The Orioles got rid of their jet lag from the West Coast trip. They really are healthier.

They can’t brag, though. Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins returned yesterday, and the club announced at first pitch that Jorge Mateo was going on the injured list with left elbow inflammation.

Never a dull moment to the 2025 season. Never a peaceful stretch.

Mateo was injured while playing center field on May 31 at Camden Yards. He raced into the gap and his arm slammed into Heston Kjerstad’s arm. Kjerstad made the catch, but it wasn’t their only adventure while chasing a ball in that vicinity.

Both players have seen better days. Mateo is on the IL while batting .180/.231/.279 in 31 games. Kjerstad was optioned yesterday while batting .192/.240/.327 in 54.

Cade Povich put his hands on his head as Colton Cowser scaled the center field fence. A spectacular catch would limit the damage in the fifth inning and make it easier for the Orioles to rally. Having the ball fall on the other side would hasten his departure and complicate a comeback attempt.

Cowser landed on the track without the ball. Spencer Torkelson circled the bases with a 419-foot home run. And Povich was gone after one more batter.

A winning West Coast road trip was followed tonight by a 5-3 loss to the Tigers before an announced crowd of 20,291 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 13 games below .500 again, with the return of a couple more injured players unable to provide a needed spark against the best team in baseball.

Povich was done after Zach McKinstry’s triple. He allowed five runs and nine hits with one walk and six strikeouts. The start drained him of 98 pitches and raised his ERA to 5.46.

Jordan Westburg marked his return from the injured list with a leadoff homer off Will Vest in the ninth, his first since April 19, but the next three batters were retired.

To reduce the deficit faced by the Orioles in the division and in the Wild Card standings, they always believed that they’d need to cut back on the number of players on their injured list.

They won’t pin every problem on their health, but it’s conspired against them again in 2025.

The IL count was down to eight with infielder Jordan Westburg and center fielder Cedric Mullins returning to the active roster earlier today. It grew to nine by tonight’s first pitch with the inclusion of infielder Jorge Mateo, who is bothered by left elbow inflammation. Mateo’s IL assignment is backdated to Saturday.

The Orioles selected the contract of infielder Luis Vázquez, who appeared in 11 games with the Cubs last season and was slashing .280/.345/.447 in 37 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He was a spring training standout with his .325 average, 10 RBIs and .788 OPS in 21 games.

Mateo’s experienced discomfort in the elbow since his May 31 collision with Heston Kjerstad, who was optioned earlier today. Their arms slammed together in right-center field and Mateo took the brunt of it, on the elbow that underwent reconstructive surgery last season.

The Orioles gave Heston Kjerstad plenty of chances in their lineup and outfield before the next round of players returning from the injured list finally forced a move. He was optioned today to Triple-A Norfolk, with a specific plan that interim manager Tony Mansolino referenced but didn’t detail.

Kjerstad hit .192 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs, 19 RBIs, six walks, 45 strikeouts and a .566 OPS in 54 games. He also had some mishaps in right field, and he wasn’t in the lineup for the three-game series in Sacramento.

“We saw it more as an opportunity to make some adjustments and make some changes,” Mansolino said. “I think what we didn’t want to do is just say, ‘Hey, go get ‘em.’ That’s obviously not the right message when a guy struggles here as talented as Hess and as good as this kid is, can be. There’s something that we’re missing, right?

“I think we’ve seen a lot of examples of really good players who at some point get optioned back out and they kind of show back up with a vengeance and become the players that they’re supposed to be. So I think as you talk to Hess you explain that, and he was great, he understood. Obviously disappointed to get sent out, but a lot of self-awareness and a lot of understanding that this is probably more an opportunity than anything else.”

Mansolino said it’s the “whole game” that Kjerstad will focus on after going back down.

The Orioles aren’t gaining sufficient ground in the standings but their roster is healthier.

Infielder Jordan Westburg and outfielder Cedric Mullins were reinstated from the 10-day injured list earlier today. But it cost Heston Kjerstad a roster spot. He was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. And it cost Emmanuel Rivera a place in the organization after he was designated again for assignment.

Westburg hasn’t played in the majors since straining his left hamstring in Game 2 of an April 26 doubleheader in Detroit.

Westburg was 9-for-29 in his last seven games. He’s batting .217/.265/.391 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and six RBIs in 23 games.

Westburg appeared in eight games with Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment and went 11-for-28 with four doubles and two homers.

The next homestand has arrived, with three games against the Tigers and three against the Angels before the Orioles fly to Tampa and reenact spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The Yankees are one of the road opponents, but they still play in the Bronx. The Rays relocated from hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field to Tampa. Don’t let it confuse you.

The Orioles are 26-38 and 8 ½ games out of the last Wild Card. The Tigers have the best record in baseball at 43-24, and a plus-92 run differential that’s second-highest in the American League and third in the majors.

It should be noted that Detroit is 23-9 at home and 20-15 away from Comerica Park. But the Orioles are under .500 home and away.

If hoping and praying for a prolonged winning streak that gets the Orioles into a playoff race isn’t enough to hold your interest, here are a few other options:

The Orioles will happily take a day off at any point in the season, whether it interrupts an impressive run or follows a losing series to the lowly Athletics. Can never have too many resets. But they obviously wish that the latter didn’t apply.

