SAN FRANCISCO – With their latest series-opening victory and road trip win secured, the Orioles play at Oracle Park again tonight looking for a series victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Baltimore scored twice in the second inning last night – on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single and Jorge Mateo’s swinging bunt hit – for a 2-1 lead on right-hander Logan Webb, who entered fifth in the National League in ERA.

After the Giants (28-29) tied the game, the Orioles (36-21) gained the lead on Webb again on Gunnar Henderson’s blast to right field in the top of the seventh. The ball, which appeared headed for McCovey’s Cove, came up short of that and ended up in the back of the stands, but it was a huge homer for the 21-year-old Henderson.

He drilled a 2-1 changeup 410 feet with an exit velocity of 110.7 mph. Since he had a .659 OPS to end April, Henderson has a .765 OPS since the start of May. His OPS for the year is now .716, making it exactly league average, and his OPS+ is 100 on the dot. He has seven RBIs his past nine games.

The Orioles improved to 19-9 in road games and to 11-4 in the last 15 away from Oriole Park, to 14-5 in series-opening games and to 11-6 in one-run games. The Orioles have won 27 of their past 41 and 30 of the last 45.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of INF/OF Josh Lester from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear #49.
• Placed LHP Danny Coulombe on the Bereavement List.
• Transferred RHP Dillon Tate to the 60-day Injured List with a right elbow flexor strain.

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

SAN FRANCISCO – For Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson, there were reasons to believe he could have a swing like that coming.

One where he hit what proved to be a game-winning homer in the seventh inning in a tie game. One where he did it off the pitcher with the fifth-best ERA in the National League and one that had gone 33 innings without giving up a homer.

One where he produced an exit velocity of 110.7 mph – both the hardest-hit ball by him all year and the hardest allowed by Giants starter Logan Webb, who had an ERA of 1.68 his previous seven starts.

Henderson’s bat has been, slowly at times, trending up. He had an OPS of .740 in May, drove in three runs just a few games earlier and nine of his 17 hits last month went for extra bases. The contact was getting louder more often.

And Webb found out the kid was ready to come through in a big moment.

SAN FRANCISCO – With right-handers Dean Kremer of Baltimore and Logan Webb of San Francisco settling into a real pitcher’s duel after both had early trouble, runs were suddenly hard to come by tonight.

But not on one big swing for the Orioles off the bat of rookie Gunnar Henderson in the top of the seventh.

Webb entered the inning having retired 12 of the last 13 batters and the only runner to reach in that span got on not via a hit, but catcher’s interference.

Henderson’s bat has slowly but surely started to come to life and there was more evidence of that tonight. On Tuesday he had driven in a season-high three runs and in May, when his OPS was .740, nine of his 17 hits had gone for extra bases.

Tonight Henderson smoked a 2-1 changeup from Webb over the right-field wall for a 3-2 lead to start the Baltimore seventh. That blast lifted the Orioles to a thrilling 3-2 win in the series opener in front of 27,873 at Oracle Park. The O's bullpen held on late for the win.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Orioles have made their first trip to San Francisco since the 2016 season and the clubs open a three-game series at Oracle Park tonight. For the Orioles (35-21) it is the start of a two-city, six-game road trip that moves on to Milwaukee next.

The Orioles went 5-1 on their last trip to Toronto and New York but came home and lost back-to-back series for the first time this season. They went 2-4 against Texas and Cleveland.

The Orioles are 18-9 in road games this year and they are 10-4 the past 14 away from Oriole Park. They are a very solid 7-2 in road series, losing only at Boston and Atlanta.

The Orioles are 13-5 in series-opening games but they have lost their past three and in five of the last seven such games.

As they try to improve their series record for the year to 13-5-1 in San Francisco, they face a Giants team that lost two of three to Pittsburgh this week, losing the last two games and is 28-28 for the year. San Francisco began this year at 6-13 but is 22-15 since April 22. And the Giants are 11-5 in the last 16 games coming into this series.

SAN FRANCISCO – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde believes that right-handed reliever Mychal Givens, who went on the 15-day injured list today, retroactive to yesterday, could be back pitching for the Orioles when his IL time is up on June 16.

“I think so, yeah,” Hyde said when asked if Givens could return then. “I never want to put a number on it or days on it, but I think it’s going to just be a couple of weeks hopefully.”

