After they suffered a walk-off 4-3 loss to the Mets last night, the Orioles take the field tonight needing to win two straight to take this series at Citi Field before they return home.

The Orioles (73-53) take the field tonight a half-game behind the first-place Yankees (73-52) who begin a home series tonight with the American League Central-leading Guardians (72-52).

Last night's defeat, the Orioles' fourth walk-off loss of 2024, was their third loss in four games and fifth in their last eight. The Orioles are 15-15 since the All-Star break. 

The Birds fell to 23-18 in series openers and to 11-9 when that series opener was a road game.

The Orioles are 12-13 in July and 8-9 in August. They are 58-33 versus AL teams, but just 15-20 against the National League.

NEW YORK – The number of pitchers on the Orioles injured list has grown to eight, including five starters.

Health issues are prevalent throughout baseball, and the Orioles are maintaining their status as shining and painful examples of it. Seemingly at every turn.

Zach Eflin is experiencing some inflammation in his right shoulder that landed him on the 15-day injured list this afternoon. He was supposed to take the ball for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Mets.

The move is retroactive to Saturday.

“Hopefully it’s just short term,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “After his start his shoulder was a little bit sore. It had been getting better the last few days, and so we were kind of hopeful, but also a little bit concerned about it. He had to make the start tomorrow and had him come out and throw a little bit today. We just feel like the right thing to do right now is to give him a little bit extra time with the shoulder.

NEW YORK – Another injury is forcing the Orioles to change their rotation and curse their luck.

Zach Eflin, with four quality starts and wins in his four appearances with the Orioles, went on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Cade Povich was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Eflin felt some soreness after his last outing and it didn’t improve to the point where he could stay on the roster. The starter for Wednesday is TBD, with manager Brandon Hyde saying Corbin Burnes wouldn’t get the assignment on normal rest.

Povich started Saturday, allowed two runs in a career-high 6 1/3 innings and was optioned. He’s eligible to return because he’s replacing an injured player.

The Orioles also placed left-hander Keegan Akin on the paternity list today and he’s left the team to be with his wife for the birth of their second baby.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled LHP Cade Povich from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Recalled RHP Dillon Tate from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed LHP Keegan Akin on the Paternity List.
• Placed RHP Zach Eflin on the 15-day Injured List (right shoulder inflammation), retroactive to August 17.

Maybe it is the end of an era. For the first time since the 2021 preseason farm system organizational rankings by MLBPipeline.com, the Orioles are not the No. 1 team.

In the midseason ranking, released Aug. 15, the Tampa Bay Rays are back on top followed by Minnesota, the Orioles now third, then Cleveland and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

MLBPipeline has been publishing organization rankings twice per calendar year since the preseason of 2015 and no team had been first in six straight rankings until the Orioles did it through the 2024 preseason rating.

Before the O’s run of six straight, Tampa Bay was first three times in a row and before that San Diego four in a row.

The O’s had that amazing run of three straight years of No. 1 ranked players with Adley Rutschman and then Gunnar Henderson and then Jackson Holliday. But now via trades where they dealt some talent and highly ranked players making the majors, the farm ranking is taking an evitable hit.

NEW YORK – Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez sat on a fastball last night like it was a clubhouse sofa.

Alvarez got ahead 3-0 against Orioles reliever Seranthony Domínguez – oh, let’s just call him the closer and stop hedging – and unloaded for his first career walk-off hit of any kind. And man, did he enjoy it.

Well, what he saw of it.

Alvarez made contact, held up the bat with one hand, released it and turned to the Mets dugout. He never looked back at the ball, gesturing to teammates with both hands and slapping his chest multiple times before beginning to round the bases. His jersey was pulled below his left shoulder after reaching home plate and being mobbed.

Domínguez struck out the first batter he faced. He struck out three Red Sox in the ninth inning the previous day. But he’s also surrendered home runs in back-to-back appearances.

NEW YORK – The rain delay lasted only 10 minutes tonight, and the Orioles fell behind quickly as well after the tarp was peeled back and rolled. An offense that was laboring again covered for Trevor Rogers, who didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.

The rally happened fast, with a balk from David Peterson scoring Ryan Mountcastle in the seventh and Ramón Urías hitting a game-tying homer on the next pitch.

The ending also came suddenly.

Francisco Alvarez homered off Seranthony Domínguez with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 26,874 at Citi Field.

The Yankees are idle tonight and lead the Orioles (73-53) by a half-game.

