Having fallen four games out in the American League East race with 11 games left, the Orioles host San Francisco tonight in Game 2 of a three-game series at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (84-67) were held to five hits and blanked 10-0 last night. They have been shut out twice in the last four games, three times in the last eight and eight times on the season.

They have scored six runs the past four games and just 21 over the last 11 games, going 3-8. In that span, they are batting .189 with a .577 OPS and are 9-for-64 (.141) with runners in scoring position. Baltimore batters have scored two runs or less seven times in this span.

The Orioles are now 17 games over the .500 mark, the fewest they have been over .500 since June 6.

The O's have lost four of five, seven of nine, eight of 11 and are 26-29 since the All-Star break, 19-23 since Aug. 1 and 31-36 since July 1.

Craig Kimbel’s old locker is empty except for a row of hangers. His belongings are gone.

The former closer has left the building.

The Orioles designated Kimbrel for assignment earlier today and recalled reliever Bryan Baker. They made the move after he was charged last night with a career-high six runs in two-thirds of an inning, the last straw with his chances for inclusion on the playoff roster dissolved a while ago.

“Tough day,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We have so much respect for Craig and his career and what he’s done for the game, how long he’s pitched, how long he’s pitched well. So it’s never easy to say goodbye to somebody who’s done a lot.”

Kimbrel, 36, was an All-Star snub after posting a 2.80 ERA and 0.962 WHIP in 39 appearances, but he had a 10.59 ERA and 2.177 WHIP in 18 games since the break and never responded to a second reset.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde described it as a “tough day” as the team designated for assignment closer Craig Kimbrel. Hyde called him a “great teammate and class act.”

When I asked ace right-hander Corbin Burnes about Kimbrel, he said similar things. He may have been a poor pitcher for the team in the second half but his teammates sure seemed to support and have respect for him. And Burnes said even as Kimbrel’s season was spiraling downward he was in the clubhouse helping other players.

But in the end, performance matters most. And he went from an ERA of 2.80 in the first half to a pitcher that in 18 second-half games was 1-3 with a 10.59 ERA and 2.177 WHIP.

“Obviously it’s tough,” said Burnes. “You never want to see a guy get designated. A guy that has been here all year and given a lot to this team. And been a leader in the clubhouse, been a leader in the bullpen. You never want to see that happen. You understand why it happens, how baseball and how the business goes.

“I wish him the best. He’s had a Hall of Fame career, if this is it. If he comes back to play, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Craig much about that. But he’s going to be a Hall of Famer.”

The Orioles have lost eight of 11 games and scored 21 runs in that stretch. Tonight’s lineup combination puts Jackson Holliday at second base after Livan Soto made three consecutive starts, and Heston Kjerstad at designated hitter after he came off the bench last night and singled twice.

James McCann is catching. Emmanuel Rivera is playing third base.

Dean Kremer has five quality starts in his last six outings. He’s posted a 3.76 ERA in the second half.

Kremer has made one career start against the Giants and allowed two runs in six innings. Matt Chapman is 2-for-17 with a home run against him, but San Francisco put him on the paternity list today.

Kremer’s fastballs are generating a whiff rate of 32.1 percent in September, per STATS, which is nearly double his 16.8 rate through August.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Designated RHP Craig Kimbrel for assignment.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 37 players.

The Orioles ran out of time trying to fix Craig Kimbrel.

The club announced today that it designated Kimbrel for assignment and recalled reliever Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk. The 40-man roster has 37 players.

Kimbrel has been scored upon in 11 of his last 19 appearances to leave him with a 5.33 ERA and 1.357 WHIP in 57 games. He’s averaging 5.3 walks per nine innings, his highest total in a full season since his rookie campaign in 2010.

The six runs surrendered last night were two more than his previous career high. The nine-time All-Star allowed only seven runs in the entire 2012 season.

The Orioles signed Kimbrel to a contract at the Winter Meetings that paid $12 million this season with a $13 million club option for 2025. Bonuses were added for games pitched and finished.

Of their 67 losses this year, only three have come by 10 runs or more for the Orioles. Chasing an AL East title this week and beginning the final regular season homestand was not a good time for that to happen.

But it did for the third time in 2024 as the San Fransico Giants beat the Orioles 10-0 at Oriole Park. The O's have now been shut out twice in the last four games, three times in eight games and eight times for the year.

The Orioles got blown out last night by a struggling team. One that began this series at 72-78 losing four in a row, five of six, 10 of 14 and 15 of their past 22 games. Last Thursday through Saturday, San Francisco was shut out three times in a row for the first time since June 23-25, 1992. The Giants were 3-9 with no series wins against AL East opponents.

Since Aug. 11 they had been 11-20 and scoring just 3.5 runs per game before winning last night. But they took an early 3-0 on the Orioles with former Oriole Mike Yastrzemski driving in two runs and they poured it on late scoring six runs in the ninth charged to Craig Kimbrel.

The Orioles keep saying they remain a confident team and can soon turn this around. But when? There are just 11 games left.

