TORONTO – For a team that has sent five starting pitchers to the injured list already this year and just recently lost both John Means and Tyler Wells for the season, seeing TBA listed as the Orioles' starters Wednesday and Thursday in this series presented some intrigue.

But today, O’s manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that right-hander Albert Suárez (2-0, 1.57 ERA) will start tomorrow against the Blue Jays and righty Kyle Bradish (1-0, 3.18 ERA) could go on Thursday.

“We are still TBA for Thursday. Probably announce that sometime tomorrow. But Suárez for tomorrow,” said Hyde.

Hyde was asked if there are any health concerns with Bradish.

“No, we’re considering giving him an extra day (of rest) or two," he said. "Just kind of from how he is feeling. But we are just monitoring it daily. So we are keeping that TBA right now."

Connor Norby stays at second base tonight and moves up to eighth in the order as the Orioles try to guarantee at least a split of their four-game series in Toronto.

James McCann is catching and batting ninth.

Colton Cowser remains in center field, putting Cedric Mullins on the bench. Austin Hays stays in left field.

Hays hit his first two home runs last night since Sept. 19.

Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter. Ryan O’Hearn moves to the bench.

Running low on starting pitching, the Orioles are bringing back a veteran who didn’t make the team out of spring training.

The club is on the verge of signing Julio Teheran to another minor league deal, according to a source. The sides are "close."

Teheran, 33, agreed to a minor league deal on Feb. 28 that would have paid $2 million if he pitched in the majors. He allowed five runs and nine hits with seven walks and 10 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings and was granted his release.

The Mets signed Teheran on April 5 and he became a free agent again six days later after making one start and allowing four runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings in Atlanta.

The Cubs signed Teheran on April 18 and released him Saturday after another opt-out. He posted an 8.82 ERA and 1.806 WHIP in eight starts with Triple-A Iowa.

TORONTO – Maybe this had nothing to do with the Orioles getting swept three straight in St. Louis and is just about the ups and downs of the season. And the Orioles offense is having an up for a stretch right now.

But since losing those three games and scoring eight total runs at Busch Stadium, the Orioles are 9-2 and scoring 5.9 runs per game.

The team in the last 11 games has scored five or more runs seven times, with 21 doubles, 19 homers, a .282 batting average and .833 OPS.

Last night they tied a season high with four homers in beating Toronto 7-2. They are 25-3 this year when hitting two or more homers.

For the Orioles, homers lead to runs and runs lead to wins.

Anthony Santander saw the board and an opportunity.

But who would play?

Chess ranks among Santander’s favorite hobbies and the Orioles’ clubhouse is equipped to satisfy it. However, he’s more likely to find teammates gathering at the pool or bumper pool tables. They weren’t inclined to take his cue, as it were, and trade in the rack for a rook.

The next move was to choose a partner.

Jorge Mateo has the most speed on the club and he’s also a fast study. He was introduced to the game a year ago and already developed the same passion for it as Santander.

TORONTO – The Orioles, who are 16-8 on the road this year and are 5-2-1 in road series, begin their latest road trip tonight at Rogers Centre facing the Toronto Blue Jays. 

The Orioles (37-20) will play four games at Toronto and then four more in St. Petersburg, Fla. against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Birds took two of three from Tampa Bay over the weekend. They let a 3-0 lead get away Sunday and lost 4-3 to the Rays, missing the chance to sweep them.

The O’s 13 total runners left on base Sunday are a season high. Their 15 hits tie a season high, matching their total on April 20 at Kansas City. Sunday’s game marks the team’s first loss when outhitting an opponent in the 2024 season. and they are now 29-1 in those games.

Overall, the Orioles have won three of four and eight of their last 10 games, and they just completed a 4-2 homestand against Boston and Tampa Bay.

The Orioles are 11-4 (.733) versus American League East teams. This is their best 15-game start in division play since the 2017 Orioles also were 11-4.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of INF/OF Connor Norby from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 12 and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.
• Recalled LHP Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed INF/OF Jorge Mateo on the 7-day concussion Injured List.
• Designated RHP Thyago Vieira for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 39 players.

It has not reached triple digits, like the Orioles' sweepless streak in the regular season that finally ended at 106 straight in St. Louis. But it’s impressive in a different kind of way.

In an American League East division where the Orioles finished 48 games behind in 2021, 49 back in 2019 and were 61 games out at the end of the 2018 season, the Orioles suddenly don’t lose series.

Actually, it is not that sudden. But when the Orioles won the first two games of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend at Oriole Park, it marked another division series that they had either won or tied (even though they lost to the Rays on Sunday).

When the 2023 season started, the O’s lost two of three games to both Boston and New York in their first two AL East series. They didn’t lose another one the rest of the year.

This season they are 4-0-1 in AL East series, so the streak of not losing one has reached 19 in a row with the Tampa Bay series. The Orioles have won 14 series and tied five. It is the longest streak in team history since division play began in 1969, per Elias Sports Bureau.

The May 8 game in D.C. seems so long ago. Worlds away for the closer with the fifth-most saves in baseball history.

Craig Kimbrel didn’t make it out of the ninth inning again for the fourth time in five tries. He allowed two runs with a hit and a pair of walks, and his ERA swelled to 4.73.

Manager Brandon Hyde spoke with him about a reset, with his next three appearances coming in non-save situations but remaining high leverage due to the club’s propensity for playing close games. A clean seventh inning on May 10 against the Diamondbacks, a win earned the following day with a scoreless 11^th that included a hit batter, and a spotless seventh on May 13 against the Blue Jays.

Perhaps it’s sneaked up on a few people, but Kimbrel is in a dominant stretch with eight consecutive scoreless, hitless and walk-less outings, and he’s struck out 10. The last five have resulted in saves to push his season total to 13 and career mark to 430.

Opponents are hitless in 22 at-bats against him in these eight games.

Walking along Eutaw Street may require protective headgear. Anthony Santander launched a baseball over the flag court in right field yesterday and Gunnar Henderson splashed down this afternoon with his 19th home run and sixth leading off the first inning.

Zack Littell got a called strike with his sinker and regretted the slider that followed. Henderson pummeled it.

The Rays were taking a beating during their visit to Baltimore, but they became the aggressors in the eighth and finally broke a bullpen that amassed 12 1/3 scoreless innings in a row before today.

Dillon Tate returned after recording the last two outs in the seventh and surrendered back-to-back singles and Jose Siri’s two-run, go-ahead double, and the Orioles lost 4-3 before an announced crowd of 32,463 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles were unsuccessful in their bid for a fifth series sweep of at least three games and are 37-20 as they head to Toronto.

The Orioles have recorded four series sweeps of three or more games this season and can record a fifth today if they beat the Rays at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (37-19) have posted weekend wins by 3-1 and 9-5 over the Rays to get to a season-best 18 games over the .500 mark.

The Orioles have won three in a row by a combined 18-7 score and are 8-1 over their last nine games by a 55-32 score.

A look at their four series sweeps:

* April 9-11, went 3-0 at Red Sox

Austin Hays is in left field this afternoon as the Orioles close out the series against the Rays and their homestand.

Cedric Mullins is in center and Anthony Santander is in right. Just like the old days.

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

Colton Cowser has posted a 1.009 OPS when batting seventh and a .676 OPS anywhere else in the lineup. He’s out of today’s lineup.

Ryan Mountcastle’s hot bat stays. He’s slashing .459/.500/.757 (17-for-37) with five doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, three walks and eight runs scored in the last 10 games since May 21.

Considering how well he has pitched before it and after it, it's fair to ask if Craig Kimbrel's six-game slump was mostly about a back issue?

Kimbrel's start to his season included one run allowed over 10 innings. Then came his struggles which lasted about two weeks. And now over his past eight games, he has not allowed a run.

For the year, over 24 games, he is 4-1 with 13 saves in 16 chances with a 3.00 ERA, a 13.29 strikeout rate and 0.95 WHIP. Those numbers are not bad, even with his brief struggles.

Kimbrel's 13 saves rank third-best in the American League and seventh-best in the majors. A season-long question the Orioles have to answer is: How well can they replace injured closer Félix Bautista?

In his first 10 games, Kimbrel was 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA and six saves in seven chances. Over 10 innings, he gave up one run with one walk to 16 strikeouts. His OPS against was a miniscule .288.

The task at hand can’t change because of an elbow.

Teammates, manager Brandon Hyde and his staff collectively hurt for John Means and Tyler Wells, who will undergo surgery to repair their ulnar collateral ligaments. Two huge contributors to the club are gone, but the process stays the same.

Go out and do your job. Stay within yourself. Don’t feel pressure to replace the missing and make it worse.

“I just want them to do what they do,” manager Brandon Hyde said yesterday afternoon. “Give us the best starts that they can. I don’t want them to try to do anything extra. We’ve thrown the ball really well so far this year. Hopefully, we continue to do that.

“I want our guys to do what Albert Suárez did (Friday) night. Just give us as much as they can every time out.”

The second batter that Kyle Bradish faced today singled into right field, the ball glancing off Jorge Mateo’s glove as he attempted to make a sliding stop. A cleaner single followed. The no-hit stuff and the breaks were left back in Chicago.

Bradish lasted only 2 2/3 innings after losing his command and issuing three consecutive walks, the last with the bases loaded that broke a 4-4 tie. But a game was won again.

Hitting four home runs and getting strong work out of the bullpen made it happen. This is a team that will find a way.

