The Orioles announced today that they signed first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper to a minor league contract. He’ll report to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Cooper, 33, appeared in a combined 36 games with the Cubs and Red Sox and batted .206/.267/.299 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBIs. He’s played for five teams in the majors beginning in 2017 with the Yankees and hit .265/.333/.427 in 517 games.

Cooper was an All-Star with the Marlins in 2022. Three years earlier, he batted .281 with 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .791 OPS in 107 games.

Last season, Cooper hit a combined 17 home runs with 61 RBIs in 123 games between the Marlins and Padres.

The Red Sox acquired Cooper from the Cubs in April for cash considerations and released him 11 days ago.

The Orioles began a seven-game homestand last night by shutting down offensively after the third inning and losing to the Guardians 3-2.

They always seem to leave a trail of questions as they move through the season, and yesterday was no exception. Some can be resolved quickly and others are going to linger.

Here are three:

What’s happening with Dean Kremer?

In a perfect baseball world, Kremer would be in the Orioles rotation later this week and helping to steady a ship that hasn’t sunk but is veering off course.

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.

The Orioles are prepared to wait a little longer on Dean Kremer before he returns to the rotation.

Kremer is expected to make a third injury rehab start after throwing only 39 pitches in two-thirds of an inning Saturday with Triple-A Norfolk. He worked 3 2/3 innings and threw 59 pitches in his first outing, and the Orioles hoped that he could build on it.

“We haven’t finalized it, but I would assume that he’s going to make another rehab start just because he didn’t get his pitches up, didn’t get out of the first inning there,” manager Brandon Hyde said earlier today. “It wasn’t an ideal situation for him from a pitch-count standpoint, but he did feel good after the two-thirds that he threw down there.

“I’m going to assume that we’re going to give him another rehab start. We just haven’t finalized it yet.”

Cole Irvin and Grayson Rodriguez start the last two games of the Guardians series. The Rangers arrive next for a four-game set that apparently won’t provide Kremer with his first major league start since May 20 in St. Louis.

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.

The Orioles made last night’s reported move official today by recalling outfielder Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk. He’s back in the majors for the third time in his career and the first since they optioned him May 13.

Infielder Nick Maton was designated for assignment to make room for Kjerstad on the active roster. The 40-man roster is reduced to 39 players.

Kjerstad is batting .300/.397/.601 with 14 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs and 58 RBIs in 56 games with Norfolk. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 21 prospect in baseball.

Appearing in only seven games earlier this season, Kjerstad collected two hits and struck out six times in 14 at-bats.

The offense could use a jolt after scoring one run in each of the last two games on Jordan Westburg homers. The Orioles were swept in Houston.

The mailbag wasn’t emptied on the first attempt. Passionate fans have questions, and there’s never a shortage.

Let’s get to a few more before tonight’s game against the Guardians that begins the latest homestand.

Same rules apply. There are none except for the ban on profanity. Stop trying.

Where would you, Mr. Kubatko, rate Gunnar as an all-time Oriole already? (And yes, I’m asking you to project.)
No need to be so formal but thank you. Yeah, that’s some serious projecting so early in his career, but if we’re talking about where he winds up, he absolutely should be one of the best for everything he brings to the plate and at shortstop. Helps to know whether we’re talking best Orioles or best players to wear the uniform. This isn’t an issue with Henderson, but I think about Frank Robinson. Maybe the best player to wear the uniform but he only spent six seasons in Baltimore. Roberto Alomar spent three but he’s in the Hall of Fame and played the best second base that I’ve ever seen. We’re safe going with Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. Henderson has the talent to be talked about in the same sentence.

Hey Roch, any plans to get an interview or article with Terry Crowley or Nick Markakis for their O’s Hall Of Fame inductions?
The team will make them available to the media and I assume that I’ll be in the scrum. Haven’t seen Crowley in many years and I look forward to it. His induction is long overdue. Markakis will be a man of few words but I enjoyed covering him.

Heston Kjerstad had quite a day with Triple-A Norfolk.

The right fielder was ejected this afternoon after being hit by pitches three times in three innings and told later that the Orioles were promoting him.

Kjerstad is expected to be recalled on Monday, according to an industry source. The Orioles are beginning their latest homestand with a three-game series against the Guardians.

This will be Kjerstad’s third stint in the majors and his second this season. He appeared in only seven games and went 2-for-14 with six strikeouts.

The Orioles optioned Kjerstad on May 13 to give him regular at-bats again with Norfolk. They recalled Kyle Stowers in a swap of left-handed hitting outfielders.