The Orioles didn’t find their mojo tonight.

Talk earlier of getting on a roll proved to be well-intended but hollow. The Orioles were down after two pitches from Albert Suárez, fell further behind in the second inning and lost to the Giants 10-0 before an announced crowd of 23,967 that sat through periods of light rain at Camden Yards.

The club can’t find cover from a steady shower of poor performances.

Their record fell to 84-67 with eight losses in the last 11 games, and the deficit behind the Yankees grew to four.

Craig Kimbrel allowed a season-high four runs in the ninth before leaving the game on a groundball single, uncontested stolen base, wild pitch, walk, fielder’s choice RBI bunt by Brett Wisely with a late throw to the plate, 12-pitch walk, two-run single by LaMonte Wade Jr. and Heliot Ramos’ RBI double. It got worse. Matt Bowman let both inherited runners score on Michael Conforto’s single, leaving Kimbrel with a career-high six runs. He hadn't surrendered more than four in his 15-year career.

The final homestand of the 2024 regular season has arrived. The Orioles host the Giants for three games and then the Tigers for three to wrap up the home schedule.

The Orioles (84-66), with 12 games and four series remaining, begin play tonight three games behind the Yankees (87-63) for the American League East lead. This week the Yankees are on the West Coast with three games at Seattle beginning tonight and then three at Oakland.

This is before the O’s and Yankees play a three-game series in the Bronx beginning a week from tonight. With the Royals loss to the Tigers last night, the Orioles are 2 1/2 games ahead of Kansas City for the top AL Wild Card spot.

While the Orioles scored just six runs in the Tigers series and have scored only 21 runs the past 10 games (going 3-7), their starting pitchers have quietly been on a good roll:

* 1.42 ERA with five quality starts the last five games
* 2.33 ERA with six quality starts the past nine games
* 2.55 ERA with eight quality starts in 13 games this month

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• INF/OF Nick Maton has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias took his turn today providing injury updates to the media, asking in a joking manner for questions to be broken up individually rather than in one lump inquiry. Just trying to simplify the process.

Ryan Mountcastle (wrist) is in a hitting progression down in Sarasota, the most positive news about the first baseman since he was shut down.

“I was there during instructional league yesterday and had a chance to see him work out,” Elias said. “He has a sore wrist and he’s making his way back from that, and that takes a few steps, but I do think we have a really good chance of seeing him playing for Norfolk here pretty soon, and I do think we’re going to get him back, and he’s making a push. And we definitely will take what we can get from him, and we’re hopeful to get him back before the season’s over.”

Jordan Westburg took batting practice for the first time since fracturing his right hand. “Like a normal citizen,” Elias said.

“Jordan’s doing great, too,” Elias added. “We can’t wait to have him back, and we are expecting him back before the end of the regular season. We’re not totally there yet, but it’s going really well.”

Coming off a losing road trip and a stretch with seven losses in the last 10 games, the Orioles return home tonight for the regular season’s final homestand trying to find some good vibes, some runs and some wins.

They begin play tonight at 84-66, three games out in the American League East and 2 1/2 ahead of the Royals for the top Wild Card spot and No. 4 playoff seed with 12 to play.

“Lot is at stake in terms of us trying to create some momentum going into the month of October,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said this afternoon. “Think a lot of guys are excited about this last homestand. Excited to get things going in the right direction.”

How is the team mood right now with the club 26-28 in the second half and 31-35 since July 1?

“I think it’s following suit with the wins and losses," said Mullins. "It’s like trying to create that continuous win streak. Yeah, there might be a little pressure added to that. But the off-day was big just to come back home, take a day, refresh and get back into it."

Talk about being thrown into the deep end and having to swim, that is, in a sense, what is happening to Orioles prospects Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo.

These are top young talents, rated among the best in the game, that may be cornerstone players one day, but right now they are battling to get hits in a pennant race. And at a time when the team has lost games while the club is not scoring much. It puts pressure on everyone.

Yeah, a real challenge.

Over 51 games for the year, Holliday, age 20, has hit .170/.223/.298/.521. When he came back to the majors on July 31, he hit a grand slam and had an OPS of 1.072 in a 10-game span, hitting five homers with 12 RBIs. A few days later he had a four-hit game.

But now he is 2-for-26 with nine strikeouts the last 10 games. He did not start Saturday or Sunday in Detroit.

One matter was resolved yesterday with the Twins claiming left-hander Cole Irvin on waivers only one day after the Orioles designated him for assignment. Irvin won’t stay in the organization, and now we track reliever Kyle Virbitsky’s progress while grading the Jan. 26, 2023 trade with Oakland.

Virbitsky went a combined 7-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.197 WHIP in 41 relief appearances between High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He surrendered only five home runs and struck out 69 batters in 57 2/3 innings.

The Orioles dug into their infield prospect pile and sent Darell Hernáiz to the Athletics. He’s appeared in 44 games this season as a rookie and batted .193/.268/.239.

