All-Star Austin Hays has returned to the Orioles lineup this afternoon for the first time since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins.

Hays is in left field and batting fifth.

Colton Cowser is in right field today, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Aaron Hicks returns to the lineup in center field after pinch-hitting last night in the 10^th inning and delivering a sacrifice fly in a 3-1 win. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Jordan Westburg also is out of the lineup, with Adam Frazier playing second base and Ramón Urías moving to third. Westburg’s .314 average is the highest for any Orioles infielder through 10 career games, according to STATS.

MINNEAPOLIS – All it took was one remarkable catch. One strong starting pitching performance. One clutch late relief outing. A sac fly, a sac bunt, a clutch double and a few others things for the Orioles to beat a team they often struggle against.

They lost two of three to the Twins last weekend. And while the Twins' record is inferior to the Orioles', they are a first-place team that leads the major leagues in team ERA and had won five of six games entering this series.

But the Orioles got two runs in the top of the 10th on a Ramón Urías double and Aaron Hicks sac fly. Félix Bautista pitched the ninth and 10th, getting his fourth win with a 30-pitch outing.

The win and night made better by the news that the Rays lost for the sixth straight game and the Orioles are three games back, just one in the loss column.

Wasn’t their season heading for a downturn about 10 minutes ago?

The mathematical first half of the season is behind us. The Orioles played their 87^th game last night in Minnesota, leaving two on the table before the All-Star break.

That’s the actual splitting of the halves.

The draft will run from Sunday-Tuesday. Four Orioles will be in Seattle for the All-Star Game, and prospects Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad are on the Futures Game roster.

Adley Rutschman will attempt Monday night to join Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada as Home Run Derby winners.

And then, it’s back to business. Three games at home against the Marlins and three against the Dodgers, followed by trips to St. Petersburg, Fla., and Philadelphia.

MINNEAPOLIS – Cole Irvin was not “swirvin” this time. Irvin, who uses that nickname in his Twitter handle, was very much in balance and control tonight and he was setting down the Minnesota Twins with regularity.

His season ERA was 6.32 at game time, but his ERA since his latest return to the Orioles roster June 10 was 3.44 in five games. He gave up two runs in eight innings his last two starts, one rain interrupted. He had shown signs he was getting his act together.

Tonight, in front of 32,724 fans at Target Field in the opener of this three-game series, we saw more evidence.  

Irvin left with a lead but could not get a win tonight.

But the Orioles did.

MINNEAPOLIS – After a remarkable night in New York - and a 14-1 blowout win over the Yankees - the Orioles' suddenly resurgent offense is in for a real test this weekend. The O's open a series against the Minnesota Twins, a new hot team that leads MLB in team ERA. 

The Orioles went 15-for-26 at-bat last night in the first four innings and led 13-0 in the Bronx. By that point of the game, Gunnar Henderson and Ryan O'Hearn had already combined for nine RBIs. Henderson was 4-for-4 with two homers, three runs and five RBIs.

There have been three rookies to record 4+ hits and 5+ RBIs in a road game against the Yankees since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 – Don Wheeler in 1949, Maikel Franco in 2015 and yesterday.

The Orioles set season highs in runs and hits. The previous tops was 13 runs and 17 hits and they had 20 last night. 

Heading into Wednesday's game at Yankee Stadium, the Orioles had lost six of seven games. But now they have back-to-back wins by 6-3 and 14-1.

Austin Hays vowed to play again before the All-Star break, a bruised left hip keeping him out of the lineup since Sunday.

The day he learned that he’d been selected to his first All-Star team.

Hays is on the bench again tonight, marked absent hours after he found out that he’s starting for the American League.

Baseball life is full of surprises for Hays, who said yesterday that the good news about his selection was “kind of short-lived” following his collision with Twins first baseman Donovan Solano. A knee to the hip bringing pain after his euphoria. The roller coaster that he didn’t want to ride.

He’s taking batting practice and working out, as he did yesterday in New York, and starting Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park due to injuries to Aaron Judge and Mike Trout.

NEW YORK – The crowd at Yankee Stadium had lost its last ounce of patience long before the 12^th batter stepped to the plate in the top of the third inning. Angry at Luis Severino. Outraged by the sloppy play. Reduced to cheering a ground ball, sarcasm the only weapon of retaliation.

The Orioles threw an offensive party tonight in someone else’s house. Gunnar Henderson played host.

Henderson collected four hits in four innings, including a pair of home runs. Ryan O’Hearn had a double and two-run single in the third. Twenty of the first 30 batters reached base.

Manager Brandon Hyde wanted a breather. He got a laugher.

Staggering after two games of the series, the Orioles came out swinging tonight and coasted to a 14-1 victory. They pounded out 20 hits. Kyle Bradish was working on a one-hit shutout through the fifth and no one seemed to notice.

As the Orioles get set to make a pick outside of the top five picks in round one of the MLB Draft for the first time in a while on Sunday, draft expert Jim Callis gives the Orioles props for both drafting and developing young talent under Mike Elias and his front office staff.

And certainly, it is not a stretch to praise an O's organization that now has the No. 1 ranked farm system in the sport.

They drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, taking catcher Adley Rutschman and No. 2 in the next year selecting outfielder Heston Kjerstad. Their first selection in the 2021 draft, taken No. 5 overall, was outfielder Colton Cowser who just arrived in the majors. Last year, with the third No. 1 overall pick in club history, they selected high school shortstop Jackson Holliday. MLBPipeline.com now ranks him as the No. 1 prospect on their top 100 list.

“They have obviously done well (in the draft)," Callis said this week. "You can argue when you are picking one, two, five and one, you should do pretty well. They got Gunnar Henderson with their second pick back in 2019. I think it’s not just in drafting, but also development. Guys are coming into their system and getting better.

“Heston Kjerstad is a guy we have talked a lot about, took forever to get going and now they’ve got him back to where he was. He’s everything they hoped he would be. Some later round picks like Coby Mayo, granted was an overslot signing, Joey Ortiz and Jordan Westburg have developed well. They’ve made good picks and good picks later in the draft.

NEW YORK – Austin Hays is participating in full baseball activities today and is confident that he’ll return to the Orioles’ lineup this weekend in Minnesota.

Hays hasn’t played since bruising his left hip Sunday against the Twins at Camden Yards.

“I’m feeling a lot better today,” he said. “I’m going to go out there for BP and try to go through some throwing from the outfield, take some swings, and see where we’re at. But as far as just moving around and doing day to day stuff, it feels a lot better. A lot of that bad soreness that I had has pushed out of there.”

The day began with Hays learning about his All-Star selection and progressed to a collision with Twins first baseman Donovan Solano in the second inning, leading to removal before the top of the fourth.

Third baseman José Miranda’s throw led Solano into the basepath and Hays turned at the last instant to lessen the impact. He probably made it worse, but his instincts took over.

In four drafts under Mike Elias and his staff, the Orioles have not selected a pitcher among the first two rounds of the MLB Draft, and they have not signed a pitcher taken above round five.

In 2019, they did not select a pitcher before taking Griffin McLarty of College of Charleston in round eight. The next year the highest drafted pitcher was prep right-hander Carter Baumler in round five. In 2021 the top pitcher selection was in round five with Carlos Tavera.

Last year they selected Oklahoma State pitcher Nolan McLean in round three with selection No. 81 but did not sign him. They get a compensation pick at No. 100 this year for not signing McLean.

Will this be the year that Elias and company use their first-round pick or one of their first few selections on a pitcher?

“I think we always keep our mind open,” said O’s director of draft operations Brad Ciolek. “Obviously you guys (local media) kind of have a scouting report in terms of what we look for in terms of our first-round selection. But there are some pretty intriguing arms. There are a few college arms and a few high school arms that have our attention. We typically do lean to the college demographic, but we are open to all possible scenarios in this case.”

Whether it is a well pitched game or a game where the offense breaks out or some combination, the Orioles could use it tonight to pick up a much-needed win at Yankee Stadium.

They entered this series at 49-33 and had gone 5-0-1 in their last six American League series, going 12-5 in those games. They were 3-3 this year against the Yankees.

But after losses in the Bronx by 6-3 and 8-4 scores, the Orioles are 49-35 and have now lost six of seven, eight of 12 and 10 of their past 16 games. Since May 26 they are 16-18 (.471) and have gone 4-6-1 their past 11 series.

They begin play tonight, in Game 3 of this four-game series, before they head to Minnesota, six games behind Tampa Bay for the division lead and two games ahead of New York for second place in the division. They hold the top AL wild card spot, leading Houston by 1 1/2 games and New York by two.

The Orioles have scored seven runs on 20 hits in this series in the Bronx, but they have been outhomered 5-2. Over the last five games the Orioles have scored just 10 runs. They have scored three or fewer runs in 14 of the last 25 games, going 3-11 in those 14.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of OF Colton Cowser from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 17 and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.
• Selected the contract of RHP Eduard Bazardo from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 67.
• Optioned OF Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• Designated C Anthony Bemboom for assignment.
• Designated RHP Chris Vallimont for assignment.

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

It was May 25. The Orioles beat the New York Yankees 3-1 as Kyle Gibson got the win and Yennier Cano a save and New York was held to just three hits. The Orioles won the series two wins to one at Yankee Stadium.

At that point the Orioles were 33-17 through 50 games, playing .660 baseball and they had the second best record in the majors. They were just three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East lead.

But on this trip to the Bronx, the Orioles have been outplayed and beaten twice to start a four-game series, losing 6-3 and 8-4 to a Yankees team that was not exactly riding a hot streak into this series.

