Jordan Lyles has recovered from a stomach virus and is making this afternoon’s start against the Red Sox, his first since Aug. 31 in Cleveland.

One of Lyles’ shortest outings this season came against the Red Sox on Aug. 19. He allowed four runs and nine hits in four innings, and the Orioles won 15-10.

Lyles also faced the Red Sox twice in May, allowing one run in six innings at Camden Yards and three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 at Fenway Park. He’s made seven career starts against Boston and registered a 5.66 ERA and 1.857 WHIP in 35 innings.

Gunnar Henderson is playing third base and Jorge Mateo returns to the lineup as the shortstop.

Henderson reached base three times last night, including his two-run, tie-breaking single in the sixth inning, for the first time in his career.

The Orioles will close out the regular season, and perhaps play their last games in 2022, with a home series against the Blue Jays on Oct. 3-5.

The math that’s done today suggests that those games could determine whether the Orioles make the playoffs for the first time in 2016. It’s still on the table.

If it crashes to the floor, the only drama left will be the big reveal of Most Valuable Oriole. The successor to 2021 winner Cedric Mullins.

Mullins was a slam dunk as the first 30/30 player in club history. He followed Anthony Santander, who followed Trey Mancini.

Whose hand will I shake during this year’s on-field ceremony?

So, among the changes announced Friday coming to major league baseball will be a pitch clock in the 2023 season. The goal is to improve pace of play and reduce down time.

MLB announced these rules for next year:

* A pitcher must begin his motion before the expiration of the timer.  Pitchers will have up to 15 seconds between pitches when the bases are empty and up to 20 seconds between pitches with at least one runner on base. Testing in the minors involved 14 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds (19 seconds in Triple-A) with at least one runner on base.

* A pitcher may disengage the rubber (timer resets) by throwing to a base with a pickoff attempt or stepping off the pitching rubber twice per plate appearance without penalty. Subsequent disengagements result in a balk, unless an out is recorded on a runner. The disengagement count resets if the runner advances; testing in the minors had no reset until the following plate appearance.

* A hitter must be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher with at least eight seconds remaining.  Testing in the minor leagues included nine seconds remaining.

Kyle Stowers drifted back to the right field fence tonight, leaped for Xander Bogaerts’ fly ball and held up his glove after his feet again touched dirt. It was empty.

The Orioles couldn’t afford to experience that feeling hours later as they filed into the clubhouse.

A team that prides itself on its resiliency, confidence and closeness needed to tap into the supply. The games are going away. The Orioles are fighting to stick around.

Rookie Brayan Bello carried a shutout into the sixth inning before the Orioles rallied for three runs to take the lead, which they protected with a backup closer in a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 16,451 at Camden Yards.

Dillon Tate inherited a runner from Bryan Baker with two outs in the eighth and overran Kiké Hernández’s slow roller for an error. He struck out pinch-hitter Reese McGuire, returned for the ninth and recorded his fourth save after Alex Verdugo reached with one out on an infield hit.

The Orioles today announced that the club will host the St. Louis Cardinals at Ed Smith Stadium for an additional Spring Training game on Monday, March 27, 2023.

For the complete 2023 Spring Training schedule, please visit Orioles.com/Spring. A printable schedule is also attached. Game times and report dates will be announced at a later date. To be among the first notified for 2023 ticket offers, fans should subscribe to the free Orioles Insider digital newsletter at Orioles.com/Newsletter.

The Orioles have 25 games left in the 2022 regular season and three left on this current homestand. After Thursday’s off-day, they host Boston for a weekend series beginning tonight at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (72-65) lost three of four games to Toronto, scoring just eight runs in the three losses in that series. They have lost four of five games overall and now are 4 1/2 games back of Toronto for the final American League wild card berth. They are five back of Seattle for the second wild card spot and six games behind Tampa Bay for the No. 1 wild card spot.

Righty Alek Manoah held the Orioles to three hits over eight innings as Toronto won 4-1 Wednesday night. The Birds went just 3-for-30 in that game and were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. They saw 22 of their last 23 batters retired in the game after they had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a Ryan Mountcastle RBI double.

