ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles haven’t hosted baseball’s All-Star Game since 1993, the second year of Camden Yards' existence. Back when they wanted to show it off to the world.

They’re on the radar again, which promises nothing but keeps them in the conversation.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said this morning that the club has “definitely” expressed an interest in the Midsummer Classic. The next available date is 2027, after Atlanta next year and Philadelphia in 2026.

A new ownership group headed by David Rubenstein has made securing the event a priority.

“We hope by that time the stadium will be rehabilitated a bit, and therefore, we’d like to show it off,” Rubenstein said on March 28. “Once we have the rehabilitated Camden Yards, I think it would be a great time to then show it off. We’ll make sure we have it completed, though, but we are interested in it and I am familiar with the situation.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Corbin Burnes is having an All-Star experience that’s more like a flyby.

Burnes arrived in Dallas around 11 a.m. this morning and he’s boarding a flight back to Phoenix as soon as his start is over and he can shower and change clothes. The entire experience will last fewer than 12 hours if the plan is executed.

Get three outs and get back to his wife Brooke and twin daughters Charlotte and Harper.

Burnes is making his first career start among four consecutive selections to the All-Star Game. He’s the first Orioles pitcher to receive the honor since Steve Stone in 1980.

“It’s awesome to find out I was going to get the opportunity to start the game,” Burnes said. “There’s very few people that have gotten to start All-Star Games for the length that the All-Star Game’s been around. The join that group is special, and obviously there’s some pretty cool names that have been able to do it. Getting that opportunity to do that was awesome, and excited to get out there.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The All-Stars will walk the red carpet this afternoon in their fanciest attire and try to make it inside Globe Life Field in under 20 sweat stains.

Players will change into their uniforms and take batting practice before tonight’s game. The roof is closed. Not a single complaint beneath it.

The media gets a little clubhouse time rather than pulling quotes on the field. And finally, the Midsummer Classic will commence.

Here are some leftovers from yesterday:

* The All-Star break didn’t force Jordan Westburg into doing much traveling.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Gunnar Henderson had to wait his turn tonight, the last of eight hitters to walk to the plate in the All-Star Home Run Derby. He was wielding a custom-made Scooby Doo bat with the cartoon dog and the word “zoinks” painted on it, and was coaxed into doing his spot-on impression for the ESPN audience.

The mystery that couldn’t be solved was how he finished in last place.

Henderson, the starting shortstop for the American League, was eliminated after hitting 11 homers. He was shut out in the bonus round.

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. won the Derby in 1991 in Toronto and Miguel Tejada was victorious in 2004 in Houston. They remain the only two Orioles champions.

Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton pitched to Henderson and offered his perspective from the mound.

The MLB Draft resumed this afternoon as the clubs will make selections in rounds three through 10 on the second of three days of drafting. The Orioles today added another college hitter to begin their day.

In round three: With pick No. 97 overall, the O's selected University of Southern California outfielder Austin Overn. A lefty hitter and righty thrower, he is 21 and just completed his second season at USC.

Over 59 games, he hit .270/.349/.461/.810 with 12 doubles, five triples, eight homers, 57 runs, 17 steals and 32 RBIs. He was honorable mention all-Pac 12.

Overn's best tool, per MLB.com is a 75 grade run tool. The site ranks him as its No. 131 prospect.

On the streaming of the draft today, analyst Jonathan Mayo said, "he might be the fastest guy in the draft class. Not a lot of power. We are talking speed from the left side. Maybe the best defensive outfielder in the entire class."

ARLINGTON, Texas – The smile came before the response.

Anthony Santander gave it away, failing to offer a spoiler alert, during today’s on-field media session at the All-Star Game.

Where are his father, Roger, and mother, Yoleida? Are they back in Venezuela or maybe at his Miami home?

Santander lit up, the way he’d react to a fastball down the middle of the plate. But he didn’t swing. He spoke.

“They’re here in Texas,” he said. “I can’t be here without them, you know?”

ARLINGTON, Texas - The decision was made. Corbin Burnes would accept his fourth consecutive invitation to the All-Star Game. Hug his wife Brooke, hold his newborn twin daughters one more time and board a flight. A piece of him left behind.

With that honor, however, came his first start.