The honeymoon period with Irvin was short. They optioned him last year after only three starts, when he allowed 15 runs and walked eight batters in 12 2/3 innings. The rest of his brief Orioles career was spent bouncing from the rotation to the bullpen to the minors.

Irvin is joining Minnesota’s expanded roster today. The Orioles won’t be deciding whether to offer him arbitration this winter, which probably wasn’t in the cards but didn’t come with any sort of confirmation.

A second attempt by the Orioles to pass Cole Irvin through waivers has failed.

The Twins claimed Irvin this afternoon after the Orioles designated him for assignment yesterday. He went unclaimed at the trade deadline when the club made a flurry of late moves.

Irvin was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 4 and had his contract selected on the 21st while Dillon Tate was optioned. Tate was designated later and claimed by the Blue Jays on Sept. 1.

Roster space was needed yesterday with reliever Jacob Webb reinstated from the 15-day injured list and outfielder Heston Kjerstad from the concussion injured list. Irvin and infielder Nick Maton were the counter moves.

Maton’s situation remains unresolved.  

DETROIT – As the Orioles offense continues to struggle and the team can’t seem to find a spark or any answers right now to turn it, the Orioles are probably still secure to make the playoffs.

Probably.

But each loss makes it harder to win a second straight American League East title and each loss gives Kansas City the chance to gain ground on the Orioles for the top AL wild card spot. If the season ended today, the Orioles would host the Royals in that best two-of-three series. But a few more losses could send the O’s on the road for that.

The O’s Adley Rutschman believes the Orioles can still do great things and said so after Sunday's game. But it’s getting harder to believe that when the team has now lost three series in a row at such a critical time. They went 1-2 each versus Tampa Bay, Boston and Detroit.

Rutschman, whose two-run homer yesterday accounted for the only O's runs in a 4-2 loss, was asked if it was hard to keep the faith and stay upbeat with the losses mounting?

DETROIT – An O’s starter pitched well, but got little or no run support. A recurring theme in Birdland a lot lately.

Facing a traditional starter – not an opener – was not something that helped the struggling Orioles offense today.

They saw Detroit right-hander Keider Montero. And while his 4.88 ERA was not impressive, his last outing was. He pitched a three-hit shutout Tuesday on 96 pitches versus Colorado.

Today, he didn’t get that deep in the game, but the O’s could not score off him either.

They finally got some offense, but it proved too little and too late today.

DETROIT - They lost Friday's game 1-0 at Comerica Park. And, behind right-hander Corbin Burnes, the Orioles beat the Tigers 4-2 Saturday night. Today they try to end this series and road trip on a winning note. 

At 84-65, they begin play two games back of the Yankees for the American League East lead and two games up on the Royals for the top AL wild-card spot. The Orioles went 4-2 against the Royals this year, so should the teams tie for a playoff spot, the O's hold the tiebreaker and will get the higher seed.

Even in winning last night, the Orioles have lost five of their past seven and six of nine games. They are 26-27 since the All-Star break and 31-34 since July 1.

The Orioles are 1-1 versus the Tigers and the teams play again next weekend in Baltimore. The Orioles are 17-8 (.680) versus AL Central teams, their best win percentage this year against any division.

In the two games this series, Baltimore pitchers have allowed just three runs. Over the past four games, the O's team ERA is 2.04.

DETROIT – Heston Kjerstad is back with the Orioles, finally free of concussion symptoms and feeling good about his swing and his health.

He is batting fourth as the DH today, so thrust right back into the mix in a prominent spot. He wants to help an offense that has produced just 15 runs in five games this road trip. Over the last nine games, in going 3-6, Baltimore batters are averaging 2.1 runs per game with a team OPS of .583.

Kjerstad is ready to try and provide a boost with his bat.

“Oh 100 percent. All of us want to provide that boost. Maybe I can bring that. It’s a great lineup we have here. Baseball, you want to play well and the offense, we need to get rolling a bit better. All it takes is one. Once one goes, the rest of the offense will roll with him, so we’ll get it rolling here,” he said.

After he was hit in the helmet July 12, Kjerstad went on the seven-day concussion injured list. He returned eight days later but the symptoms lingered.

DETROIT - The Orioles are adding Heston Kjerstad to their roster for today’s series finale with the Detroit Tigers.

The O's announced that move and series of others this morning. In addition they have reinstated righty reliever Jacob Webb from the injured list where he was out due to right elbow inflammation. Webb has pitched to a 3.08 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings pitched. He last pitched on Aug. 2 at Cleveland.

They designated for assignment pitcher Cole Irvin and infielder/outfielder Nick Maton. The O's 40-man roster right now is at 38.

Kjerstad has been on the injured list with a concussion and playing minor league rehab games in the last several days with both High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie.

He went 4-for-13 with a double and three RBIs in four games with Bowie after going 2-for-5 over two games with Aberdeen. He was the leadoff hitter last night for Bowie at Erie and went 0-for-1 with two walks.