Mountcastle went 4-for-16 with two doubles and five RBIs in the series against Toronto. In eight games this month, he is batting .290 with a .979 OPS to go with three homers and 11 RBIs.

Catcher Adley Rutschman went 7-for-16 in the series with three doubles, a homer, four runs and four RBIs. He is batting .417 (10-for-24) during a six-game hitting streak with three doubles, two homers and six RBIs.

Jordan Lyles felt good after yesterday’s bullpen session, did some light throwing today and seems ready to start Saturday afternoon against the Red Sox.

Lyles was scratched from Monday’s doubleheader due to a stomach virus.

“I’m hoping,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “He’s feeling better every day, so I’m hoping he’s able to start tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” Lyles said. “I’ll let Hyder discuss the plans going forward, but I feel much better, and hopefully I can get out there soon.”

Shortstop Jorge Mateo is out of the lineup. The shortstop was hit on the leg two days ago while covering second base on a steal attempt, but Hyde said he’s just “rotating guys around.”

In the big picture and in one sense, outfielder Austin Hays’ offense is not far off where it was last year. In 2021, he posted an OPS+ of 106, six percent over American League average. Right now, he is at 103 in OPS+.

But Hays has struggled since the All-Star break. He went 1-for-8 in the series against Toronto and is 3-for-25 (.120) with a .314 OPS his last seven games. He is batting .197 in 37 games since the break.

Over the year in 122 games, Hays is batting .249 with 15 homers, 54 RBIs and an OPS of .721. He has been dropped to eighth in the batting order for tonight’s series opener with Boston at Camden Yards.

“I would say lately I’ve been doing a better job of staying inside the ball,” Hays said of his recent offense this afternoon. “I just haven’t been making as much consistent hard contact as I would like to. Hit a lot of stuff off the end or just down off the barrel a little bit.

"But I’m hitting the ball to all fields. Staying through the middle and not striking out a whole lot. It’s just a matter of really trying to barrel up the middle through the middle part of the field. Not getting around stuff as much as I was for a couple of weeks when it was just smothering a lot of ground balls pull side.

The Orioles resume their homestand tonight with Gunnar Henderson starting at shortstop against the Red Sox, Austin Hays batting eighth and playing left field, and Kyle Stowers batting ninth and starting in right.

Ramón Urías is the third baseman and batting sixth behind Henderson.

Jorge Mateo is on the bench.

Catcher Adley Rutschman is 10-for-24 during a six-game hitting streak, with three doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, three walks and five runs scored. His 29 doubles this year lead major league rookies and are tied for second-most among Orioles catchers in club history with Matt Wieters in 2013 and Ramón Hernández in 2006.

His 29 doubles also are tied with Hall of Famers Eddie Murray (1977) and Cal Ripken Jr. (1982) for most by an Orioles rookie in franchise history.

He may have gotten off to a slow start with Triple-A Norfolk - he was 3-for-31 there through Wednesday - but O’s 2021 top draft pick Colton Cowser had a heckuva run during his 49-game stint at Double-A Bowie before the outfielder moved up.

To say the least Bowie manager Kyle Moore was impressed with Cowser and his entire game after he joined the Baysox June 28 and had three hits and a homer in his first game.

Before he left recently with his promotion to Norfolk, Cowser hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to provide a Baysox win on his way out the door. That happened Aug. 28 – exactly two months after his first game with Bowie.

“It was special,” Moore said of Cowser’s play with the Baysox. “He completely dominated offensively. You can look at any number you want, and it was super impressive. Almost to the point where you can compare him with Gunnar Henderson when he was here. They are actually very similar through about the same number of at-bats, so that just tells you how good Cowser was here. Because Gunnar did the same thing. They both dominated this league.’

And Moore has a real point there.

This is where the Orioles get up, brush off the dirt and go back to work.

The first two steps probably were completed before today. Otherwise, an off-day was wasted.

The last-place Red Sox are in town for three games, an unexpected 5 ½ behind the Orioles in the division standings. They lost three in a row, won five straight and just got swept in a three-game series at Tropicana Field.

The Orioles are 7-5 against the Red Sox this season, going 4-2 at home. They took two of three on April 29-May 1, and on Aug. 19-21.

