CLEVELAND – The Orioles didn’t wait until Thursdays’ roster expansion to select infielder Gunnar Henderson’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

They did it early this afternoon, bringing up Henderson and optioning infielder Tyler Nevin to Norfolk.

Pitcher Denyi Reyes was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster.

Henderson, who’s wearing No. 2, could be in tonight’s lineup against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. We’ll find out later.

The first appearance will allow Henderson, 21, to become the youngest Oriole to make his major league debut since infielder Manny Machado in 2012. Machado was a first-round shortstop who switched to third base. Henderson is a second-round shortstop in 2019 who’s played all four infield positions in the minors, gaining experience on the right side this month.

CLEVELAND - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde spoke with Ryan Mountcastle yesterday afternoon, trying to get his first baseman to relax at the plate. To be the hitter he was a few months ago.

“It’s a young guy pressing. That’s what it is,” Hyde said before the series opener in Cleveland.

“A young guy who’s just trying to do way too much.”

Mountcastle flied to deep right field in the second inning, keeping his hitless streak at 14 at-bats in a row but scoring Ramón Urías with a sacrifice fly.

Lowered to seventh in the order for the first time since 2021, Mountcastle also grounded out and walked.

ABERDEEN, Md. – Grayson Rodriguez was in good spirits as usual and was his usual friendly and articulate self. Now if he pitches on Thursday as he usually does, he might end his season as it began. Pitching in dominant fashion on a minor league mound.

And that could lead him to end his year on a major league mound.

When he pitches for high Single-A Aberdeen tomorrow, it will mark three months exactly to when we last saw him. He was dominating for Triple-A Norfolk then and closing in on a major league callup.

At the time of his Grade 2 right lat strain June 1, he was 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 0.84 WHIP for Norfolk.

“I would say going back and watching tape and reflecting on outings in Norfolk the first two months, I mean that’s, hands down the best I’ve ever thrown a baseball in my life,” Rodriguez told reporters Tuesday at Ripken Stadium. “So really just kind of taking into account what I was doing, how I was pitching to hitters, how I was utilizing certain pitches in certain counts, really just kind of being able to sit there, sit on it (during rehab) and game plan for about two or three months about how to attack hitters coming up.”

Coming off an impressive series win at Houston, the Orioles have moved on to Cleveland, where they will look to keep their momentum going tonight. The Orioles and Guardians will play the opener of a three-game series.

The Orioles are 30-36 on the road this year. But that record looks better when we are reminded that they were 3-10 on the road in April and were 5-14 in early May. Now the Orioles have won two straight road series and three of five, and two of those series were at Toronto and Houston.

The Birds have won four of their past six road games, are 13-9 in the last 22 and are 24-20 on the road since late May. They are 6-6-2 in road series for the year.

The Orioles (67-60) had a three-game win streak snapped Sunday at Minute Maid Park. They have won five of seven, eight of 13, 16 of 25, 20 of 32 and 32 of 48 games. Since June 11, the Orioles are 43-25.

Baltimore got great starting pitching in Houston, where Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and Austin Voth combined to allow two runs and seven hits over 21 2/3 innings, with five walks to 13 strikeouts. The Astros batted just .104 (7-for-67) against that trio over the weekend. Their combined ERA was 0.83.

ABERDEEN, Md. – The Orioles' top pitching prospect, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, headed north this week to continue his rehab. In two days Rodriguez will pitch in a game for the first time since his appearance June 1 for Triple-A Norfolk.

Rodriguez, ranked as the No. 4 prospect in baseball by both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com, will take the mound Thursday for high Single-A Aberdeen at Ripken Stadium against Hickory.

It will be three months to the day that Rodriguez walked off the mound after throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings for Norfolk against Jacksonville. Rodriguez had suffered a Grade 2 right lat strain and has been in rehab mode since. Just recently, that escalated when he added live bullpen sessions and a simulated game. The next step comes Thursday.

“I feel good,” he said today at Ripken Stadium. “Obviously, it’s great to just be back here in Maryland, where full-season ball is. So getting out of Florida was pretty nice.

“It really happened the inning before I came out," Rodriguez said, recalling his injury. "I just thought it was a cramp or a muscle spasm. Went back out and, obviously, the velo was down. So being precautionary, took myself out of the game. Then them saying I could miss the rest of the season, thought it was pretty crazy. But been able to rehab in Florida and everything went pretty smoothly.”

During a year where the Orioles have made dramatic improvement as a team, so have several individuals, especially on the pitching staff. And as those players got better, so did the team. One led to two.

As it relates to Orioles pitchers, pitching coaches Chris Holt and Darren Holmes have worked with guys to tweak pitches, add pitches, work on their deliveries and learn what their real strengths are and go to them often. Anything they can do to help one pitcher helps the team.

And an underrated part of this, said manager Brandon Hyde, is finding willing pupils. Coaches can suggest all they want but if the pitchers are not willing to make needed changes and then able to perfect them enough to get outs at seven o’clock, this process won’t work.

“To be able to get player buy in, one of those things not talked about enough, is what makes good coaches,” said Hyde in Houston. “Trust. And after trust becomes buy in. And you get buy in from players from sometimes having tough conversations. By being able to prove things. That the player knows you have their best interest.

“That’s one thing I feel like we’ve done a good job here the last few years of being able to get players to make adjustments or talk about adjustments. And you’ve seen that with the pitchers this year. Our guys have gotten better.”

Colton Cowser was supposed to move quickly through the Orioles’ system. They believed it would happen before making him the fifth overall selection in last year’s draft. The advanced, polished bat with its high contact rate. The defensive skills to play anywhere in the outfield.

And that’s exactly what’s happening. Right before our eyes.

Cowser already has reached Triple-A Norfolk, which is hosting Lehigh Valley tonight, after 143 minor league games. Only 32 in his first professional season.

The Tides are his fifth affiliate, counting the seven games played in the Florida Complex League. And he gets a full month with them before the offseason.

The Cowser watch begins next spring. Whether he actually breaks camp with the team or returns to Norfolk and is deemed ready at a certain date.

The Orioles launched a few more significant minor league promotions this afternoon, including a first-round draft pick’s ascension to Triple-A. To be determined is whether the ripple effect touches the major league roster.

Outfielder Colton Cowser and shortstop Joey Ortiz are moving from Double-A Bowie to the Norfolk Tides. Infielder Darrel Hernaiz is going from High-A Aberdeen to the Baysox.

Grayson Rodriguez, the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, is starting for Aberdeen on Thursday night after recovering from a Grade 2 strain in his right lat.

Mondays are rarely dull in the minors, even with the lack of games.

Cowser, the fifth overall selection in the 2021 draft out of Sam Houston State, is speeding through the system. He began the year with Aberdeen and is reporting to his third affiliate with a combined .294/.422/.479 slash line in 502 plate appearances, 29 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 55 RBIs.

The Orioles create their own breaks and catch a few along the way. Or at least, it appears that way.

Doesn’t always lead to a win, but it happens.

Going for the three-game sweep yesterday in Houston, they were tasked with trying to beat Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander. The major league leader in ERA and OPS, and tied for the lead in WHIP. A tough matchup, to say the least.

A brief one, too, with Verlander leaving after three scoreless innings with right calf discomfort.

Nothing related to his surgically repaired right elbow or his shoulder. Just his calf muscle.

HOUSTON – After a weekend in Houston where O’s pitching gave up just four runs, leading the team to a series win over the club with the best record in the American League, the O’s take some momentum to Cleveland where they open a big series Tuesday night.

They’re all big now, when the club is 1.5 games out of a playoff berth with 35 games remaining.

The Orioles continue to surprise some people around MLB and who could have expected them to head into Houston, win the series with a chance to sweep Sunday? Houston began this weekend with the best AL record at 81-45 which included a seven-game home win streak and home record for the year of 42-18.

But terrific starting pitching led the Orioles to wins by 2-0 Friday and 3-1 Saturday before they lost 3-1 Sunday to end a five-game win streak at Minute Maid Park.

The Orioles continue to show they can play with the AL big boys – both in the AL East and beyond – and outfielder Austin Hays likes their positioning for the stretch run.

HOUSTON – After allowing just one run on eight hits, and despite scoring just five runs themselves, the Orioles can complete a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros today at Minute Maid Park.

This would be quite the achievement for the improved Orioles. Consider this:

* Houston began the series with the best record in the American League at 81-45.

* Houston is still the top team in the AL.

* The Astros had a seven-game home win streak and four-game overall win streak snapped Friday.

HOUSTON – Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias is with the team, at least to start, on this road trip. He's back in Houston, where he helped turn the Astros into big winners before he got hired by the Orioles.

He’s been very visible on the field the last two days pregame, catching up with old friends from here and he remains, of course, proud of his time here and what was built here, producing lasting success.

“There was just so much good work going on in the Astros organization for the last 10 years, and it’s still rolling with no end in sight. And I’m very proud and fortunate to have been a part of it,” he said during an interview Friday that was well attended by the Houston media.

Now’s he proud of what his staff and players are getting done in Baltimore, contending for a playoff spot a year after losing 110 games.

And he noted that even after the trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge López, the Orioles kept winning and have had a strong month in August.

HOUSTON – The Orioles took the field tonight following afternoon losses by the Blue Jays and Rays. They knew if they won this evening, they would gain some ground in the AL wild-card race. Two homers later, they took early control of this game and were on their way to a second straight win against the team with the best record in the league.

Another gem on the mound proved pretty vital as well.

Anthony Santander and Austin Hays homered in the third inning and right-hander Dean Kremer allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings as the Orioles beat the Houston Astros 3-1 in front of 34,526 at Minute Maid Park.

The Orioles (67-59) moved eight games over the .500 mark for the first time since May 21, 2017. They are now 1.5 games out of the last AL wild card spot. 

They have won five of six and eight of 12 games and are 32-15 in their last 47 games. Baltimore has now won five straight games at Houston after a sweep here last year. Before that, the O's were 6-20 all time in Houston.

HOUSTON – After snapping Houston’s seven-game home win streak Friday at Minute Maid Park, the Orioles can win this series with another victory tonight against the Astros.

The Orioles (66-59) have won their last two and four of five games after the 2-0 win, their 11^th shutout coming on a combined four-hitter by Kyle Bradish, Cionel Pérez and Dillon Tate, who got the last out for his third save. Bradish allowed just two singles over eight innings, which was the longest outing by an O’s starter this year. He walked two and fanned six in a 96-pitch outing that included 51 percent sliders.

Bradish is the seventh rookie in O's history to throw eight or more scoreless innings on two or fewer hits on the road and first since Chris Waters on Aug. 5, 2008 at the Los Angeles Angels. Bradish became the eighth rookie in MLB history to do so against the Astros and only the second to do so in Houston since 1962.

The last three O’s starters – Spenser Watkins, Jordan Lyles and Bradish – have all recorded quality starts and allowed three earned runs over 21 innings. While scoring just six runs in winning back-to-back versus the White Sox and Astros, O’s pitchers allowed just two earned runs over 20 innings. The O's rotation has now posted five quality starts in the past 10 games with an ERA of 2.70 in that span. Baltimore's pitching has given up three runs or less seven times the last 11 starts.

Bradish’s outing produced the 30^th quality start of the year by Baltimore pitchers and the Orioles are now 20-10 when they get such an outing.

HOUSTON – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde believes the start by right-hander Kyle Bradish against Houston last night was the best of the year by an O’s starting pitcher. Bradish threw eight scoreless innings, allowing just two singles on 96 pitches in the 2-0 series-opening win.

He gave the Orioles quality and quantity. He shut down a great offense and also went deep into the game. It was the longest outing by an O’s starter in 2022.

“For me it was for sure (the best this year),” said Hyde this afternoon. “How cool is that, one of our young starters being able to do that. Our guys are growing in front of us. They’re developing. They are getting great experiences.”

Now the next step is to get the O’s starters to pitch deeper into games. They have gotten that the last two nights with outings of seven and eight innings back-to-back. Hyde wants and needs more of that and he used the example of tonight’s opponent to show what that can mean.

Houston’s rotation leads the AL in ERA at 3.07 but also in rotation innings at 744 1/3. The O’s are 13^th in innings at 615 and 11^th in rotation ERA at 4.42.

The Orioles won last night and remained 2 ½ games back for the last wild card after the Mariners defeated the Guardians in 11 innings.

Gain ground on two teams ahead of them, with the Blue Jays and Rays losing, but also stay planted in the same spot.

Kyle Bradish tossed eight scoreless innings with only two hits allowed, Dillon Tate struck out Trey Mancini to strand two runners in the ninth, and the Astros fell to 42-19 at home.

The Orioles are seven games above .500 for the first time since May 22, 2017. They haven’t been eight above since May 21.

Cedric Mullins is the designated hitter tonight. Anthony Santander is playing left field, Ryan McKenna is in center and Austin Hays is in right.