Can we call one series away from Baltimore a road trip? If we can, the Orioles' next road trip begins tonight at Citi Field with the first of a three-game series against the Mets. That is followed by one series at home against the Astros before the next two-series trip begins a week from tomorrow at the Dodgers.

The Orioles and Yankees are once again tied for the top spot in the American League East with both at 73-52 (.584). They are tied for the best record in the American League and tied for second-best in the majors, with the Phillies first at 73-51 and the Dodgers also at 73-52. It's tight at the top!

The Orioles' 4-2 win on Sunday allowed them to split a four-game series with the Red Sox and go 3-3 on their homestand. The Orioles went 12-13 in July and are 8-8 in August. They are 15-14 since the All-Star Game.

At 64-60, the Mets are in third place, nine games out in the National League East, and chasing the final NL wild card spot. It is currently held by the Braves (66-58) with the Mets next up, two games behind them.

The Mets are 3-2 the last five games but 3-6 the last nine. They have lost 12 of 21 games. They are 15-14 since the break, same as the Orioles.

NEW YORK – Former major league reliever Andrew Miller visited the Orioles clubhouse this afternoon at Citi Field. He isn’t making a comeback. He was here on business with the players’ union.

Miller’s career with the Orioles was brief, a mere 23 games in the regular season in 2014 and five more in the playoffs that resulted in 7 1/3 scoreless innings. He’s a reminder of much better bullpen days with Miller, Zack Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach and Tommy Hunter.

Craig Kimbrel spent a portion of his pregame this afternoon throwing in the 'pen, doing more tinkering with his delivery and hoping to figure out why he can’t regain a first-half form that made him an All-Star candidate.

“I think it’s a little bit mechanical, so he’s just out there trying to work on some things. And it sounds like it really went well,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

“With where we are with our bullpen here, we’re gonna need guys to step up, and we need him to, as well.”

NEW YORK – Austin Slater is leading off tonight at Citi Field and Eloy Jiménez is the designated hitter, as the Orioles go right-handed heavy with their lineup against the Mets.

Colton Cowser is in center field, one of three left-handers to avoid the bench, and Anthony Santander is in right.

Trevor Rogers is making his fourth start with the Orioles. He’s 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.884 WHIP in only 14 1/3 innings.

Overall, Rogers is 2-11 this season with a 4.89 ERA and 1.571 WHIP in 24 starts. He faced the Mets on July 21 and allowed one earned run and two total in 4 2/3 innings. He has a 3.35 ERA in nine career starts against them and a 2.73 ERA in six starts at Citi Field.

Pete Alonso is 3-for-20 with two home runs.

When Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder reached out to Orioles pitching coach Drew French to talk about righty Zach Eflin it was a bit unusual. It happened not long after the July 26 deal that made Eflin an Oriole and sent three minor leaguers to the Rays.

Snyder was showing great friendship and support for a pitcher he had a wonderful relationship with in Tampa. Even though he would be helping a division rival, this was a case where a couple of personal relationships seemed to top wins and losses.

One was Snyder’s close relationship with Eflin. The other was his emerging friendship with French. That one all started in Florida during spring training in a unique way.

“I actually got connected with Kyle this spring,” French explained during the O's last homestand. “I was staying in Sarasota at the previous home of the Rays trainer Joe Benge (formerly with the Orioles). We talked about Kyle a lot, someone I respected from afar. So, later we got connected and talked several times during spring training.

“When the trade did go down, he did reach out and said I’ve got some info. It is really about respect for the transition of the player that we know what his routine looks like, what his side days are. Just kind of the in-between stuff. In the same division, there is usually not a ton of company secrets thrown out between us. But it was some general stuff that helped us know the player better. Kyle really helped with that.”

On this homestand against Washington and Boston that ends today, the Orioles won Wednesday and Thursday, allowing one run each game. But they have lost the other three games, allowing nine, 12 and five runs.

From April 24, 2023 to June 20, 2024, the Orioles went 22 straight series against American League East teams without losing one. That was the longest streak by a team against its own division without a series loss since divisions were introduced in 1969, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

But if the O's lose today to Boston, they will have lost three of their past five AL East series. 

Through June 20 this year, they were 6-0-2 in eight AL East series, going 19-7 in 26 games. Since then they went 1-2 at home versus New York, 3-1 versus Toronto, 1-2 at Toronto and 2-1 at Tampa Bay. And now they are 1-2 this series against the Red Sox. So they are 8-8 their past 16 division games.

