Gunnar Henderson led off the third inning last night by barreling a cutter from Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin and driving it into right-center field at 99.9 mph off the bat.

Manuel Margot raced to the gap, dived and missed it. Luke Raley tried to pick up the ball with his glove and failed on the first attempt as Henderson kept motoring.

The official scorer gave him a triple on the play, and he scored on Jorge Mateo’s ground ball to the right side.

Henderson also flied out and grounded out and is batting .179 with a .665 OPS in 31 games. He hasn’t gone on a tear, but the Orioles expect it to happen and are staying patient with the former No. 1 prospect in baseball.

“There’s been some encouraging stuff,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said yesterday in his first media session since the end of spring training.

Grayson Rodriguez retired the leadoff batter of a game tonight for the first time in his seven major league starts. He needed nine pitches and a 99.1 mph fastball to get a called third strike on Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz. But he did it.

Wander Franco was next, and he launched another fastball to center field for his seventh home run of the season.

Rodriguez keeps experiencing the ups and downs that can nauseate a rookie pitcher. Nothing to do except ride it out.

For longer tonight than any other time with the Orioles.

The defense turned a couple of double plays behind Rodriguez, the offense sprung back to life and the Orioles held on to defeat the Rays 4-2 before an announced crowd of 10,017 at Camden Yards.

Left-hander Drew Rom was sitting on the balcony of his hotel room last night in Jacksonville at around 10:45 p.m., gazing at the river and relaxing, when Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton called with news that he’d need to pack his bags and board a flight to Baltimore in the morning.

The Orioles decided to option Keegan Akin and recall Rom, whose first appearance out of the bullpen will be his major league debut.

“For me, it’s just been a whirlwind of a day and a half, I guess, but I’m trying to take it all in stride at this point and try to keep doing what I’ve been doing down in Norfolk and just try to bring it up here,” Rom said this afternoon at his locker inside the clubhouse at Camden Yards.

“It’s kind of surreal. My favorite movie was ‘The Rookie’ growing up, with Dennis Quaid, so that’s kind of what I felt like coming in, honestly, was taking everything in. A little bit of shell shock. Everything today’s just been eyes wide-open, trying to bask in everything and just take everything one step at a time, one minute at a time.”

Rom posted a 2.87 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in six games. He was supposed to start tonight for the Tides.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Gunnar Henderson will see a lot of time at third base after Ramón Urías went on the injured list today with a strained left hamstring. Henderson is at third tonight and batting seventh as the Orioles try to even their series with Tampa Bay.

Urías sustained the injury last night in the ninth inning while running to first base on a single.

“Do not have a firm grasp of the expected length of his IL stay,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “We hope it’s not going to be an overly significant amount of time, but when you talk about a hamstring, it’s definitely something that we went ahead and put him on the IL and expect him to miss a good bit of time.”

Adley Rutschman is catching and trying to snap an 0-for-18 streak. Adam Frazier is batting fifth and playing second base. Kyle Stowers is batting ninth and starting in right field.

For the Orioles
Cedric Mullins CF
Adley Rutschman C
Anthony Santander DH
Ryan Mountcastle 1B
Adam Frazier 2B
Austin Hays LF
Gunnar Henderson 3B
Jorge Mateo SS
Kyle Stowers RF

The Orioles shook up their roster this afternoon, and the moves weren’t tied only to Ramón Urías’ left hamstring strain.

Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list as expected, but the club also optioned reliever Keegan Akin and designated catcher Luis Torrens for assignment before he could appear in a game.

Left-hander Drew Rom, infielder/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and infielder Terrin Vavra were recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Rom, 23, would be making his major league debut after going 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in six games with Norfolk. He’s surrendered only two home runs in 31 1/3 innings and is averaging 2.9 walks and 9.2 strikeouts. He’s wearing No. 67.

The Orioles selected Rom in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Highlands High School in Kentucky. He could switch to a relief role as Akin’s replacement, keeping a third left-hander in the bullpen and providing length.

Yennier Cano received two days off after working two innings Thursday afternoon in Kansas City. He wasn’t available last night after retiring all six batters he faced Sunday in Atlanta.

The temptation to use him anyway must be strong, simply because he’s become one of the top relievers in baseball.

Just how good?

The examples are numerous and widely publicized. Here is another, according to STATS:

Cano has faced 49 batters and allowed two hits, walked none and nailed one batter, for a .103 opponents’ OPS, second lowest through 12 appearances since 2014.

The Orioles got length tonight from starter Kyle Gibson. They got a quality start, only the eighth in 35 games, and with the veteran right-hander responsible for half.

But would they get the win?