Have the Orioles just hit a lull in a season which could still deliver special things? Or has a run of 16-18 since that earlier series in New York exposed some issues? Or will the O's end up somewhere in the middle later, maybe not as prolific as the team that played .660 baseball for 50 games, but better than the club that has played .471 ball since.

The Orioles have now lost six of the last seven, eight of 12 and 10 of their past 16 games. To say the least they are getting the biggest test of the season right now.

NEW YORK – Colton Cowser finally got the phone call.

The organization’s No. 2 prospect is joining the Orioles in New York, according to a source. The club is expected to select his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Space must be cleared on the 40-man roster, and the Orioles could make other moves prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees.

They’re carrying three catchers, which always is a temporary arrangement. And they might want to bring up a pitcher, with only 12 on the active roster.

What’s certain is that Cowser, ranked No. 14 among baseball’s prospects by MLB Pipeline, is in position to make his major league debut.

NEW YORK – The forearm smash delivered by Aaron Hicks in front of the visiting dugout today sounded like a clap of thunder. A home run against his former team deserving of an aggressive celebration.

Adam Frazier’s two-run shot later in the inning didn’t carry the same revenge vibes, but it reset a game that was getting away from the Orioles.

They couldn’t pull it back again.

Giancarlo Stanton broke the tie with a ground ball single into shallow center field in the bottom of the fifth, a strange play that saw Gleyber Torres score from first base, and the Orioles stayed behind in an 8-4 loss to the Yankees before an announced crowd of 43,876.

Six defeats in the last seven games have lowered the Orioles’ record to 49-35 and allowed the Yankees to creep within two of second place in the division.

NEW YORK – Austin Hays hit in the cage this morning while the tarp was unrolled at Yankee Stadium, followed by an announcement that the game wouldn't start on time.

Bad forecast, but good injury news for the Orioles.

Hays is day-to-day with a left hip contusion. He’s avoided the injured list and nearing a return to the lineup.

“Trying to give him a little bit of a work day,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “The hip feels better.”

Jordan Westburg didn't have his left hand wrapped this morning and he's playing third base.

It was not the start the Orioles wanted to their final road trip before the All-Star break. They took a 3-0 lead then watched the New York Yankees storm back for a 6-3 victory in the opener of a four-game series in the Bronx.

O’s pitching allowed three homers, accounting for five of the six Yankees runs. Center fielder Harrison Bader hit a three-run shot off lefty Danny Coulombe in the last of the eighth to break a 3-3 tie as New York picked up its 18^th comeback win.

O’s starter Tyler Wells allowed two runs and five hits over six innings, delivering a quality start – the O’s 29^th of the season. Wells has pitched five innings or more in each of his 17 appearances this season, and is the first O’s pitcher to toss at least five frames in each of his first 17 games of a season since Miguel González to begin the 2013 season. The last, longer streak by a Baltimore pitcher was Mike Mussina’s 24-game streak to begin the 1994 season. Wells has thrown six innings or more in nine of his 16 starts and this was his eighth quality start.

He has now allowed 21 home runs, which is tied for the fourth-most by an O’s pitcher before the All-Star break. Wells has given up two homers or more seven times.

The O’s are now 21-8 when they get a quality start, and they have gotten one in 11 of their past 21 games.

NEW YORK – The Orioles have switched from a balanced roster, going with three catchers today after reinstating James McCann from the injured list.

Left-hander Cionel Pérez is on the 15-day IL with left forearm soreness, a move backdated to yesterday.

Lefty Bruce Zimmermann has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, eligible because he’s replacing an injured player. Reliever Chris Vallimont was optioned after making his major league debut last night and recording his first career strikeout.

Pérez has registered a 4.45 ERA and 1.780 WHIP in 33 games, averaging 4.7 walks per nine innings. His last five appearances have been scoreless.

Losing Pérez reduces the bullpen to seven relievers. The club held onto catcher Anthony Bemboom, who’s out of minor league options.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated C James McCann from the 10-day Injured List.
• Recalled LHP Bruce Zimmermann from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed LHP Cionel Pérez on the 15-day Injured List with left forearm soreness, retroactive to July 3.
• Optioned RHP Chris Vallimont to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The first four drafts under Mike Elias and his staff with the Orioles saw the club select No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 1 overall in the MLB draft. That was from 2019 through 2022. They got Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday.

So yeah, pretty good.

You hope to hit it big at the top of the draft. It’s no guarantee, but the Orioles may have done just that. Clearly that foursome has been a big part of the Orioles' farm moving up the ranks the last few years and now having the No. 1 farm in MLB.

And now, as another MLB draft approaches starting Sunday night, the Orioles are no longer in rebuild mode and they are looking at a farm system with several of their top prospects playing at higher levels and five top 100s at Triple-A right now.

That leads some to wonder if the Orioles will look to take more high school players early in this coming draft to fortify the lower levels? Does having a farm stacked at higher levels impact draft strategy this year?