American League manager Bruce Bochy is handing the ball to Burnes Tuesday night at Globe Life Park.

Bochy considered what Burnes has done in his career, including the previous selections and a Cy Young Award with the Brewers in 2021, and the veteran's impact on the 2024 Orioles.

"I think you have to look at his résumé, what he's done in baseball," Bochy said. "He's had an incredible career. This is his fourth consecutive All-Star Game. What he's done this year in Baltimore, you know, they're leading their division. He's a big reason for that.

Asked this morning what the Orioles must do after the break to recapture the success that defined previous months, third base coach Tony Mansolino replied, “I think just get back to being who we are.”

That would be a team producing quality at-bats, hitting in the clutch and scoring runs in bunches. That gets more out of the rotation than reasonably expected with so many injuries, as well as important outs from the bullpen.

Be the team that swept the Rays in four games and won consecutive series against the Braves, Phillies and Yankees. Be those 2024 Orioles.

They sort of got there today. They weren't going to quibble.

After imploding in gut-wrenching fashion in the ninth, the Orioles watched the Yankees misplay two balls with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Charity began at home.

The break begins today for most players in the majors.

The exceptions already are gathering in Arlington, Texas.

Gunnar Henderson is prepping for tonight’s Home Run Derby, attempting to become the third Orioles representative to win it after Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991 and Miguel Tejada in 2004. Triple-A Norfolk manager Buck Britton will pitch to Henderson following their practice session at Camden Yards.

Britton passed through the clubhouse yesterday morning and joked how the Tides won their past two games and might not want him back. Fundamentals coach Ramón Sambo and hitting coach Mike Montville have managed the club in Britton’s absence.

Not at the same time, though.

For the fifth time in six years since his first draft in 2019, O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took a college bat with his first draft selection.

With the No. 22 overall pick in round one, the Orioles selected University of North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt, a right-handed batter and thrower from Salisbury, N.C.

In 62 games this season for the Tarheels in his junior season, Honeycutt hit .318/.410/.714/1.124 with 13 doubles, two triples, 28 homers, 88 runs, 28 steals and 70 RBIs. His 28 homers is a UNC single-season record. 

He was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 13 player in this draft and was rated No. 22 by MLBPipeline.com.

In three seasons at UNC, over 176 games, he hit .293/.412/.638/1.050 with 65 homers and 170 RBIs. He hit 25 homers and stole 29 bases as a freshman. He had four multi-homer games this season.

Kyle Stowers has a locker inside Camden Yards again. He’s just doesn’t know for how long.

That’s typical with Stowers going back and forth between the Orioles and Triple-A Norfolk, but the current situation is more unusual due to the timing of it.

Stowers was recalled yesterday with Heston Kjerstad placed on the seven-day concussion injured list. The All-Star break begins on Monday and Kjerstad is eligible to return Saturday in Texas.

Kjerstad could miss only three games, which leaves Stowers more unsure about the duration of his stay and whether he plays. He’s out of the lineup again this morning.

“Obviously, the reality of life is you never know what the next day holds, right?” Stowers said. “The only thing God promises us is today, so just trying to take care of today and then we’ll handle tomorrow when it comes.”

The Orioles close out the first half this morning with Austin Hays in the lineup after he left yesterday’s game with hip soreness.

Colton Cowser is in center field, starting again versus a left-hander. James McCann is catching and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter.

Jorge Mateo is playing second base.

Kyle Stowers is here but on the bench again today.

Dean Kremer has a 4.42 ERA and 1.186 WHIP in 11 starts. He faced the Yankees on April 30 in Baltimore and allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. Austin Wells and Juan Soto homered.

The theory that last night’s incident in the ninth inning that emptied both dugouts and bullpens and eventually sent Heston Kjerstad to the seven-day concussion injured list would light a fuse under the Orioles was doused pretty early this afternoon.

The anger lingers but so do the problems that made a first-place lead practically vanish.

Grayson Rodriguez’s streak of quality starts was over by the first inning, with three of the Yankees’ four runs scoring on Austin Wells’ two-out homer to the flag court. Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in the fifth, and the Orioles lost again, 6-1, before an announced sellout crowd of 44,018 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles hadn’t dropped a division series in the last 22, going 16-0-6, but they’re staggering to the All-Star break. They’ve lost 13 of their last 21 games to lower their record to 57-38 and they’ll need a victory Sunday to avoid back-to-back sweeps.

