TAMPA – The Rays’ offense entered tonight’s game scorching hot. In four consecutive games, all wins, Tampa had posted at least seven runs. 

For the first time in what has felt like a long time, the Rays were stifled. Orioles pitching won the night in Baltimore's 5-1 victory. 

"It seems like 26 guys are playing well right now," interim manager Tony Mansolino said after the game.

The story was Dean Kremer and the bullpen, but the O's offense got things started. 

All Jordan Westburg has done since returning from the injured list is produce. His second-inning double, hit over 110 mph off the bat, set the Orioles up with their first scoring chance of the night. Ryan O’Hearn pushed him to third, and Ramón Laureano brought him home to make it 1-0 Baltimore. 

TAMPA – Nobody would blame Ryan O’Hearn for paying close attention to stats.

In the midst of a career season, the 31-year-old is hoping for his first All-Star selection. For a player optioned or designated for assignment five times during his professional career, the bid would signify the epitome of perseverance in the game. 

As such, the do-it-all slugger has earned the right to doom scroll box scores when he wakes up in his Florida hotel tomorrow morning. 

Instead, he’ll be doing arts and crafts. 

“Get out of the hotel, go serve somebody beside yourself, people who really need it,” O’Hearn said. 

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has joined the Orioles in Tampa and is on the taxi squad.

The Orioles need a starter on Wednesday and Rogers appears to be the choice. He tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox in Game 2 of a May 24 doubleheader in Boston.

Coby Mayo is out of the lineup again tonight, as the Orioles try to bounce back from last night’s 7-1 loss to the Rays. Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Cedric Mullins is the designated hitter.

Colton Cowser is in center field. Jordan Westburg is the third baseman and cleanup hitter.

Gunnar Henderson has a 10-game hitting streak. He’s slashing .322/.402/.411 (29-for-90) in his last 24 games.

Colin Selby threw two scoreless relief innings last night in Tampa and he’s headed back to Triple-A Norfolk.

Another swap of arms has brought left-hander Grant Wolfram to the Orioles. They recalled Wolfram today and optioned Selby.

Wolfram has appeared in two games with the Orioles and allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings. He pitched in back-to-back games in Detroit on April 26-27.

Wolfram has a 4.87 ERA and 1.426 WHIP in 18 appearances with Norfolk. His stay with the Orioles could be as brief as Selby’s, since they need a starter for Wednesday night.  

Dean Kremer has allowed nine runs and 13 hits this month in 12 1/3 innings and he gets the ball tonight. He was used in bulk relief in his last outing, covering seven innings and allowing four runs in the fourth.

The Orioles are back on the road and my mailbag is adamant about missing the Tampa portion of it. No Trop, no trip.

Let’s do some dumping and count how many questions are related to the trade deadline and whether the Orioles will buy or sell. That’s a popular one these days.

The answer isn’t as clear anymore.

You ask, I answer, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. I was gonna edit for clarity, length and style, but decided against it. I edited that idea. Sorry to disappoint again. And that's what I said.

Also, you should know that my mailbag receives the most All-Star votes and your mailbag is confused by the ballot.

TAMPA – The Rays and Orioles entered play tonight as two of the hotter teams in baseball. The Florida heat only added to their rising temperatures. 

Tampa Bay had won 18 of their last 25 and were on the heels of a three-game sweep of the New York Mets. The Orioles went 15-10 over that same stretch, 11-4 in their last 15, and were fresh off a three-game sweep of the Angels. 

Something had to give. 

Tonight, it was the O’s starting pitching that gave in a 7-1 loss. The pillar of their recent stretch of success was anything but. 

Tampa Bay struck early and they struck often. On Zach Eflin’s fourth pitch of the game, Josh Lowe skied a ball to right field that found some outfield seats. At 334 feet with a 97.9 mph exit velocity, it was hit just well enough to get out of the ballpark. 

TAMPA – For the second consecutive road series, the Orioles find themselves in a minor league park. 

The Rays’ temporary home of George M. Steinbrenner Stadium, though, has a bit more familiarity than the Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. 

“I mean, it’s Yankee Stadium, it’s just in Florida,” Tony Mansolino said today. “So, we kind of know the stadium.” Just a bit hotter than New York. 

“I do think actually playing in Sacramento kind of prepared you to come here because it got you out of the big league stadium, and the energy and atmosphere that a big league stadium gives you,” Mansolino added. “Understanding that we’ve kind of got to create that ourselves, we definitely learned that in Sacramento.” 

Getting two key pieces back in the lineup is certainly cause for a boost in energy. 

Colton Cowser and Ryan O’Hearn are back in the Orioles’ lineup for tonight’s game against the Rays in Tampa. Cowser hasn’t played since slamming into the center field fence on Thursday and O’Hearn didn’t play in the last two games because of a sore left ankle. He was scratched from Saturday's lineup.

Jordan Westburg is batting cleanup and serving as designated hitter. O’Hearn follows as the first baseman, and Cowser is batting eighth and playing left field. Dylan Carlson is in right.

Jackson Holliday is leading off again. Coby Mayo is on the bench.

Gunnar Henderson is slashing .326/.408/.419 (28-for-86) with five doubles, a homer, seven RBIs, 15 runs scored and 11 walks in his last 23 games since May 21. He has a nine-game hitting streak.

Orioles relievers have posted a 1.91 ERA (17 earned runs in 80 innings) in the last 21 games since May 24, the third-lowest mark in the majors.

Left-hander Cade Povich, who tossed 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief yesterday in a bulk role behind opener Scott Blewett, won’t pitch for at least 15 days.

The Orioles put Povich on the injured list this afternoon with left hip inflammation and recalled reliever Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk.

Povich has a 5.15 ERA in 13 games, including 12 starts. He retired 10 batters in a row yesterday and didn’t show any signs of an injury.

Asked whether pitching in relief instead of starting helped him mentally, Povich replied, “Maybe. I think I was a little amped up. I think my velo was a little higher today. I think I was letting it eat a little early.”

Selby has allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings and struck out five batters with the Orioles over three appearances. He has a 3.24 ERA in 16 games with Norfolk.

The increase in wins has again transformed the Orioles’ home clubhouse into more of a nightclub setting after games. The music is blaring, the strobe lights flashing. The only difference is that IDs aren’t checked at the door.

The smoke machines are creating a dense fog that makes it hard to see across the room. Players had three of them cranked up Saturday. It’s like being inside a van at a Grateful Dead concert.

This is a team that’s riding the high of being competitive again and keeping hopes alive that it can make a run at the postseason. Only six games separate it from the last Wild Card.

The Orioles didn’t quit on former manager Brandon Hyde. They played hard and were racked with guilt over his dismissal. But the fun returns when games aren’t lost in bundles.

The vibe improved along with the level of play. It’s a natural reaction.

Bring on the left-handed starters. Line up the opponents. Crank up the music, colored lights and smoke machines.

The 2025 Orioles are only 10 games below .500.

It used to be a lot worse.

Cade Povich tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and Seranthony Domínguez inherited a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and protected a three-run lead. Gary Sánchez inflated it until the seams popped with a grand slam, and the Orioles completed their latest sweep with an 11-2 victory over the Angels before an announced crowd of 33,370 at Camden Yards that sat through a light steady rain.

The Orioles (30-40) haven’t ventured this close to .500 since May 14. They got here by sweeping three of their last five series.

Ryan O’Hearn and Colton Cowser are available to come off the bench this afternoon for the finale of the series against the Angels at Camden Yards that also completes the latest homestand.

O’Hearn injured his left ankle Friday night when Zach Neto clipped him on a play at first base in the seventh inning. He was scratched from yesterday's lineup. And Cowser is sore after slamming into the center field fence Thursday while chasing a home run ball.

“A lot better,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “I think if it’s September, playing for the division right now, I think there’s a really good chance.”

O’Hearn confirmed earlier today that he’s ready to play.

“Feels good today, feels better than yesterday, so I’ll be available off the bench and ready to rock tomorrow,” he said.

The Orioles will try for their third series sweep in the last five today with Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser and Ryan O’Hearn on the bench.

Jordan Westburg is leading off and playing second base. Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter. Coby Mayo gets another start at first base after his first career multi-hit game yesterday. Luis Vázquez makes his first Orioles start at shortstop.

Another change: Scott Blewett is the opener, presumably followed by Cade Povich. Blewett hasn’t allowed an earned run in eight relief innings with the Orioles. Today marks his second start in the majors, the other earlier this year with the Braves.

Povich has a 5.46 ERA and 1.525 WHIP in 12 starts. He’s allowed five earned runs in two of his last three starts totaling 9 1/3 innings.

Povich has never faced the Angels.

One offseason addition to the roster returned to the Orioles yesterday while another trended backward.

Gary Sánchez was reinstated from the injured list and grounded into a double play, struck out, homered for the first time since Sept. 27 and was hit by a pitch. He’s 4-for-33 this season.

Maverick Handley went 3-for-40 before the Orioles optioned him yesterday, so offense isn’t flowing from backup catcher, but Sánchez brings some pop and he showed it yesterday.

“It's a presence when he steps in the box,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “He walks in there, he's got that big ol’ leg kick and he gets that thing cranking and he swings through a pitch, it does not feel good if you’re on the other side, I promise that.”

Tyler O’Neill is the concern. He signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with an opt-out after the first season that doesn’t figure to be exercised unless he has a long, healthy and productive stretch of games.

The pregame news for the Orioles wasn’t any better today than how they started out against the Angels.

Ryan O’Hearn was scratched from the lineup with left ankle soreness after homering last night and tying Cedric Mullins for the team lead. The Orioles returned outfielder Tyler O’Neill from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk because of recurring shoulder soreness. He received an injection in his AC joint and is shut down for about a week.

Tomoyuki Sugano walked the first batter he faced and Mike Trout hit the upper half of the left field foul pole with a sinker that missed the heart of the plate but not his bat. Keegan Akin surrendered a tie-breaking home run to Luis Rengifo leading off the sixth. The day seemed like it would be trashed.

Fortunately for the Orioles, tones can be set but also smashed.

Mullins and Gary Sánchez hit back-to-back home runs off left-hander Tyler Anderson in the bottom of the sixth and the Orioles hung on for a 6-5 win before an announced crowd of 26,313 at Camden Yards.

Tyler Wells walked into the Orioles’ clubhouse this afternoon dripping with sweat, the effects of a 25-pitch bullpen session in the Camden Yards heat.

He still managed to look happy.

Wells has made encouraging progress from his ligament-reconstructive elbow surgery last June. He mixed in his changeup today and will incorporate breaking balls next week. He doesn’t know when he’ll be cleared to face hitters.

“Everything’s feeling good,” he said. “Elbow feels good, shoulder feels good, body’s feeling good. So I feel like I’m in a really good spot right now with feels, location, and everything like that.”

Wells is experiencing a process unlike anything else in his life, with responsibilities as a new father woven into his rehab. He’s undergone elbow surgery in the past, before the Orioles chose him in the Rule 5 draft, but this one isn't an exact duplicate.

Gary Sánchez has returned to the Orioles. He was reinstated from the 10-day injured list this afternoon, with catcher Maverick Handley optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the anticipated counter move.

Sánchez went on an injury rehab assignment after getting rid of the inflammation his right wrist. He was rested yesterday.

Handley is 3-for-40, but he’s helped to lower the staff ERA to 4.93. He caught the combined shutout last night, which began with Charlie Morton’s 10 strikeouts in five innings.

Morton has a 2.97 ERA in eight games with Handley behind the plate. He provided an example last night of his connection to the kid.

“The other day he came in, ‘What time’s your ‘pen?’” Morton recalled. “I told him. He was like, ‘Would you mind if I came out and played catch with you?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, dude. Absolutely. I love that.’ I think it just shows his desire and willingness to develop and develop a rapport and just kind of throwing himself in the mix. Because you don’t really have many guys who are catching who are like, ‘Hey man, I’ll come catch a ‘pen.’ But I think he has a desire to get better. He has a desire to just work on his game, and whether that’s a physical thing, a mental, emotional thing, I think that’s why he and I are working well together.

The Orioles had a late start last night due to the threat of rain, with the actual precipitation lighter than anticipated before the downpour in the fifth inning.

The injury talk started much earlier, and it was heavier than expected.

Let’s take a stroll through yesterday’s updates and try not to roll an ankle.

Grayson Rodriguez

The “sluggish” start on March 5 in Fort Myers turned into an elbow/triceps issue, which turned into a lat issue that kept the projected No. 2 starter from pitching this season.

Charlie Morton had to wait out a rain delay tonight that lasted more than an hour before throwing his first pitch. The grounds crew sprinted to the tarp and stood shoulder-to-shoulder behind it after the top of the fourth inning, cutting through the finish line of the hot dog race.

Morton was the one on a roll.

The only way to slow him was to drench him.

Morton tossed five scoreless innings and tied his season high with 10 strikeouts before umpires halted play with one out in the bottom of the fifth following Ramón Urías’ single. The 69-minute break forced interim manager Tony Mansolino into a pitching change, with Yennier Cano entering in the sixth.

The bullpen backed up Morton with four scoreless frames, and a couple of solo home runs led the Orioles to a 2-0 win over the Angels before an announced crowd of 20,204 at Camden Yards.

Grayson Rodriguez said today that he will throw his first bullpen session next week since experiencing a setback in the middle of April in recovering from a strained lat muscle.

Rodriguez, speaking to the local media for the first time since early March in Fort Myers, also expressed confidence that he’ll pitch after the All-Star break.

“Throwing every day,” Rodriguez said of his flat ground sessions. “Right now feeling good.”

Asked about returning in 2025, Rodriguez said he doesn’t have an exact week or specific timeline, “but I’m definitely gonna pitch this year.”

Rodriguez is on the 60-day injured list. He experienced discomfort in his elbow/triceps area in camp, which robbed him of the normal velocity in his final appearance against the Twins, but he said today that he’s rehabbing only from the lat strain – his third including the summer of 2022 with Triple-A Norfolk.