Givens has allowed six runs (five earned) in four innings over six games since the Orioles activated him on May 21 after left knee inflammation. This IL stint is for right shoulder inflammation. Givens has walked six batters and his fastball velocity was down to 91.5 mph on average, two miles per hour off his average from last year.

Givens pitched Wednesday versus Cleveland, faced three batters and got no one out. Hyde said there was no MRI needed for Givens.

“I think he just felt it a little bit after his last outing,” said Hyde. “I don’t know if it’s been a recurring thing. But hopefully he can get some rest and some time to heal that up and help us out when he gets off the IL.”

The Orioles made a change to their bullpen before tonight’s series opener against the Giants, and it isn’t just about length and a fresh arm.

They needed a healthy one, too.

Mychal Givens was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to yesterday, with right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Givens faced three Cleveland batters Wednesday and didn’t retire anyone. He’s made six appearances and allowed five earned runs (six total) and four hits with six walks and two strikeouts in four innings.

The reunion hasn’t gone as planned for Givens or the Orioles.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled LHP Bruce Zimmermann from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed RHP Mychal Givens on the 15-day Injured List with right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to June 1.

SAN FRANCISCO - Coming off a tough day for the pitching staff and continuing a stretch of games without center fielder Cedric Mullins while beginning a six-game road trip against .500 or better clubs, this is a challenging time for the Orioles. 

And we thought May was going to be the hard part?

The Orioles did fine in May, going 16-12 and that included the 13-9 record in a span of 22 games versus winning record clubs. They more than held their own after a 1-0 March and 18-9 April.

But as they begin a weekend series at San Francisco’s Oracle Park tonight, the Orioles have lost back-to-back series for the first time all year.

They still hold one of MLB’s best records at 35-21, but in case you thought there was ever a time they could lighten up on the gas pedal, there doesn’t seem to be. The Giants are 28-28 and have played better going 22-15 since April 22. Milwaukee is next up and is 29-26.

A team that was pretty good this year at winning series and winning rubber match games to win series, took an early 4-1 lead Wednesday afternoon. And they took the lead off right-hander Shane Bieber, a former American League Cy Young Award winner who came into this start with an ERA of 3.04 and nine quality starts.

The early lead would be gone by the top of the fourth, and while the offense would fight back, the Guardians, ranked last in the majors in team OPS and 29^th in runs per game, would have their way with O’s pitching in a 12-8 win to take the series.

Cleveland led 11-8 by the end of the fifth inning. To that point, the Guardians were 14-for-29 at-bat with four doubles and three homers. Most of their pitch mashing and heavy lifting was done as they won the series finale.

The O’s staff could use a day off which they get today after a 2-4 homestand with series losses to Texas and Cleveland. It followed that 5-1 AL East road trip to Toronto and New York.

The ups and downs of the big league season.

Under the most ideal circumstances, the Orioles were hoping to squeeze two innings out of opener Keegan Akin this afternoon, hand over the game to bulk reliever Austin Voth and try to avoid using the bullpen again until late in the game.

That’s how they drew it up.

That’s how it rarely seems to work when the Orioles try it.

The Guardians started former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in a game that only a reverse lock could love. The baton would get a lot more use than the homer hose.

Cionel Pérez, the third of seven pitchers used today, surrendered back-to-back home runs to Josh Naylor and Josh Bell in the fourth inning, but the Orioles reclaimed the lead in the bottom half on Anthony Santander’s two-run shot into the bullpen. Mychal Givens loaded the bases in the fifth without retiring a batter, Mike Baumann stepped into the fray, Naylor delivered a three-run double and Gabriel Arias homered into the visiting bullpen.

The Orioles have played eight series this year that were not decided until the third and final game, and they are 5-3 in those games. They play another one today after splitting the first two games of their series with the Cleveland Guardians.

The Orioles (35-20) are 5-2-1 this month in series, and they are 12-4-1 in 17 series for the year, going 5-2-1 in home series.

The American League East as of today:

Tampa Bay, 39-18

Orioles, 35-20, 3 GB

Austin Hays is out of today’s Orioles lineup against the Guardians because of an illness.