Gibson deserved it, and not just for again knocking down the five-inning wall. He held the Rays to one run through the sixth and came out after Luke Raley’s soft leadoff single.

The Rays loaded the bases with no outs against Bryan Baker, and Raley scored on Wander Franco’s fly ball to leave Gibson with two runs on his line. The Orioles couldn’t yank the loss from him, falling 3-0 before an announced crowd of 12,669 at Camden Yards.

Raley homered off Keegan Akin in the ninth, and the Orioles (22-13) have their first three-game losing streak and second shutout. Tampa Bay improved its record to 29-7, the best in baseball.

Orioles reliever Mychal Givens was back in the Camden Yards home clubhouse this afternoon, taking a brief break from his injury rehab assignment.

Givens said his left knee feels much better, but he doesn’t know when the Orioles will activate him. He hasn’t allowed a run or hit in three innings with Double-A Bowie and has struck out five batters.

The Orioles are keeping Givens with the Baysox. He pitches again Wednesday night in Harrisburg.

“The last three outings have been good, so we’re still taking it day by day,” he said. “We’ll continue to evaluate how I’ve been feeling, but right now it’s been going well, in the right direction.

“The knee’s not having the problems it had earlier in spring and earlier in the month.”

The Orioles are back home, finally, after a three-city road trip and back-to-back, one-run losses in Atlanta.

Now they get red-hot Tampa Bay, which has the best record in baseball at 28-7 and a plus-115 run differential.

The Rays’ record is tied for the second-best through 35 games since 1903. The 1984 Tigers were 30-5 and won the World Series.

Per STATS, this is only the fifth time in 134 series that the Orioles and Rays have been first and second in the standings. Most recently was in April 2019, but the second-place Orioles were 7-10.

The teams have never finished one-two in the division.

The hard part of the schedule just got a little harder.

Goodbye Braves, with your best record in the National League. Hello Rays, with your best record in baseball at 28-7 and obscene plus-115 run differential.

Maybe a lot harder.

The division is out of control. Boston used to be in last place with a record above .500. They won eight in a row before yesterday’s loss in Philadelphia and moved into third place, until the Blue Jays passed them by blowing out the Pirates.

The Yankees are in the cellar but a game above .500. Four of the five teams have 20 wins or more.

ATLANTA – Brandon Hyde didn’t have much to offer the local beat crew before today’s game. Nothing had changed in 12 hours besides his lineup. Morning baseball doesn’t usually bring much news or anything of interest unless the roster is impacted. It just happens, taxing bodies and minds after a late night.

The Orioles’ manager held a cup of coffee, not his first of the day, and joked about his breakfast. Eggs over medium. Nothing is easy around here. Hyde got in a quick workout. And he tried to guide his club to an eighth series win in a row.

Of course, the game would go to extra innings. Baseball has a sense of humor.

It also has walk-off wins for the home team.

Michael Harris II doubled off Cionel Pérez in the 12th to score automatic runner Ozzie Albies with one out and give the Braves a 3-2 victory over the Orioles before an announced sellout crowd of 40,800 at Truist Park.

ATLANTA – The Orioles still have a chance to win their eighth series in a row to draw within one of the club record.

The Braves rallied last night for a 5-4 win on Kevin Pillar’s two-run homer off Danny Coulombe in the eighth inning.

Austin Hays returns to the lineup, batting fifth and playing left field. James McCann is catching a morning game after a night game, and Adley Rutschman is on the bench.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter and batting second. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop and cleanup hitter, with Jorge Mateo on the bench.

Manager Brandon Hyde spoke to Mateo at the infielder’s locker after last night’s game, likely to tell him about the day off.

ATLANTA – Mychal Givens hasn’t allowed a run or hit in three innings on his injury rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie. He’s walked one batter and struck out five.

Dillon Tate has appeared in one game with High-A Aberdeen and four with Bowie, and he’s allowed a combined eight earned runs (10 total) and nine hits in four innings.

Givens figured to be ahead of Tate, since he pitched in spring training. He got into four games, allowing only an unearned run and striking out seven batters, before the Orioles shut him down with left knee inflammation.

Tate was experiencing discomfort in his right elbow/forearm area in November, eliminating him from the Opening Day roster. He didn’t progress beyond bullpen sessions, though he mixed in a changeup.

The logical assumption is that Givens beats Tate back to Baltimore. He doesn’t necessarily need to be built up for multiple innings. The last box checked is probably pitching on back-to-back days.

ATLANTA – The Orioles keep coming at you. To call them pesky is too polite. They are relentless and trying to prove to skeptics that they’re real.

Fall behind early, lose a lead, call the bullpen after another start stalls in the middle innings. Summon another rally, turn on the sprinklers in the dugout and keep riding the wave of wins. That’s how it’s worked for most of the season.

