The Orioles' six-game road trip continues tonight as the Orioles (54-31) play at Seattle (47-40) in a matchup of American League division leaders. If the O's get another win there, they will have a series victory. 

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and three relievers teamed on a two-hit shutout as the Orioles won 2-0 in last night's series opener. Rodriguez went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and four walks while recording eight strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, three off his season high, and improved to 10-3 with a 3.45 ERA.

In two starts this year versus Seattle he has thrown 12 1/3 scoreless, allowing just three hits for an .079 average against with seven walks to 15 strikeouts.

Rodriguez produced his eighth quality start of the season and the Orioles are 11-4 in his 15 starts.

He is the third O's pitcher 24 or younger to have 10 wins in his first 15 starts of a season:

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Dean Kremer from the 15-day Injured List (right triceps strain). He will start tonight’s game.
• Optioned LHP Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms on a 2024 Minor League contract with RHP Vinny Nittoli.

After making their first pick in the top five and twice having the No. 1 overall selection between 2019 and 2022, maybe selecting down in the MLB Draft has become the new normal in Baltimore.

The winning Orioles selected No. 17 with their top pick in 2023 and took Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. This year the Orioles top pick is No. 22 overall. It is their lowest since they selected University of Illinois right-hander Cody Sedlock No. 27 in 2016.

The four players the O’s picked high in the draft starting in 2019 in Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday, have all played for the Orioles this season.

This year the O’s have four top 100 picks with selections at No. 22, No. 32, No. 61 and No. 97. The first is their first rounder and the second the Prospect Promotion Incentive pick they got when Gunnar Henderson won Rookie of the Year last year. The third is their second-round pick and fourth will be a third-round selection.

I asked Jim Callis of MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com, how the draft looks in that 20 to 40 range?

SEATTLE – No team in baseball had a lower batting average or fewer hits before tonight than the Mariners. They scored the fourth-fewest number of runs. The pitching staff held opponents to the lowest average, but the offense sputtered and stalled while a division lead shrank like cotton.

Exposure to a hot starter wasn’t going to make the situation more comfortable.

Grayson Rodriguez followed his seven-inning, two-run outing against the Guardians by tossing 6 1/3 scoreless in the Orioles’ 2-0 victory before an announced crowd of 36,173 at T-Mobile Park.

The Yankees lost to the Reds earlier today, giving the Orioles a one-game lead in the American League East.

Anthony Santander broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and the Orioles (54-31) delivered a nice bounce back after Sunday night’s 11-2 loss to the Rangers on ESPN. They’ve won five of six and posted their seventh shutout.

SEATTLE – Ryan Mountcastle is taking ground balls at first base during batting practice and might be available to play tonight.

Mountcastle hasn’t been in the lineup for the past three games.

“He’s still a little bit under the weather,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

“Hopefully he feels well enough to come off the bench and hopefully feeling a little bit better every day.”

Ryan O'Hearn gets another start at first base, which puts Heston Kjerstad in the designated hitter spot against Mariners right-hander George Kirby.

After a much-needed off-day, the Orioles (53-31) begin a six-game West Coast road trip tonight at Seattle in a match up of first-place clubs. The trip heads to Oakland starting Friday night. 

When we last saw them, the Orioles were getting blown out 11-2 at home Sunday night by the Rangers. But the Orioles had won the first three games of that four-game series. They finished June going 17-12 and ended a run of 30 games in a 31-day span by going 18-12 (.600).

The Orioles, who lead the majors with 139 homers, were held without one in that game for just the second time in the last 29 games.

Ryan O'Hearn and Heston Kjerstad drove in the O's runs on Sunday as the Rangers outhit the Orioles 13-7.

The Orioles had their best scoring and hitting month of the year in June, averaging 5.62 runs per game and hitting 60 homers. As a team, they batted .273/.333/.513/.847 during the month. 

SEATTLE – Ryan Mountcastle is out of the Orioles lineup tonight for the third game in a row.

Mountcastle was used as a pinch-hitter Saturday. Manager Brandon Hyde told the media Sunday night that Mountcastle was “under the weather.”

Heston Kjerstad is the designated hitter. Colton Cowser is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center.

Jorge Mateo is the second baseman, with Jordan Westburg at third.

Gunnar Henderson’s on-base streak ended Sunday at 36 games. He struck out four times.

Fans are challenged to help the Orioles collect 10,000 pounds of food

The Baltimore Orioles, in collaboration with the Maryland Food Bank, today announced the return of the 37th annual Orioles Food & Funds Drive, driven by AAA Club Alliance Inc. This important event will take place at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the weekend series against the New York Yankees from July 12-14.