Ryan McKenna is in left field. Aaron Hicks is making his Orioles debut in center.

“Haysy’s a little bit under the weather today,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Hopefully, he’s available to get some big hits for us late in the game. But going to start Mac in left today with the big park out there.

“Aaron’s a little bit more comfortable in center field as of right now and took balls off the bat in center yesterday, so that’s why we decided to go that way.”

The Orioles signed Hicks to a major league deal yesterday to replace center fielder Cedric Mullins, who’s on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain.

The last time outfielder Aaron Hicks was an above-average hitter (going by OPS+, where 100 is league average), was the 2020 season. He had an OPS of .793 for the New York Yankees that year, which was 22 percent above league average. But his OPS since the 2021 season is .625, and that is 22 percent below the league norm.

He comes to Baltimore to try and help offset the loss of center fielder Cedric Mullins, on the injured list with a right groin strain.

Speaking to O’s media for the first time today, Hicks discussed his fall off at-bat since the 2021 season.

“It’s been rough, you know what I mean? Felt like I’ve had some good games here and then some bad games. Just about getting into a rhythm for me. Hopefully I get the opportunity to play every single day while Mullins is out and kind of get going to be able to solidify a spot,” he said.

“I’m excited to be here. It’s an exciting young team and excited to help them win. They are definitely young and they’re exciting. They come to play every single day.  

Aaron Hicks is starting in center field this afternoon, as the Orioles try to clinch the series win over the Guardians.

Hicks is batting sixth.

Keegan Akin is the opener, with Austin Voth working in bulk relief. Twenty-three of Akin’s 24 career starts came in 2020-21.

Adam Frazier is leading off again today. He’s reached base in 20 of 23 games since May 6 and in 24 of 26 starts since April 26.

Ryan McKenna is in left field and batting ninth.

During his postgame interview Sunday after he drove in two runs as the Orioles beat Texas 3-2, outfielder Austin Hays noted that his pre-game planning work was paying off during the games.

He is having one solid season for the Orioles. Over 50 games, Hays is batting .311/.354/.506/.860 with 13 doubles, two triples, six homers and 23 RBIs. He ranks fourth in the American League in batting average and 12th in OPS. 

His OPS was .719 last season and now he has gained 141 points on that. Hays ranks in the top 19 percent of the majors in average exit velocity and the top 16 percent in barrel percentage. He's hitting the ball hard and getting quality results. 

This time, in a pregame interview, Hays explained more fully what he meant by that comment on Sunday. And what was coming together so well for him in his pregame work and pregame planning with the club’s hitting coaches.

“Specifically (I was referring to) how the pitcher’s ball moves on his fastball and his offspeed stuff and being able to go into the cage and set the machines up for those exact movements and angles and train what I need to think to be able to attack the ball the right way. In the pregame work, we put together a plan and have a visualization of what the ball is going to look like. Especially if it is someone we haven’t faced before or in a while,” he said.

During this month of May, the Orioles have twice won series after losing the first game of that series. They have a chance to do it again against Cleveland after losing 5-0 on Monday to the Guardians in a game that took just two hours and 19 minutes. The Orioles were held to just five hits by three Cleveland pitchers in front of 25,249 at Oriole Park on Memorial Day.

Baltimore (34-20) remained four games behind Tampa Bay for first in the American League East as the Rays also lost yesterday. The Orioles were shut out for the fourth time this season, all since May 3 and all in the last 25 games.

The Orioles are now 1-3 on this homestand and are 6-5 over the last 11 games. They went 13-9 in a 22-game stretch of games versus winning-record clubs that ended Sunday. But they lost to the Guardians (24-29) Monday as Cleveland won for just the fifth time in the last 13 games. Cleveland is now 8-10 in series-opening games and the Orioles are 13-5.

The Orioles dropped a third straight series opener and fourth in their last five series after beginning the season 13-0 in the first game of a series. They were shut out for the first time since May 14 versus Pittsburgh. The O’s have lost four of the last five games at Oriole Park after starting the season 15-7 at home.

Cleveland won a series opener away from Progressive Field for the first time since May 1 at Yankee Stadium. The Guardians shut out an opponent for the fifth time this season, the first time since May 22 against the White Sox. Their last team shutout on the road was on April 1 at Seattle, when Cleveland snapped a three-game road losing streak.

