CHICAGO – To say the least, since they added him to their roster for the first time this year on April 13, Ryan O’Hearn has had an impact for the Orioles – both on the field and in the clubhouse, where the 29-year-old veteran fits in beautifully.

Few Orioles are swinging a hotter bat right now. Over 28 games, O’Hearn is batting .342/.384/.620/1.004 with seven doubles, five homers and 19 RBIs.

This after he hit .219 with a .683 OPS in 342 games since the 2018 season with Kansas City.

“Total pro. Gamer, loves to play, takes really good at-bats,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field. “Great in the clubhouse and dugout. Just doing a little bit of everything for us right now, and just the quality of his at-bats are really good.

“I think the experience he had in Kansas City, good and bad (helps now), and (he is) somebody that has always mashed in Triple-A. Kind of had some weird roles in Kansas City, and now (he's) in more of a defined role where he knows he’s got a good chance to be in there versus right-handed pitching. Or be a pinch-hit option. He’s really loving it here.”

CHICAGO – In May the Orioles had impressive series wins against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in which they lost the first game of the series but won the next two. They will try to pull this off now in a series not involving an AL East club. 

They lost 10-3 at Wrigley Field to the Chicago Cubs (32-37) on Friday, and the clubs meet this afternoon in the second game of this series.

The Orioles had won six of their last seven games by a combined 42-20 score before they got thumped here in the series opener, falling to 16-7 in series-opening games and to 9-3 when the series opener is on the road. The Orioles are now 22-12 in road games.

The Cubs are playing better ball lately and have now won four in a row and six of their past seven games. Their four-game win streak ties their season high from April 16-19. The Cubs have scored 38 runs in those wins. It’s the first time they have scored 38 in a four-game span since April 21-24, 2021.

The Cubs had a six-run inning in Friday’s win. They now have an inning scoring four runs or more in four straight games for the first time since June 28-July 1, 2018.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Spenser Watkins from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned RHP Reed Garrett to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

CHICAGO – Another O’s series at Wrigley Field means another baseball homecoming for Orioles manger Brandon Hyde. He was with the Cubs from 2011 through 2018, first in their minor leagues and later as bench coach and first base coach for the Cubs.

When the Cubs won the 2016 World Series – their first WS win since 1908 – Hyde was manager Joe Maddon’s first base coach.

Now he is in his fifth year as manager of the Orioles, a team that, like those Cubs teams, went from bad to good with a lot of young talent.

“Always fun to come back here,” he said in the visiting dugout before Friday’s series-opening game. “Got to experience it last year. We played two good games here. Come back in a stadium with so many memories, such a special place. Spent ’12 to ’18 here and there are a lot really good memories I have of great teams and the good people I was around. Got to see a few of them today. Lot of them are gone. But this place is always going to be special.”

He learned a lot on the Cubs' watch and uses some of what he learned then now with the Orioles.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• C Mark Kolozsvary has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

CHICAGO – The Orioles enjoyed a successful homestand, going 5-1 against Kansas City and Toronto. They swept the Royals and took two of three from Toronto, winning a fifth straight American League East series.

The Orioles lost their first two AL East series of this year, but have now gone 11-4 in winning their last five. They beat Toronto 4-2 Thursday to win the rubber-match game and improve to 43-25.

The Orioles are 5-1 this season versus Toronto by a combined 36-21 score. They are 14-11 against the Blue Jays since the start of the 2022 season.

The Orioles are now 8-4 in June and they are 9-5 in 14 games since Cedric Mullins got injured.

In winning six of their past seven games overall, the Orioles have scored 42 runs, producing hits in double digits five times in that span.

CHICAGO – The Orioles lost their first two American League East series of the 2023 season with series losses to Boston and the New York. They have not lost a series in the division since then.

Their 4-2 win over Toronto on Thursday afternoon in Baltimore gave the Orioles another rubber match game win, another series win and another AL East series win.

They are now 11-4 in five straight AL East series wins against in order Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, New York and Toronto. They have at least one series win against every other team in the division during the AL East series win streak.

As the latest Orioles road trip begins this afternoon at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field and the Orioles play the Chicago Cubs, the team will again this weekend call on its depth to help win games.

Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver called it “deep depth” and the 2023 Orioles are showing some of that.

The Orioles (42-25) host the Blue Jays (38-31) today to wrap up a three-game series and a six-game homestand. The homestand began with the Orioles sweeping Kansas City and now they have split the first two games of this series.

Baltimore scored 11 runs each on Sunday and Tuesday, but where held to just six hits - all singles - last night in a 3-1 loss to Toronto. That result ended the Orioles' win streak at five in a row, two short of their season high. They fall to 4-1 this year against Toronto and to 13-11 versus the Blue Jays since the beginning of the 2022 season.

Toronto, which has won nine of 13 of and is 12-6 its past 18 games, is now 18-8 in its past 26 games at Oriole Park.

The Orioles are 6-4 in rubber match games and 3-2 when that game is against an AL East opponent. They have won three in a row within the division with rubber match wins over Boston, Tampa Bay and New York.

In their first four games this season against Toronto, Baltimore batters had produced 31 runs. But last night the Orioles were held without an extra-base hit for the third time this season. That also happened April 8 against the Yankees and June 7 against the Brewers.

Austin Voth is hoping to begin throwing again next week to test the right elbow that forced him on the injured list yesterday.

Voth is taking a stronger dose of an anti-inflammatory to reduce the swelling.