The flight home yesterday had to feel much longer.

Facing the Tigers in a three-game set that begins Tuesday at Camden Yards could seem to many like it’s make-or-break, since every loss inflates the odds against them, and winning two of three or manufacturing a sweep against a team with the best record in baseball would hint again that the Orioles have plenty of life in them. But man, that series in Sacramento was a kick in the crotch, and with sharpened spikes.

The A’s deserve an F grade this season but they won 5-4 and 5-1 over the weekend. Tomoyuki Sugano was starting yesterday against Jacob Lopez, which on the surface seemed like a lock before it reversed. Sugano allowed four runs (three earned) and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Lopez allowed an unearned run in four innings and Sean Newcomb followed with three scoreless.

Lopez and Newcomb are left-handers. There’s the reverse. The Orioles are 4-13 against southpaw starters, including openers. They’ll see two right-handers against the Tigers, but also Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who’s registered a 2.16 ERA, walked seven batters and struck out 105 in his 13 outings covering 83 1/3 innings.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The result of this afternoon’s game had a heftier weight on the pendulum. 

If victorious, the Orioles would head back to the East Coast winners of two straight series out west and five of six games overall. Couple that with a sweep of the White Sox, and that’s eight of nine. With Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins potentially joining a team on a scorching hot streak next week, everything would be coming up Birds.

An impressive sweep of the Mariners bookended by taking care of business against the White Sox and Athletics. That's closing in on "we're so back" territory.  

A 5-1 loss, however, felt monumentally different. 

Entering a fresh series against the Orioles, the Athletics had lost 20 of their previous 22 games. Their rough stretch indicated the possibility that Baltimore could continue to gain some ground in the standings. 

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – “When you’re talking about 10-plus guys on the IL, and now, little by little, they’re coming back. If you understand that, you know that things will turn around," Ramón Laureano said last night. 

"And that’s what we’re seeing right now.”

Things are trending in the right direction in Baltimore. 

After last night’s 7-4, come-from-behind victory, the O’s have a chance to take the series against the Athletics this afternoon. That, of course, would be the first time all season that Baltimore has won three straight series. Their series win in Seattle marked the first time they had won back-to-back series. 

Tomoyuki Sugano’s name penciled into the lineup card gives them a good chance to do it. 

The Orioles have a chance today to win three series in a row for the first time since June 26-July 7, 2024.

Coby Mayo is the designated hitter and Emmanuel Rivera is playing first base. Ryan O’Hearn goes to the bench.

Ramón Laureano is the right fielder and cleanup hitter. Dylan Carlson remains in left field, with Colton Cowser in center.

Cowser hit a 455-foot home run last night, the longest of his career and longest by an Oriole since Ryan Mountcastle’s 472-foot shot in 2023.

Ten of Laureano’s last 12 home runs have been off right-handed pitchers, with another one last night. He’s batting .375 (18-for-48) in the past 14 games.

The West Coast trip winds to a finish this afternoon, with the Orioles unable to run their sweep streak to three series. The mighty Athletics ruined those plans on Friday night. 

The season is 63 games old and the Orioles entered last night 12 below .500, 14 out of first place in the division and 8 ½ from the last Wild Card. Only the A’s and White Sox had worse records.

The most basic math tells us that elimination isn’t imminent. The second week in June leaves a lot of season to be played. But each loss feels like another shovelful of dirt is dumped on them.

That’s the way it is when a team digs such a deep hole for itself.

Let’s visit or review a few more questions that hover around the Orioles, who are off Monday before hosting the Tigers, owners of the best record in baseball.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Pitching has led the way for the Orioles in their recent stretch of success. 

They didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any of their games against the White Sox and Mariners, a streak that was snapped last night. They hadn’t had a blowup outing from a starting pitcher since Zach Eflin’s eight earned runs against the Nationals on May 18. 

That streak ended tonight as well. Charlie Morton allowed four runs in the first inning, and the Orioles found themselves staring at a first-inning deficit. 

Call it momentum or a mentality shift, but tonight, things were different. 

Early in the season, a start like that might have buried Baltimore. On a pleasant night in West Sacramento, though, the Birds battled back and came out on top 7-4. 

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It’s no secret that Baltimore’s recent stretch of success has been fueled by their pitching staff. 

Last night’s five earned runs marked the first time that the O’s allowed four runs or more since May 28 against the Cardinals. That’s also the last time the Orioles had lost before last night. 

Tonight, Charlie Morton looks to maintain his individual stretch of success. In his last five games, the veteran has a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings of work, striking out 24 and walking just five. That run includes his last two outings since he returned to the starting rotation, in which Morton completed six and seven innings, respectively. He allowed just two total earned runs in those two starts. 

His backstop in both of those starts was Maverick Handley, who gets another start tonight. Numerous Orioles have praised Handley for calling a good game behind the plate, and he gets another crack at it with Morton. 

“Seems to have been good,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said of the relationship between Morton and Handley. “Hopefully it continues tonight, but so far it has gone pretty well.” 