Throughout the weekend, representatives from the Orioles, AAA, Giant Food, and the Maryland Food Bank will be stationed at multiple entrances of the ballpark, collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations from fans. Contributions will be accepted from the time the gates open until the end of the second inning.

“At AAA, the safety and well-being of the communities we serve is our top priority, whether at home or on the road,” says SCOTT LUGAR, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Membership, AAA Club Alliance. “We are honored to play a leading role in this important event and look forward to joining Orioles fans to make a difference in the lives of those in need.”

"Participation in the Food & Funds Drive is vital because it empowers us to work in partnership with corporations and our fans to create a powerful impact for those in our community who rely on these resources,” shared KERRY R. WATSON, JR., Orioles Executive Vice President of Public Affairs.

Double-A Bowie catcher Samuel Basallo, one of baseball’s top prospects and a shining star of the Orioles international program, was selected today to take part in the All-Star Futures Game on July 13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Tex.

Basallo is the only O’s rep in the game set for 4:10 p.m. ET that will be televised live on MLB Network.

Basallo, 19, is ranked as the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect behind Jackson Holliday who played in this game last year. He is rated No. 12 in the top 100 by MLBPipeline.com and No. 18 via Baseball America.

Basallo over 68 games this season for the Baysox, is batting .278/.338/.456/.794 with 13 doubles, 11 homers, 39 runs and 34 RBIs.

He got off to a slow start but produced an OPS of .791 in May and .894 in June.

ABERDEEN, Md. - In the last two MLB Drafts, the Orioles have made 40 combined selections and 25 of them have been pitchers. But none were taken higher up the board than last year’s selection of Florida State right-hander Jackson Baumeister with the No. 63 overall pick.

He is the highest drafted pitcher taken by O's executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias since his initial O's draft in 2019.

Baumeister, 21, was selected with a Competitive Balance Round B pick, selections that were made just ahead of the third round of the draft.

After two seasons on the Seminoles staff, the Orioles took Baumeister as a draft-eligible sophomore. He did not pitch after that 2023 draft. but he has made his pro debut this year at High-A Aberdeen and is having a solid first season.

Ranked as the Orioles' No. 11 prospect by Baseball America and No. 18 via MLBPipeline.com, he is 1-2 with a 2.60 ERA. In 14 games over 55 1/3 innings he has allowed 37 hits and no homers with 35 walks and 65 strikeouts. He has a .192 average against and 1.30 WHIP for the IronBirds.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Corbin Burnes from the Paternity List.
• Optioned LHP Matt Krook to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

It ended with a blowout loss 11-2 last night, but for the most part the Orioles did a nice job through their extremely demanding stretch of 30 games over 31 days that ended on Sunday Night Baseball.

The team today will have its first day off since June 17 and just its second since May 30.

They played .600 ball during this run, going 18-12. When the stretch began, they were two games out of first place. As it ended, they had gained those two games back and were actually percentage points ahead of the Yankees at .631 to .628.

One reason they did well in this stretch, said veteran Ryan O’Hearn, was manager Brandon Hyde. O’Hearn said his skipper has good feel for when to push his players but also went to pull back a bit perhaps with less pregame work during a difficult stretch like the one that just ended.

“Definitely. As far as early work, batting practice, stuff like that, we’ve had many times when we kind of stepped back and had a show and go (a day with less pregame work). You know kind of taking it easy during the day and when it’s time to play the game you play the game. I think Hyde has a really good feel when it comes to that. He understands guys are grinding with tough games and tough teams and no off-days.

Connor Norby has stepped inside the Camden Yards home clubhouse a few times this season without actually being on the active roster.

At least catcher David Bañuelos had his contract selected twice before the Orioles outrighted him.

Norby was optioned June 11 after the Orioles returned from St. Petersburg, Fla. He got to Baltimore, had a locker set up and waited downstairs to claim his bags and head back to Triple-A. Jorge Mateo’s reinstatement from the concussion injured list cost him a spot.

Just enough time for Norby to take some photos of his uniforms and leave major league life.

The Orioles put Norby on the 24-hour taxi squad Saturday while waiting to find out whether infielder Jordan Westburg or outfielder Austin Hays, both bothered by knee soreness, would go on the injured list. Westburg returned to the lineup, Hays started yesterday in left field, and Norby vanished again.

The Orioles were looking for their third four-game sweep of this season and third in their past 11 series since May 23. But lefty Cole Irvin’s struggles continued tonight as the Birds fell in an early hole and lost big on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”

Irvin allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings as the Rangers scored two in the second and knocked him out during their three-run fourth. The Rangers denied the Orioles the sweep whipping the Birds 11-2 tonight in front of 23,439 in the series and homestand finale at Oriole Park.