HOUSTON – A recent run of strong starts during an overall good season for right-hander Albert Suárez hit a speed bump in New York a few days ago. Today in Houston, it was quite a bumpy ride again for the hurler who took an ERA of 1.61 into that start at Yankee Stadium.

He allowed three runs and walked five in 3 2/3 innings in the Bronx. He was much more around the plate today, maybe in the zone too much early on as the Astros came out swinging against him.

Houston scored four runs on six hits in the last of the first this afternoon and rode that big inning to a 8-1 win behind 15 hits and a solid outing by left-hander Framber Valdez as they sweep this three-game series.

The O’s hit town riding high, coming off Thursday’s 17-5 victory and series win at Yankee Stadium. They had gone 14-6 the previous 20 games with series wins over the Rays, Braves, Phillies and Yankees but didn’t win once this weekend at Minute Maid Park.

At 49-28, they are swept for the second time this year (also May 20-22 at St. Louis) and head home to host Cleveland on Monday night.

HOUSTON – As the Orioles look to salvage one game in their three-game series at Houston and avoid being swept today, they face a tough lefty in Houston’s Framber Valdez (5-5, 3.91 ERA).

He finished 11^th for the American League Cy Young Award in 2020, was fifth in 2022 and ninth last year.

In these past two years he has gone 29-17 with a 3.13 ERA over 399 1/3 innings. But in those two years, as he has had high Cy Young vote finishes, he faced the Orioles once each season and they fared well against him. In the two games, they scored 13 runs off Valdez (10 earned) in a combined 12 1/3 innings.

In an interview with local media today, O’s offensive strategy coach Cody Asche talked about the challenge of facing Valdez today and how the O’s batters might approach it.

“I think a lot of our guys will kind of lean on their experiences last year," he said. " I thought we had really good at-bats last year at Camden. And I think even two years ago, we kind of ended that quality-starts streak against him.

The Orioles need a win today in Houston to avoid being swept for the second time this season. They trail the Yankees by 1 ½ games in the American League East.

With the Astros starting left-hander Framber Valdez, the Orioles lineup counters with Adley Rutschman leading off for the first time this season, Gunnar Henderson batting cleanup and Jordan Westburg batting fifth.

Henderson, who extended his on-base streak to 29 games yesterday, is serving as the designated hitter while Jorge Mateo starts at shortstop.

Ryan Mountcastle moves up to second in the order. Austin Hays is in left field and Colton Cowser is in center.

Albert Suárez is making his ninth start and 16^th appearance. He’s registered a 2.05 ERA and 1.200 WHIP in 48 1/3 innings, and with only one home run surrendered.

The mailbag didn't go deep in the heart of Texas. Too hot for it.

Well, the joke's on you, mailbag. It's in the high '90s here.

Anyway, letter rip. Just ignore the temperatures and the bad pun.

You ask and I answer and we have another sequel to the beloved 2008 original blockbuster. We do not get caught up in editing for style, clarity, brevity, length, latitude or longitude. 

Also, my mailbag gets dumped so questions can be answered and yours gets dumped by every girlfriend.

HOUSTON – Right-hander Corbin Burnes had been everything the O’s hoped for this year and maybe more. He had 10 straight quality starts coming into today’s outing and his 2.14 ERA ranked tied for first in the American League and tied for third-best in the major leagues. 

And today it’s not like the Houston Astros hit him that hard. But they did do something no other team could do against him this year. They got him for two homers.

That led Houston, which also got a strong pitching effort from right-hander Ronel Blanco, to beat the Orioles 5-1 today at Minute Maid Park in front of 37,107.

The Birds, now 49-27, would suffer a sweep with a loss tomorrow. From 2016-2019, the Orioles went 1-11 in Houston. But since the 2021 season they were 7-2 at Minute Maid Park when this series started. 

The O’s offense slowed after it put up 28 runs in the previous two games, 35 in the last three and 51 in the past six. The O’s began today leading the majors in scoring at 5.35 runs per game.

HOUSTON – Today in Game 2 of this series for the Orioles at Houston a hot offense meets a pitcher having a big year.

Right-hander Ronel Blanco (7-2, 2.43 ERA), who pitched a no-hitter April 1 and who threw seven no-hit innings in his last start pitches for Houston. Righty Corbin Burnes (8-2, 2.14 ERA) starts for Baltimore. 

Blanco will face a Baltimore lineup that has scored 28 runs the last two games, 35 the past three and 51 in the last six. An attack that leads the major leagues in homers, extra-base hits and slugging while scoring 5.35 runs per game.