The Orioles had their winning streak snapped at six games late last night with a 5-4 loss to the Athletics in Sacramento. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino used four relievers to cover 2 2/3 scoreless innings, but the bullpen is unchanged again after the Orioles acquired Scott Blewett from the Braves yesterday for cash considerations. Blewett hadn’t reported yesterday and the club didn’t announce a roster move today.

Maverick Handley is catching tonight and Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Ramón Urías is at third, which puts Coby Mayo on the bench after he doubled and walked last night.

Dylan Carlson is the left fielder again and Ramón Laureano is in right. Heston Kjerstad isn’t in the lineup.

Carlson homered as a right-handed hitter last night for the second time in his last 93 games since June 21, 2023.

The mere mention of it caused Bryan Baker to tilt back his head and laugh.

A selection to the All-Star Game? Baker will hold runners if they can actually reach base against him, but he won’t hold his breath.

“I don’t know about all that,” he said. “That’s a tough road.”

Baker has traveled a few in his professional lifetime. He’s learned how to fold the map.

There were times that he lost his job in the Orioles bullpen and fought to earn their trust again. Needing results to break camp with the team this spring, which coincided with an uptick in fastball velocity and renewed confidence in his changeup after a minute grip adjustment on the seams.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Orioles had gone two consecutive series without allowing four earned runs or more. They, of course, won all six of those games. 

Tonight, Baltimore allowed four earned runs by the end of the third inning. The offense couldn't find the right hits, and the O's fell 5-4 to the Athletics, snapping Baltimore's six-game winning streak. 

A lefty starter on the mound presented a tall task for an Orioles lineup that had been the worst in baseball at hitting southpaws this season. Perhaps some struggles evaporate in the midst of a winning stretch. 

The hometown kid got things started. 

It would take about 20 minutes for Dylan Carlson to hop in the car and drive from Sutter Health Park, the site of the O’s series against the Athletics, to Elk Grove High School, his alma mater. A late game might help him beat some traffic, too. 

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Orioles roster had a shakeup this afternoon, but it wasn’t the one that most had expected. 

Jordan Westburg has been tearing the cover off the ball in six games in Triple-A Norfolk, but his return will most likely wait until after this road trip.

“You’ll see Westy play these next couple days most likely,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I think he’s probably the most likely one to be there Tuesday.” 

Baltimore won’t rush him. 

Instead, the honor of reinstated Oriole goes to Ramón Laureano this time around, who is back with the club after playing just two rehab games for the Tides. Ironically, he’s returning to Sutter Health Park, where he has appeared on rehab assignment before. 

Gunnar Henderson is out of the Orioles lineup tonight in Sacramento, with Jorge Mateo starting at shortstop against Athletics left-hander JP Sears.

Ramón Laureano, reinstated today from the 10-day injured list, is batting third as the designated hitter. Colton Cowser returns to the lineup and is in center field. Coby Mayo is playing first base. Ramón Urías starts at third base.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field.

O’Hearn ranks among American League leaders in on-base percentage (second at .411), average (fourth at .326), OPS (fifth at .930) and slugging percentage (seventh at .519). He's reached safely in 33 of his last 35 games since April 24.

Adley Rutschman is batting .278/.350/.472 (20-for-72) in 20 games since May 11, with seven extra-base hits, eight RBIs and 10 runs scored. In the previous 22 games, he hit .149/.259/.216 (11-for-74) with three extra-base hits.

The Orioles have reinstated outfielder Ramón Laureano from the 10-day injured list and designated outfielder Jordyn Adams for assignment.

Laureano sprained his left ankle in Milwaukee. He homered yesterday for Triple-A Norfolk in Louisville in his second rehab game. He’s batting .266/.320/.532 with seven doubles and six homers with the Orioles.

Adams was used as a defensive replacement, his only at-bat coming yesterday.

Jordan Westburg and Gary Sánchez also homered yesterday for Norfolk and should be nearing returns. 

The bullpen will undergo another change. The Orioles acquired Scott Blewett from the Braves today for cash considerations.

SEATTLE – The Orioles flew to California after yesterday’s game against the Mariners, invigorated by the sweet smell of success on an undefeated road trip and after winning nine of their last 11 games, finally able to enjoy playing baseball again.

The music was cranked after Wednesday night’s thrilling 3-2 victory over the Mariners and a few players groaned when the media needed the volume level turned down to conduct its interviews. Nothing against us, of course, but don’t crash a party and mute the vibe.

“Vibe” is becoming a popular word around this team, perhaps more so than “process.” Heston Kjerstad produced a two-run, go-ahead triple on the field and a different description of the mood at his locker.

"Definitely won a lot more the past two seasons,” he said, “and I think we’re kind of getting back our mojo here the past week winning more games and just playing better baseball.”

Kjerstad always is cooperative but he’s smiling a lot more lately after collecting his fourth hit in three games – three for extra bases. Adley Rutschman kept the smile on his face throughout his four-minute interview, whether the subject was his home run, the team’s hot stretch, playing in front of family and friends from Oregon, or the toe-tap that is or isn’t part of his timing mechanism at the plate.