The Orioles fall back into a first-place tie with the Yankees after New York’s win this afternoon. Baltimore is leading the American League East by percentage points at .631 (53-31) to New York’s .628 (54-32).

After just their second off-day tomorrow since May 31, the Orioles begin a West Coast swing Tuesday at Seattle and then head for Oakland.

The Orioles went 18-12 (.600) in their run of 30 games over the last 31 days.

Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson told a national TV audience watching tonight’s "Sunday Night Baseball" game on ESPN that he will take part in the Home Run Derby competition during All-Star week in Texas on Monday, July 13.

Henderson was mic'd up on the field at shortstop during the top of third inning and was asked about the Derby.

"I will be doing the Home Run Derby in Texas," he said during the broadcast.

Henderson seems to be a lock to play in the All-Star Game and may be the starting shortstop for the American League. He led AL shortstops with 2,664,120 votes when Phase 1 voting ended. Phase 2 voting is now underway where he will face Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. as voting continues to determine the starter at short. He is vying for his first career All-Star Game selection and would be the first Orioles shortstop selected to the game since Manny Machado in 2018.

Henderson began tonight batting .292/.388/.612/.1.000 with 17 doubles, four triples, 26 homers, 73 runs and 58 RBIs. He leads the major leagues in runs and FanGraph’s Wins Above Replacement (6.1) and is tied for second in home runs.

It certainly would not in any way make up for losing three straight last October in the American League Division Series. But the O's have a chance to produce a four-game sweep tonight over the Rangers on the national stage of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball."

The Orioles (53-30) will end a seven-game homestand tonight that began with two losses but might end with five straight wins.

The Orioles tonight also end a stretch where they will have played 30 games over the last 31 days since May 31. They get another off-day, finally, on Monday. The Orioles are 18-11 (.621) during this stretch.

When it began, the Birds were 35-19 and two games out of first place. As it ends tonight, they began play Sunday 23 games over .500 and leading the AL East by one game. That is now a half-game after a Yankees win today.

Tonight the Orioles look for their sixth series sweep of the year of three games or more and their third of four games. They swept four at Chicago versus the White Sox from May 23-26. They won four in Florida against the Rays from June 7-10. They have three-game sweeps over Boston, Minnesota and Cincinnati.

The gauntlet is coming to a close for the Orioles. Starting back on May 31, they began a stretch of playing 30 games in 31 days that ends with tonight’s game versus Texas.

They have gone 18-11 in this span, and 6-2-1 in nine series, even with a five-game losing streak and being swept in Houston. Tonight they could produce their second four-game sweep of this run with an earlier one at Tampa Bay. The run includes series wins over the Braves, Phillies, Yankees, Rays and Rangers.

“I think we have handled it really well. Whether we come out 18-12 or 19-11,” Colton Cowser said this afternoon. “I think coming out of this month with a winning record with the opponents we played, especially with one off-day, it is a testament to this team and the depth that we carry.

“I think we talked about it (before it began) but not necessarily who our opponents were. It was, ‘Damn, we’ve got one off-day in June.’ But yeah, I was talking to (James) McCann and he said every year it feels like there is one month to the season and it’s kind of a gauntlet.

“After this stretch, looking at the schedule, we only play four Mondays the rest of the year. Which is kind of crazy to think about. It’s more like a minor league schedule all the sudden. We’ll take it.”

Austin Hays is in the Orioles lineup tonight for the first time since Tuesday. His knee soreness has dissipated and the Rangers are starting left-hander Andrew Heaney. It’s time for him to play.

Left field is back in Hays’ possession.

Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench, where he also began last night’s game before pinch-hitting. An explanation will come later.

Heston Kjerstad, who hit a grand slam last night, is the designated hitter while Ryan O’Hearn plays first base. Jordan Westburg is the cleanup hitter. Colton Cowser is in center field and batting ninth.

Gunnar Henderson’s on-base streak has reached 36 games. He’s leading off against a left-hander, with Adley Rutschman batting second.

The choices were laid out again yesterday for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.

A right-handed opposing starting pitcher and a roster with left-handed hitting outfielders Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, along with switch-hitter Anthony Santander. Ryan O’Hearn, also from the left side, capable of playing the corner outfield or first base or resuming his usual role as the designated hitter in this situation.

Kjerstad sat Friday night despite hitting a home run and finishing with three RBIs the previous game. Cowser broke a scoreless tie with his homer in the fourth off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. Hyde appeared to make the right call – unless Kjerstad would have hit two.

We’ll never know.

Last night’s lineup put Cowser in left field, Mullins in center, Santander in right and Kjerstad as the designated hitter. O’Hearn played first base and Ryan Mountcastle sat until called upon as a pinch-hitter.