The last game was played in Williamsport, Pa. for the annual Little League Classic, but it counts on the home side of the ledger.

The Orioles and Major League Baseball today announced that DILLON TATE has been named the Orioles’ 2022 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Capital One. The most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB, the Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Capital One, is the annual recognition of a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, sportsmanship, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field. 

The Orioles will join all of Major League Baseball in celebrating the 21^st annual Roberto Clemente Day, presented by Capital one, wearing jersey patches as they face the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Friday, September 16. The commemorative day was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially acknowledge local club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Capital One. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, all players will wear a ‘21’ patch on their jersey, and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks. Once again this season, each team’s Clemente nominee will wear a ‘21’ patch on their jersey that indicates their nomination for the prestigious award.

As part of this nomination and in recognition of Tate’s exemplary commitment to serving his community, MLB will make a $7,500 donation to his foundation, Baseball Academia Corp. The Orioles Charitable Foundation will match the donation, for a total of $15,000 contributed. The Orioles will recognize Tate in a special on-field ceremony on Monday, September 19, as they host the Detroit Tigers at 7:05 p.m. at Camden Yards.

Tate exemplifies the spirit of Roberto Clemente. With his giving nature, kindhearted attitude, and passion for the community matched with his stellar performance on the field, he embodies what it means to be an Oriole.

While growing up in California, Tate frequently played at the MLB Urban Youth Academy, taking advantage of free resources to help sharpen his skills. It was here that he learned the significance that professional sports teams can have on the development of youth on and off the diamond. He carried that knowledge with him throughout his career and has recognized the importance of giving back.  

It was a nice honor for an Orioles prospect that might be flying a bit under the radar this year. This despite being tied for the organization lead in home runs with 23.

But Connor Norby, Double-A Bowie second baseman, got some recognition yesterday when he was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for August.

Over 26 games during the month, Norby batted .339/.405/.661 with nine homers and 26 RBIs to go with an OPS of 1.066. He led the league in hits, homers, RBIs and total bases in August and ranked second in slugging and OPS.

The 22-year-old Norby is rated as the Orioles’ No. 12 prospect by both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com.

“Really has the look of a pure hitter,” Bowie manager Kyle Moore said of Norby before Tuesday’s game at Prince George’s Stadium. “Can really drive the ball to right-center. He can hit a homer to right-center off a really good arm. And so, that puts him in position to hit the best stuff. If you have a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, he can take you deep to right-center. If you have a little wrinkle with off-speed, he can take you deep to left-center.”

WHO: BRANDON HYDE, Orioles Manager;

           MIKE ELIAS, Orioles Executive Vice President & General Manager;

          JENNIFER GRONDAHL, Orioles Senior Vice President, Communications & Community Development;

           SELECT ORIOLES PLAYERS

WHAT: Members of the Orioles Orange & Black Gives Back employee volunteer program, as well as Manager Brandon Hyde, General Manager Mike Elias, and other representatives from the team will participate in a Habitat For Humanity build day on Friday, September 9. Projects will include painting, attaching siding, cleaning the build site, and more.

The regular season is down to 25 games. Six against the Blue Jays, who lead them by 4 1/2 in the wild card race.

What the Orioles do over these last four weeks will be an entertaining watch.

It’s about more than results on the field, though, who isn’t dying to find out what happens? Baseball really matters in Baltimore while the Ravens get set for their opener on Sunday. Hasn’t been like this in a while.

Also fascinating is how the games and rosters are handled in the heat of a pennant race. How the organization reacts to it while venturing into an area that’s been restricted since the teardown started.

Brandon Hyde managed with his hands tied in Monday’s doubleheader, unable to use veteran Jordan Lyles and seeking volunteers for Game 2. Mike Baumann’s first major league start was scheduled for the nightcap, but he got bumped up to Game 1. Keegan Akin sprinted to the bullpen to warm after Lyles was scratched, with the short notice preventing Bruce Zimmermann from taking the assignment.

As the Orioles wrap up a four-game series with Toronto tonight, they need a win to split the series. If they can get it, they move back to within 2 1/2 games of Toronto for the final American League wild card spot. A loss would leave them 4 1/2 games out with 25 games to play.