The Orioles placed Voth on the IL after he allowed two runs and three hits Tuesday in one-third of an inning. He also walked a batter, and Cavan Biggio’s homer was the first that Voth surrendered in his last 18 appearances.

Voth’s previous outing also was a struggle, with two walks in one-third of an inning against the Royals.

“It’s getting better,” he said this morning. “It’s just a matter of calming it down to the point where I can move it without moving something. And from there, I’m not throwing right now, so the next step would be probably throwing in maybe a week to see how it’s doing.”

O's second baseman Adam Frazier’s career high for home runs is 10. He has eight already in 2023 and at his current pace would finish with 19 or 20. He hit three last year with Seattle in 156 games. Now he has eight in 67 team games of which he has played in 65.

What gives? Why has Frazier hit this many homers already?

“Really just using my body the right way,” he said yesterday in the Baltimore clubhouse. “I have always tried to keep it simple but been a little more handsy in the past. Flicked the ball all over the field. Now I’m (staying) on my backside more and using the big muscles to hit the ball maybe more so than arms and hands. So, that is where I’m at right now using the bigger muscles and the hips are able to work better.”

Frazier averaged one homer every 180 at-bats last year and one every 140 at-bats over the last two years. When he hit a career-high 10 homers in 2018, he hit one every 31.8 at-bats and he hit 10 the following year with one every 55.4 at-bats. Now he is hitting one every 26.5 at-bats.

He said the subtle changes he made were a collaboration of thoughts from the O’s hitting coaches and some of his own.

To get his first career win in his own division and finally slay the Blue Jays, who battered him last season, Kyle Bradish needed to outduel the pitcher who hadn’t lost to the Orioles in 12 starts.

A pitcher who was perfect through four innings and unhittable until the seventh.

Bradish had good stuff and bad timing.

José Berríos retired the first 13 batters and was still eyeing history when Adley Rutschman singled into center field leading off the seventh. Just a minor glitch for Berríos, who again brought his best against the Orioles.

George Springer homered off Bradish with one out in the sixth, a changeup traveling 437 feet to left field, and the Blue Jays didn’t seem to need anything else in a 3-1 win before an announced crowd of 16,083 at Camden Yards.

After scoring 11 runs in back-to-back games, the Orioles now have a five-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 37-15 in that span. They are now 42-24 for the year and four games behind Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East.

The Rays (48-22, .686) have the best record in the majors and the Orioles are now No. 2. Their .636 win percentage would produce 103 wins over a full year of 162 games.

Their longest win streak of the season is seven in a row from April 16-24. The Orioles are 21-12 at both home and on the road. They are now 16-6 in series-opening games.

The Orioles have gone 4-0 against Toronto this season by a combined 31-15 score, and are 13-10 against them since the start of 2022.

Gunnar Henderson went 3-for-5 in Tuesday’s 11-6 win over Toronto and is now batting .246/.355/.475/.830 with an OPS+ of 130, which is 30 percent above league average.

He was a man of just a few words today upon his return to the Orioles. But 24-year-old infielder Joey Ortiz is a top 100 prospect with loud tools, a lively bat and big arm on the left side of the infield, playing mostly at shortstop.

He was with the Orioles the first time from April 27-30 and went 1-for-3 with three RBIs in his MLB debut April 27 at Detroit. He was back with the club from May 14-26 and returned to the active roster today.

“Just happy to be here and be able to contribute. I feel good. Feel like I’m getting back into a rhythm after being out for a little bit. Getting back into the baseball rhythm,” said Ortiz.

After he was optioned out in late May, he went through an illness and didn’t play for several days on the farm before getting back on the field with Triple-A Norfolk June 8. Since then he is 9-for-25, batting .360 with an OPS of 1.145 for the Tides with two homers and four RBIs, hitting safely in all six games. He homered last night before getting to Baltimore today.

He seems to have knocked off the rust of not playing between May 25 and June 7.

The Orioles weren’t finished with their roster moves this afternoon.

Unfortunate business as usual.

Reliever Austin Voth was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Reliever Reed Garrett had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk to fill the gap in the bullpen.

To make room for Garrett on the 40-man, Mark Kolozsvary was designated for assignment less than 24 hours after the Orioles selected his contract and let him catch the ninth inning.

Voth retired only one batter last night and allowed two runs and three hits with one walk. His homerless streak ended at 17 appearances when pinch-hitter Cavan Biggio took him deep leading off the eighth.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of RHP Reed Garrett from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear #66.
• Placed RHP Austin Voth on the 15-day Injured List with right elbow discomfort.
• Designated C Mark Kolozsvary for assignment.

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

Joey Ortiz is back with the Orioles for the third time.

The Orioles recalled Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon and optioned Mark Kolozsvary, who joined the active roster yesterday and caught the ninth inning.

The move is another response to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle going on the 10-day injured list yesterday with vertigo.

Ortiz’s last game with the Orioles was May 24 in New York. He was optioned two days later and didn’t play for Norfolk again until June 8 due to illness, but he’s gone 9-for-25 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs this month.

Ortiz is 7-for-27 with the Orioles. He’s on the bench tonight.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled INF Joey Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned C Mark Kolozsvary to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of C Mark Kolozsvary from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear #56.
• Placed INF Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day Injured List with vertigo, retroactive to June 10.
• Designated RHP Noah Denoyer for assignment.

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

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled LHP Cole Irvin from Triple-A Norfolk. He will start today’s game.
• Optioned LHP Nick Vespi to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves: 

• Recalled LHP Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned LHP Bruce Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk.