split of their four-game series against the Guardians, with home runs by Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson contributing to a 9-5 victory before an announced crowd of 33,628 at Progressive Field.

"It’s tough to be consistent offensively, but the quality of the at-bat was much better these past two days," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Give our guys a lot of credit for getting a split out of here. That’s a tough place to play, a tough team to play. Kind of getting our butts kicked the first two games, the way we responded and swung the bat the last two games has been nice.”

Henderson’s two-run shot in the fourth inning was his 29^th homer and first since the break, and the Orioles raised their record to 67-46 heading into an off-day in Toronto.