The five-game losing streak matches their season high and they lead the Yankees by mere percentage points.

The Orioles are playing a game today that starts before noon, and it isn’t Patriots Day in Boston. The season is a marathon, but that’s it.

The Roku Channel is streaming from Camden Yards with first pitch at 11:35 a.m. Pajamas are acceptable attire.

The media had lots to report yesterday with the roster move that returned Cade Povich to Triple-A Norfolk, Heston Kjerstad scratched from the lineup after being hit on the batting helmet the previous night and later going on the seven-day concussion injured list, the follow-up questions about the bench-clearing incident, and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias being made available in the dugout.

Elias wouldn’t bite when asked to share his draft board – can’t blame a guy for trying - but he noted how it’s a “thin” high school class in the first round. The Orioles hold the 22^nd and 32^nd picks.

Baseball America’s 6.0 mock has the Orioles selecting University of North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt with their first selection. An earlier mock had University of Iowa right-hander Brody Brecht.

The Orioles tweaked the bullpen again this afternoon.

Right-hander Vinny Nittoli had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk and rookie starter Cade Povich was optioned after last night’s game.

Left-hander Danny Coulombe was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.

Nittoli allowed one run and struck out four batters in three innings with Norfolk. The Orioles signed him to a minor league contract on July 2 after the Cubs designated him for assignment.

Nittoli appeared in seven games with the Athletics this season and allowed two runs in eight innings. He appeared in one game with the Mariners in 2021, two with the Phillies in 2022 and three with the Mets last summer. He’s registered a career 3.07 ERA in 14 2/3 innings.

Heston Kjerstad is in today’s lineup for the Orioles after being hit on the helmet last night by a 96.8 mph sinker from Clay Holmes. Kjerstad underwent testing for a concussion but is fine.

We’ll find out later whether there’s any carryover from the dugout-clearing incident. Manager Brandon Hyde and others, including bench coach Fredi González, had to be restrained. Hyde was ejected.

The Yankees lead the majors with 62 hit batters.

Holmes wasn’t trying to hit anyone. He had back-to-back poor outings against the Orioles in the Bronx, allowing four runs (three earned) in two innings. He wanted three outs last night, the save, and to get out of the rain. But there’s friction between these clubs and it boiled over.

“The movement wasn’t my normal sinker,” Holmes said afterward. “Just kind of pulled it.”

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.

Gunnar Henderson is following a tough act in the Home Run Derby.

Adley Rutschman didn’t advance past the first round last summer, but he hit 20 homers left-handed and seven more right-handed in the 30-second bonus round. Henderson will stick with the left side. Seems almost boring by comparison, but this is no time to experiment.

Rutschman brought the added storyline of playing at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the ballpark he attended as a kid growing up in Sherwood, Oregon. And his father, Randy, pitched to him, providing a sentimental angle.

ESPN and the rest of the media ate it up. Had to loosen their belts.

Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr. moved on to the second round by hitting 28 home runs. However, a format change this year doesn’t pit two players against each other. The strict tournament style is gone.

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.

When the Orioles make the No. 22 overall selection Sunday night in round one as another MLB Draft day arrives, their outlook for acquiring amateur talent is not really different than when the club was a losing and rebuilding organization.

There is no urgency, just because now the Orioles are a winning team that could go deep in the postseason, to select players for instance who could get there quicker to help the big league team in Baltimore.

“I don’t think so,” said Orioles vice president of player development and domestic scouting Matt Blood, as to whether the draft approach has changed. “Again, our job is to make the best bet we can. And our job is sort of to predict the future, which is very hard to do. We’re going to stick with our process and will try to get the best major league value that we possibly can with every single pick.”

The Orioles have four of the draft’s first 97 picks. They have selections at Nos. 22, 32, 61 and 97. The draft runs through the first two rounds and Competitive Balance Round B on Sunday night. Selections in rounds three through 10 are Monday with rounds 11 through 20 on Tuesday to wrap up the three days.

The draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday night and at 2 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.