The Orioles today announced that they have signed outfielder AARON HICKS to a Major League contract. He will wear No. 34 and be active for tonight’s game. Additionally, outfielder CEDRIC MULLINS has been placed on the 10-day Injured List with a right groin strain. The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players. 

Hicks, 33, appeared in 28 games with the New York Yankees this season, making 15 starts in left field and five in center field. He slashed .188/.263/.261 (13-for-69) with two doubles, one home run, nine runs scored, five RBI, and seven walks. He ranked in the top 11 percent of the majors in Statcast Arm Strength with a 90.8 mph average on the top 10 percent of his throws.

Hicks has appeared in 898 games across 11 Major League seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2013-15) and New York Yankees, slashing .230/.329/.384 (661-for-2,878) with 113 doubles, 14 triples, 101 home runs, 428 runs scored, 356 RBI, 420 walks, and 65 stolen bases. He has appeared at all three outfield positions in his career, making 619 starts in center field, 104 in left, and 69 in right, and owns a career fielding percentage of .993 (13 E/1,811 TC). From 2013-15, he led Twins outfielders in assists (22) and games played in the outfield (243). He has made nine career Opening Day rosters (2013-14, 2016-18, 2020-23), including seven as a Yankee. From 2017-18, he posted an .838 OPS and a .368 on-base percentage, one of just eight American Leaguers over the stretch to reach both of those marks with at least 200 games played, along with Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Alex Bregman, Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez, José Ramírez, and Mike Trout.

A native of San Pedro, Calif., Hicks was selected by the Twins in the first round (No. 14) overall of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. He made his Major League debut with Minnesota on April 3, 2013, after making his first career Opening Day roster. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy on November 11, 2015, and signed a seven-year contract extending through the 2025 season with a team option for 2026 on February 25, 2019. He is a product of Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif. Hicks played golf growing up and has participated in numerous charity golf tournaments.

For Orioles infielder Adam Frazier, a key reason the club went 13-9 over a 22-game run versus winning clubs is that they never got ahead of themselves. A basic and somewhat boring one-game-at-a-time approach was critical for the Orioles to not only look at the task directly in front of them, but to have success and win key series against teams like the Rays, Yankees and Blue Jays.

“It’s been a good two months for us so far,” Frazier said recently about the club’s solid 34-20 start which has them with the third-best record in MLB. “Just taking it one day at a time really. Being in the AL East, it’s never easy. It’s the only way we can approach it, taking it one day at a time. Just need to play our game, play good hard, sound baseball and that gives us a chance to win every day.

“It’s been a tough stretch for sure. We knew coming into this stretch, we were playing really good baseball, but no one gave us much credit. We were winning games, I guess, people were saying we were supposed to. So, all we are doing is taking it one day at a time. With such a tough schedule, that is the best way to approach it and you’ll have success this way.”

Among O’s regulars, Frazier and catcher Adley Rutschman are the only Orioles to have a one-to-one walk-to-strikeout ratio or in Rutschman’s case better with 41 walks to 31 strikeouts. Entering the series opener with Cleveland, Frazier was at 17 walks and strikeouts.

The 9.4 walk rate was a bit better than league average of 8.5. The 9.4 K rate is vastly better than league average at 22.4 and would be a career-best if maintained. Frazier had a 10.8 K rate in 2021 and it was 12.1 last year.

After a 22-game stretch of games against winning teams – one where the Orioles went 13-9 (.591) – they play a team with an under-.500 record today, hosting Cleveland (23-29) to open a three-game series at Oriole Park. 

The Orioles' 3-2 win over Texas on Sunday enabled them to take the final game of the series, avoid being swept three straight and avoid their second three-game losing streak of the 2023 season.

The Orioles (34-19) are now 16-10 at home and 15-10 this month. They are 12-4-1 in series this year and 11-2-1 in the past 14 series. They are 5-2-1 in home series and 13-4 in series-opening games heading into another one today against the Guardians.

The Orioles scored just eight runs in the three-game series versus Texas. They had 21 hits over the weekend and went 7-for-20 (.350) batting with runners in scoring position.

During the 22-game stretch versus Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto, the New York Yankees and Texas they scored 94 runs, producing on average 4.27 runs per game.