Ryan Mountcastle cleared the center field fence twice within the first four innings, going back-to-back with Anthony Santander in the first, Jacob Webb came to the rescue with 2 1/3 scoreless, and the Orioles claimed another series against a division opponent with a 9-5 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 36,958 at Camden Yards.

Jordan Westburg marked his return to the lineup by homering in the second inning, and the Orioles moved a season-high 18 games above .500 at 37-19. They’re 14-0-5 in their last 19 series against the American League East and go for the sweep Sunday before flying to Toronto.

Having gone 18 straight series against American League East opponents without losing one - winning 13 with five ties in this span - the Orioles can extend that streak with one more win this weekend.

They beat the Rays 3-1 Friday to take the opener of a three-game series. The Orioles are 36-19 for the season, 3-1 on this homestand, 20-11 at home 10-3 against division teams and 13-6 in series-opening games.

The Orioles, winners of seven of their last eight games, begin play today in second place, two games behind the New York Yankees. 

Friday was another well-pitched game by Baltimore pitchers. They have allowed one run in back-to-back games and three times the past five games. Over their last 28 games since April 29, they have a team ERA of 2.73 and have allowed two runs or less 13 times. Only the Yankees (2.43) have a better mark in baseball during this span.

O's starters have a 3.01 ERA for the year, the third-best rotation ERA in MLB behind the Phillies (2.69) and Yankees (2.72). In 28 games since April 29, the rotation's ERA is 2.26, second-best in MLB during that time behind the Yankees (2.19).

Jordan Westburg returns to the Orioles’ lineup today after missing the past two games with a sore right hand.

Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins are on the bench, with Kyle Stowers in left field and Colton Cowser in center. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.

Anthony Santander, who’s in right field, has posted a .333 average and .762 slugging percentage in plate appearances ending on the first pitch, according to STATS.

Kyle Bradish is back on the mound after his seven hitless innings in Chicago. He brings a 1.75 ERA and 1.052 WHIP in five starts and hasn’t surrendered a home run.

Bradish is 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.410 WHIP in five career starts against the Rays. Yandy Díaz is 6-for-14 with a double, Randy Arozarena is 4-for-14 with a triple and two home runs, and Harold Ramírez is 5-for-13 with a double.

As play began on Friday night in the majors, Gunnar Henderson was once again tied for the MLB homer lead with 18 with Aaron Judge and Kyle Tucker. His OPS of .938 was fourth-best in the AL and seventh in MLB.

He’s scoring runs, stealing bases, bashing baseballs and fielding them very, very well at shortstop. Cal Ripken Jr. once won the American League Rookie of the Year one year and AL MVP the next, in 1982 and 1983.

There is talk of Gunnar being in the MVP race or near the top of such for this season after being ROY last season.

“I just try to go out there and continue to play my game each and every day. The numbers will take care of themselves at the end of the day. Just trying to help the team win and make another postseason run,” Henderson said of the MVP talk.

He led the O’s to a series-clinching win Wednesday over Boston when he hit a grand slam that was his 50^th career homer. Another successful AL East series.

Albert Suárez made another start with the Orioles last night. Cole Irvin closes out the Rays series on Sunday and is unlikely to do more bouncing between rotation and bullpen.

A minimum of five starters are needed on a major league staff. The Orioles want to expand it to six but injuries have created an unsettled situation.

Dean Kremer’s right triceps injury is improving but he might go on a brief rehab assignment. John Means and Tyler Wells are undergoing elbow surgeries within the next few days and won’t pitch again in 2024, crushing blows for them and the team.

A six-man rotation? The Orioles have fingers crossed that they can keep their quintet from crumbling.

A knee-jerk response to torn elbow ligaments is to burn up the phone lines and make a trade. The Orioles don’t have immediate plans to do it, though executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said he’s “in contact” with other teams.

After Thursday’s off-day, the Orioles return to Oriole Park tonight to begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. It continues a 14-game run of playing all American League East foes.

The Orioles (35-19) are on a 105-win pace after Wednesday’s 6-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. They won that series with Boston and extended to 18 their streak of series versus AL East opponents without losing one. They are 39-19 (.672) in this stretch of series within the division. The Orioles improved to 5-1 against Boston, scoring 43 runs in those games, and to 9-3 on the year against AL East opponents.

Against a Boston pitching staff that began that series ranked second in the AL in team ERA (3.09) and starting rotation ERA (2.95), the Orioles scored 20 runs in the series on 27 hits with seven doubles, a triple and two homers, and they went 9-for-28 batting with runners in scoring position.

In the six games this season versus Boston, the Orioles have a team batting line of .271/.346/.449/.793. And in 12 AL East games in 2024 they have scored 61 runs with a .723 team OPS.

Winners of six of their past seven games, the Orioles are 19-11 at home and 12-4-2 in 18 series on the year.