The Orioles offense broke out for a 9-6 win last night. The Orioles scored five runs in the third inning and three in the eighth as they went 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They had gone 1-for-14 with RISP in the Monday doubleheader loss and were batting .119 with RISP (8-for-67) over their previous 11 games before Tuesday night.

Baltimore ended a three-game losing streak. The O’s have won five of eight, eight of 13, 13 of 21 and 21 of their last 34 games.

The Orioles improved to 7-5 against Toronto, a year after going 5-14 versus the Blue Jays. They are now 28-31 on the season in AL East games.

Catcher Adley Rutschman had a two-run double last night and is 6-for-12 this series with four runs and four RBIs. He is 9-for-20 during a five-game hitting streak with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs. He moved into third place on the single-season rookie doubles list for the Orioles with No. 28 last night. He trails only Cal Ripken Jr., who had 32 in 1982, and Eddie Murray's 29 in 1977.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Tyler Wells from the 15-day Injured List. He will start tonight’s game.
• Optioned RHP Spenser Watkins to Triple-A Norfolk.

In recognition of the 45^th anniversary of the celebratory day to honor the retirement of BROOKS ROBINSON in 1977, the Orioles will host ‘Thanks Brooks Day,’ on Saturday, September 24, as they face the Houston Astros at 7:05 p.m. Robinson will be in attendance for the game at Camden Yards, to participate in the festivities which include:

Gate Giveaway: The first 15,000 fans, 15 and over, will receive a poster print of Norman Rockwell’s ‘Gee, Thanks Brooks’ painting.

Pregame Ceremony: Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:30 p.m. as Robinson will greet fans throughout the ballpark as he is driven around the warning track, an ode to the ceremonial events of 1977.

In-Game Items: Throughout the game, lucky fans will have the chance to win posters autographed by Robinson himself, and the videoboards will show highlights of his illustrious career. Additional in-game elements will be announced at Orioles.com/ThanksBrooks.

In the Community: On behalf of ‘Thanks Brooks Day,’ the Orioles will host members of local community organizations, with donated tickets to thank them for their commitment to the Baltimore community.

BOWIE, Md. – O’s top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez said he is less focused on results and his pitching line right now, but that should soon change. Last night the 22-year-old right-hander made his second injury rehab start.

He went 1 1/3 innings on 31 pitches last Thursday for high Single-A Aberdeen and went two innings on 40 pitches last night at Double-A Bowie.

The Baysox lost 7-3 to Richmond and Rodriguez took the loss. Over his two innings, he gave up one hit and one run with two walks and four strikeouts. His fastball topped in the 96 mph range, which was fine, he said. After throwing a 1-2-3 first inning with two strikeouts on 11 pitches, he got into some trouble in the second. He allowed a one-out double and that runner eventually scored on a wild pitch. He also walked two that inning.

But Rodriguez right now is mostly looking to get his mechanics in line and the feel for all his pitches as he slowly builds up his pitch count. He is expected to pitch again on Sunday at Bowie.

“Right now we’re focused on how the body feels, how it's moving in a game," he said. "So, really, throwing strikes is No. 1, but No. 2, taking the mechanics we had before the injury and what we had last year and getting back to those moving parts. Like obviously coming back in spring training when you are out in the offseason, that is one big thing, just finding that feel from the season before. That is what we’re doing right now. You know when the body starts moving like we want it to, then we will start worrying about the results.”

Dillon Tate wasn’t expecting to make his earliest appearance in a game in more than a year last night. The bullpen phone rang with no outs in the fourth inning and two runners on base, and he grabbed his glove and a ball.

This wasn’t playoff baseball, but it sure felt and sounded like it.

“It’s just part of the job to be ready when your name is called,” said Tate, who earned the win after allowing one run in 1 2/3 innings in the Orioles’ 9-6 victory over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.

Manager Brandon Hyde needed to keep the deficit at three runs and turned to one of his high-leverage relievers. Tate inherited runners on the corners, didn’t let the Blue Jays expand their lead by performing a nifty escape act, and watched the Orioles score five times in the bottom half.

The bullpen covered the last six innings and the Orioles moved within 3 1/2 games of the last wild card spot.