The doubters will point to a rotation with seven quality starts in 33 games, and to a bullpen that might not hold up under the burden. That’s the rain on the parade.

Kevin Pillar’s two-run pinch-hit homer off Danny Coulombe in the eighth inning gave the Braves a 5-4 win over the Orioles before an announced sellout crowd of 41,454 at Truist Park. Coulombe replaced Bryan Baker after Austin Riley’s leadoff double and Sean Murphy’s lineout.

On the verge of their 12^th comeback victory and eighth series win in a row, with a chance to go 23-10 and move 13 games above .500 for the first time since the conclusion of the 2016 season, the Orioles finally collapsed under pressure applied by the team with the National League’s best record.

ATLANTA – Ramón Urías returned to the clubhouse after last night’s win over the Braves and received the news. The part-time second baseman, part-time third baseman, would start at first base tonight.

Something he’s never done in the majors.

Something that was brewing after the Orioles optioned Ryan O’Hearn Thursday afternoon.

Urías had a comical reaction to it.

“I feel like it was kind of weird because I’m not a big first baseman,” he said. “I’m good with it, I’m good with the challenge.”

ATLANTA – Ramón Urías is making his first major league start at first base tonight, as the Orioles try for their eighth series win in a row.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter.

Austin Hays is out of the lineup again with a deep cut on his right middle finger. Kyle Stowers gets the start in left field.

Gunnar Henderson is at third base. Adam Frazier is the second baseman.

Anthony Santander, who's in right field, has hit three home runs in the last two games, including last night's first career grand slam.

ATLANTA – Cedric Mullins was lowered in the order again last night against a left-hander, batting seventh while also being one of the first players credited with a 9-4 win over the Braves.

Anthony Santander homered twice, including a grand slam, but Mullins led off the seventh with a homer against Max Fried.

Mullins is 12-for-43 (.279) against southpaws, with six extra-base hits and 13 RBIs. He slashed .209/.265/.313 last season and drove in only 15 runs.

“Just continue to work,” he said. “I’ve said many times, just how I prepare against lefties going forward. I’ve had a lot of success, so just sticking with it.”

Mullins added a run-scoring single off right-hander Joe Jiménez in the seventh and he leads the team with 28 RBIs.

ATLANTA – One mistake pitch, a meatball in the heart of the plate. Is that asking too much?

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde hoped that Atlanta left-hander Max Fried was due. Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

Hyde can recite Fried’s line from the four-hit shutout tossed at Camden Yards in 2021, right down to the zero walks. He knows about the three consecutive scoreless starts this season and the one run allowed in 20 innings.

Fried didn’t locate a fastball in the fourth inning tonight and Anthony Santander sent it over the left-center field fence to break a tie. That was the mistake. Cedric Mullins barreled a sinker leading off the seventh for another home run. That was a mistake.

So was the notion that Dean Kremer would lose a pitchers’ duel with Fried. Or that the harder part of the schedule would crush the Orioles.

ATLANTA – The decision after Thursday’s game to option Ryan O’Hearn to Triple-A Norfolk takes away a true backup first baseman on the Orioles’ roster.

O’Hearn was bumped by new catcher Luis Torrens, acquired from the Cubs this week for cash considerations.

“Ryan did a great job for us,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “That was tough to say goodbye. Might just be short term. We’ll see. But did a really good job for us in the role that he was in when he was here, so expect to see him back at some point.”

Hyde might be thinking a little outside the box to give Ryan Mountcastle an occasional break.

James McCann played an inning at first base this week in Kansas City and made six starts with the Mets. Adley Rutschman played first in college and the minors but not with the Orioles. Anthony Santander keeps taking ground balls at first and got some reps in spring training, but his last real game experience was in 2016 with Single-A Lynchburg.

ATLANTA – Austin Hays is out of the Orioles’ lineup again tonight while waiting for the gash to heal on his right middle finger. He’s wearing a soft splint on it.

“It’s improved a little bit more,” he said. “We’re still just trying to be careful with it so we don’t turn it into something worse. But the same, day-to-day. Just trying to give it that little bit of extra time and make sure it’s fully ready to go. But still available off the bench if opportunity shows up where I need to be there.”

Hays was hit on the finger by Corey Kluber’s 88 mph sinker, and a cut opened on the inside knuckle beneath the bruise. The Orioles had it cleaned out Wednesday.

A blood blister formed when the ball caused the finger to get pinched against the bat, and the cut was discovered.

“There was just no way to know that it was there before,” Hays said. “At that point, we couldn’t put stitches in it. It’s not something that needs to be stitched. It just needs to heal and close up a little bit. But it’s right there.”