“Blanco is one of those great major league baseball stories that we are fortunate to have in our game," said O's manager Brandon Hyde. "Guy has come out of nowhere a little bit and threw that no-hitter early in the year. He’s been pitching like an All-Star." 

Blanco has allowed just 44 hits in his 77 2/3 innings for a .164 opponent batting average, which is the best in the American League. He also ranks second in opponent OPS (.544), third in slugging against (.294), and fourth in ERA (minimum of 70 innings pitched).

The Orioles will try to rebound today from last night’s bizarre 14-11 loss to the Astros in Houston. A win would have moved them into first place because the Yankees also lost.

Colton Cowser is in right field and Ryan O’Hearn is in left again. Austin Hays stays on the bench.

Anthony Santander, who’s homered 11 times this month, is the designated hitter.

O’Hearn is batting .400 against low pitches in June after posting a .125 average entering the month, per STATS.

Adley Rutschman, who had his second career five-hit game last night, is catching Corbin Burnes again.

The reversal of the measuring stick can’t be argued or ignored any longer.

The Orioles don’t use other teams to gauge their chances of making a deep run in the postseason. To confirm how they stack up against the rest of the field.

You sweep the Rays in a four-game series at Tropicana Field and win two of three against the Braves, Phillies and Yankees, and you become the model. They use you.

If you keep flushing the opponents’ aces, you don’t need to look up to anyone.

Yes, it’s safe to say it. Don’t be hesitant. The Orioles are making a rock-solid argument for being the best team in baseball, and last night's loss in Houston doesn't change anything. The pitching fell apart, an example being the nine runs surrendered in the sixth inning. The Astros were intent on measuring themselves against the Orioles, who refused to fold when down 14-3.

HOUSTON – Some nights you win by 12 runs and some nights you lose big. It doesn’t happen on back-to-back nights very often.

It actually was about to happen to the Orioles, who were down by 11 runs after Houston scored nine in the sixth inning. But it did not, as the Orioles' relentless offense produced three homers in the eighth inning when they scored seven runs.

In the end, the crazy final was Houston 14, Orioles 11 in the series opener.

The roof fell in on Baltimore's pitching not long after they had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth.

The Orioles, who began this night leading the American League in team ERA and tied for first in MLB, allowed three runs in the Houston fifth and nine in the sixth.

HOUSTON – It’s a bit of a family affair in the dugouts in Houston this weekend as the Astros host the Orioles for a three-game series. Two good friends, who are now also brothers-in-law, will manage against each other in the O’s Brandon Hyde and Houston’s Joe Espada.

Their friendship goes back many years and they married sisters.

Espada was Houston’s bench coach since 2018 and took over as skipper last November after Dusty Baker’s retirement.

“It’s going to be definitely a great experience and a great thing for our family,” said Hyde this afternoon at Minute Maid Park to a crowd of reporters that cover each team. “Me and Joe go way, way back. He was my hitting coach (with Greensboro in the South Atlantic League) when I was managing in 2006. We’ve known each other a long time and I’m really proud of him and happy he got this opportunity. Going to be cool to see him in the dugout in a little bit different seat this year. Going to be a lot of fun.”

Hyde and Espada were candidates for the same big league managing job several times as they both worked their way toward getting the jobs they have today.

The Orioles begin their three-game series in Houston with Colton Cowser out of the lineup for the second consecutive day.

Ryan O’Hearn is making his second start in left field, with Cedric Mullins in center and Anthony Santander in right.

Jordan Westburg is the third baseman. Adley Rutschman is serving as designated hitter.  

Texas native Grayson Rodriguez is making his first career start in Houston. He faced the Astros last season at Camden Yards and allowed two runs in six innings.

Rodriguez has made three starts this month and allowed five earned runs in 19 1/3 innings. He’s walked two batters and struck out 16.

NEW YORK - The wise and accomplished veteran is an Oriole for reasons beyond his awards and ace status.

Corbin Burnes can teach. He can mentor. And man, is he needed right now.

The rotation is crumbling at Burnes’ feet. John Means, Tyler Wells and now Kyle Bradish underwent surgery on their right elbows. Reconstructive, repairs, whatever. It’s all bad. And Dean Kremer can’t help because he’s on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk.

The other starters behind Burnes include Grayson Rodriguez, who hasn’t pitched a full season in the majors, and Cade Povich, who’s made a grand total of three starts. Albert Suárez hadn’t appeared in a major league game since 2017 prior to this season.

Burnes spoke to Rodriguez recently and also Bradish before news of his Tommy John surgery. The advice wasn’t complicated but the urgency rang loud and clear.