That adds up to a 27-15 (.643) record and a mark of 8-2-2 in 12 division series pending the result of today's game.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Colin Selby from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 60.
• Optioned LHP Cade Povich to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

When you ask Orioles manager Brandon Hyde how much he appreciates Ramón Urías for his dependability at a variety of times in a variety of roles this season, he reminds everyone this is not new.

“The last few years,” said Hyde.

“Ramón is the same guy, every single day," he said. "Whether he is playing or not playing. Whether he hasn’t played in three or four days or been in the lineup. He comes to the park super consistent. He’s always ready. Makes his defense important and gives you the best AB he’s got. He’s got sneaky power and loves to be out there.

“It’s important right now. Anything we can add to the bottom of the order and wrap that thing around to the top of the order. Ramón has always been a super, steady player for us.”

When the Orioles optioned Coby Mayo back to Triple-A Thursday, that put Urías back in the lineup at third base, the position where he won a Gold Glove in 2022.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was asked before tonight’s game whether rookie Cade Povich could stay in the rotation or perhaps move to the bullpen.

“I think we’ve got 40 games to go, and it’s 40 of day-to-day right now,” Hyde said. “Just kind of never know. And we’ve got rosters expanding. A lot of things can happen.”

A quick return to Triple-A Norfolk also was possible, or more like probable with no plans for a six-man setup. How much of the decision was really in the rookie’s hands?

The left one gave the Orioles lots to ponder.

Recalled earlier today to make his ninth major league start, Povich retired 15 of the first 17 batters and carried a shutout into the sixth inning before allowing a run. He lasted a career-high 6 1/3 in the Orioles’ 5-1 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 38,921 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles have had a homestand with two kinds of ugly losses and two well-pitched, well-played wins. Tonight they play Game 3 of a four-game series with Boston and Game 5 of their six-game homestand.

The Orioles (72-51) are 2-2 on the homestand, but had fallen one game behind the New York Yankees (73-50) for the AL East lead through Friday. Boston (64-57) is in third place, eight games back of the division leaders.

The Orioles are now 1/2 game back of New York after thier 4-0 loss to Detroit this afternoon as they were held to four hits in falling to 73-51. The O's can tie for first with a win tonight.

The Orioles beat the Red Sox 5-1 Thursday to open this series, as Zach Eflin and four relievers teamed on a seven-hitter with 10 strikeouts. But the O’s staff allowed 14 hits and four homers in last night’s 12-10 loss.

Boston hit four doubles, and added those four homers and scored two or more runs in four different innings. It was the third-most runs the Orioles have allowed in a game this season. They lost 19-8 at Oakland July 6 and 14-11 at Houston June 21.

Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is trending in a direction that moves him further away from the injured list.

Rutschman was scratched from last night’s lineup with lower back discomfort that flared as he hit in the cage. He’s receiving treatment and remains on the active roster.

“He’s a little better,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Hoping in the next day or two he can get back in there, and he should be available off the bench tonight, too, in a big spot. Definitely improved from last night. Back feels a little bit better.”

Triple-A Norfolk catcher Blake Hunt is at Camden Yards as the taxi squad catcher. The Orioles might have recalled him if Rutschman’s condition worsened.

“I think we were waiting to see what he was like today,” Hyde said. “If it went backward, I think that was definitely a possibility. That’s one position you can’t be short.  We felt like it was probably going to improve by this afternoon, and it has.”

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled LHP Cade Povich from Triple-A Norfolk. He will start tonight’s game.
• Optioned RHP Bryan Baker to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles can move back into a first-place tie if they win tonight. The Yankees lost to the Tigers this afternoon 4-0 in Detroit.

Adley Rutschman is out of the lineup after being a late scratch last night with lower back discomfort.

Colton Cowser is leading off and playing left field. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field.

For the Orioles

The Orioles recalled left-hander Cade Povich, who was on their taxi squad, and he’s starting tonight against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Manager Brandon  Hyde confirmed last night that Povich would get the ball.

Reliever Bryan Baker was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move. That one was anticipated but not revealed until this afternoon.

Povich registered a 6.27 ERA and 1.688 WHIP in eight starts with the Orioles and is 6-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in 15 games (14 starts) with Norfolk. He's averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings with the Tides.

MLB Pipeline ranks Povich as the organization’s No. 5 prospect.

Albert Suárez is expected to be pushed back to Sunday. Hyde said yesterday that the club wanted to provide some extra rest for the rotation and downplayed the possibility of a six-man setup.