HOUSTON – Behind a pitching staff that seems to be finding a higher gear in recent days, the Orioles have pulled off, on back-to-back days, two of their most impressive wins during a year filled with such games.

The latest surprising result was their 2-0 shutout of Houston Friday night in front of 31,035 at Minute Maid Park. The Astros were held to four singles. The same Astros that began the night with the best record in the American League at 81-45 and with a seven-game home win streak. The same team that is 42-18 at home this year and 27-8 in their last 35 at home.

The Orioles (66-59) moved seven games over the .500 mark for the first time since May 22, 2017. 

O’s starting pitchers have their first back-to-back outings of seven innings or more all year, and right-hander Kyle Bradish threw an O’s season-high eight innings, allowing two hits on 96 pitches. He did that against one of the best offenses in baseball, and when the coaches checked on him when he was at 85 pitches after seven innings, he told them he wanted to keep going.

“They asked how I felt and I was like, ‘I’m just getting started,'" Bradish said. "Felt really good, velo was still there. Means a lot showcasing my ability against the best team."

The Orioles wanted veteran starter Jordan Lyles to be durable and dependable. To make each start, push past the middle innings and give his club a chance to win. They sought his leadership on an inexperienced staff.

And they were willing to sign him for $7 million guaranteed with a $11 club option for 2023.

How’s it working out?

“I think he’s exceeded our expectations and what he’s done for us in every way,” says manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde has gone on record with that opinion multiple times this season, most recently before Thursday’s game.

HOUSTON – The Orioles begin a tough two-city road trip tonight when they play the Houston Astros in the first of three games at Minute Maid Park. Houston holds the best record in the American League, and after three games there the Orioles play three at Cleveland against the American League Central leading Guardians.

The Orioles return home a week from tonight for a long homestand against Oakland, Toronto and Boston.

But after their remarkable win last night by 4-3 over the Chicago White Sox, the Orioles take a series victory and some momentum into this series. Kyle Stowers homered with two outs on an 0-2 pitch to tie the game in the ninth, and Anthony Santander’s single to deep center field produced the walk-off win in the 11^th.

The win marked their ninth walk-off win of the year and the Orioles are now 8-4 in extra innings, 18-21 in one-run games, and 3-51 when trailing after eight innings. They earned their 29th comeback win of the season, the most by the O’s since 2017 (34). Entering yesterday, their 29 comeback wins ranked tied for third in the AL. And the Orioles finished 5-2 (.714) against the White Sox this year, their best winning percentage in a single season against Chicago-AL since going 5-1 (.833) in 2014.

Houston beat Minnesota 6-3 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep, and Houston (81-45) has won four games in a row by a combined eight runs. Houston is leading the AL West by 12.5 games over Seattle and holds the best record in the AL by 3.5 games over the New York Yankees.

Scoreboard watching also includes the Home Run Riches winnings tally — now at more than $126,000.

The Baltimore Orioles will head to Houston this weekend to take on the American League’s best team so far this season — the beginning of a six-game road trip to close out the month of August. This time of year is when baseball fans start to do a lot of scoreboard-watching, as teams spend the last several weeks of the season jockeying for playoff spots. That means every game counts, especially for the Orioles, who are in the thick of the hunt for a wildcard playoff berth. The O’s begin the weekend 2 ½ games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final wildcard spot, and the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are nipping at the Birds’ heels, both just 2 ½ games behind Baltimore. 

The games are also meaningful to the hopeful Contestants of the Game participating in the Lottery’s Home Run Riches Bases Loaded FAST PLAY second-chance promotion. Those lucky few who have been selected are watching their own scoreboard as the Orioles' powerful offense has notched 129 home runs to date, providing needed support for the team’s starting pitchers and awarding more than $126,000 in prizes for the Lottery’s Contestants of the Game.

There is still time for you to be selected for an upcoming game. The Lottery’s final Contestant of the Game drawing for 2022 will be held on Aug. 30, selecting the winners for games in September and October.  To enter, submit any winning or non-winning FAST PLAY Home Run Riches Bases Loaded ticket purchased between March 7 and August 29 into your My Lottery Rewards account. Not yet a member of My Lottery Rewards? Click here to start your free account today!

The $5 FAST PLAY Home Run Riches Bases Loaded game was introduced to coincide with the 2022 Orioles’ season. The ticket has instant prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000 and a progressive jackpot that starts at $40,000 and continues to grow with each ticket sold until a jackpot-winning ticket is sold.