The Orioles begin a crucial non-division series tonight with the White Sox in town for three games.

Crucial no longer seems like a necessary designation. It's redundant. They're all big.

Every tie-breaking scenario comes into play with a packed wild card race, and the Orioles won three of four in Chicago back in June. Head-to-head results are important.

They missed out on a sweep after Dylan Cease, who starts tonight, held them to one run and struck out 13 batters in seven innings. They scored two unearned runs in the ninth off Kendall Graveman after consecutive errors by first baseman José Abreu in a 4-3 loss.

So long ago that Jonathan Arauz homered and had a run-scoring single.

Grayson Rodriguez is confident that he’ll pitch again in September.

The progress he’s making from a strained lat suggests that he’s right.

The Orioles say Rodriguez is scheduled for another bullpen session, followed by live batting practice and a simulated game. All of it happening this week down in Sarasota, Fla.

A prolonged shutdown period led to flat-ground throwing with increased distances, a half-mound session and then regular bullpen sessions.

Throwing live batting practice and in a sim game finally allow Rodriguez to face hitters as he nears a return.

Left-hander DL Hall didn’t make it out of the bullpen yesterday at Triple-A Norfolk, if that’s where he sits when he isn’t scheduled to pitch.

He wasn’t on the lineup card. And he didn’t pitch.

The Orioles want Hall back in the majors as a power arm coming out of the bullpen. They’re shortening his outings and intend to do the same with his rest periods.

But not yet, apparently.

The minors shut down on Mondays except for the Florida Complex League, which went dark yesterday. Hall could get a few innings Tuesday night in Jacksonville.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – For the Orioles it felt like and it really was a big game. A chance to shine on national television. The rubber match in a key series versus an AL East opponent. And needing a win to stay within striking distance of an AL playoff spot.

When Boston’s Franchy Cordero hit a pinch-hit homer to tie the game in the eighth, the O’s needed some late-inning magic. They got it with a three-run double off the bat of shortstop Jorge Mateo to beat the Red Sox 5-2 in the Little League Classic at Bowman Field.

They improved to 63-58 overall and to 12-7 this month to stay within 2.5 games of a playoff spot.

“I definitely think every game is a big game now and we treat it as such,” said catcher Adley Rutschman who singled and scored in the O's two-run first inning. “We wanted to give the kids as good an experience as we could. But once game time started, it was all about the game. I think we have a lot of guys with a lot of maturity on this team that could compartmentalize two things.”

Rutschman was not biting his tongue when a reporter asked him about becoming the face of the team.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – It was certainly not another breakout game for the Orioles offense like when they scored 15 on Friday, but all wins count the same. And the Orioles got an important one tonight in the fifth annual Little League Classic.

After scoring twice in the first, their offense was dormant until the eighth tonight. Boston pitching then opened the door for a rally, and shortstop Jorge Mateo kicked it in as the Orioles beat the Red Sox 5-3.

The O's came to bat in the eighth tied 2-2 and Matt Barnes walked Ramón Urías with one out. Righty John Schreiber came on and he hit Austin Hays and walked Rougned Odor to hand the O's a bases-loaded rally.

Mateo then smoked a 2-1 sinker down the left-field line for a three-run double. The ball had 101 mph exit velocity and was a huge hit for Mateo, who was batting .287 his last 42 games. 

Hoping to ride out a 2-1 win on the strength of first-inning runs, the O's were tied up 2-2 on a pinch-hit homer by Boston in the top of the eighth.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Orioles officially have a home game tonight versus Boston although they have traveled north to Williamsport, Pa. to play in the Little League Classic.

After a 15-10 Orioles win on Friday night and 4-3 loss on Saturday, the teams play the third and deciding game of this series tonight at historic Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League.

It's the fifth annual Little League Classic.

The O’s trailed 3-0 in the last of the seventh yesterday and scored twice to pull within 3-2 that inning on a Kyle Stowers' RBI groundout and a wild pitch that scored Jorge Mateo. Boston would take a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth before the O’s pulled back within a run on another Stowers grounder. But that was as close as they got.

The Orioles (62-58) have lost three straight one-run games and are 17-21 in one-run decisions for the season. Overall, Baltimore has lost three of four and five of the last eight games.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – After their visit earlier today to the Little League World Series site, including Lamade Stadium and interactions with numerous Little Leaguers, the Orioles have moved over to Bowman Field where they are scheduled to play the Red Sox tonight to wrap up a three-game series.

There has been heavy rain in the area this afternoon with steady rain still falling after 4 p.m. today. The clubs are hopeful they will get this one in. For the Orioles, it is a chance to show a national audience on ESPN how much their team has improved this year.

“We haven’t been on the national stage very often, if at all," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "And to be able to have our guys be seen across the country, the only game that is going, I think it’s a big deal for a lot of our players. Lot of those guys have not been in postseason or on Sunday Night Baseball before. To be able to showcase and to be able to have friends and family watch on national TV, our guys will take a lot out of that."

Hyde said center fielder Cedric Mullins, who didn’t play Saturday after fouling a ball off his shin Friday, will be in tonight’s lineup. And he’s leading off in center.

“He’s going to get some treatment here and his foot feels better,” Hyde said.

The Orioles are in Williamsport, Pa. tonight for the Little League Classic and their first appearance in ESPN’s primetime game in four years.

Outfielder Yusniel Diaz has joined the team as its 27^th man, an unexpected perk considering this isn’t a doubleheader.

Diaz struck out in his major league debut on Aug. 2 after a temporary promotion at the trade deadline.

The Orioles are 2 ½ games back for the last wild card spot. The Twins are one game ahead of the Orioles, and the White Sox are a half-game behind.

There’s a traffic jam in this race.

If you want to be surprised by a stat, how about this one: In August, the Orioles rank second in the American League in runs scored. That sure seems unlikely but they have scored 90 runs in 18 games, going 11-7 in the month.

But recent losses sure do stand out and many of them came because the offense didn't produce big numbers. Sure there was a 15-run breakout on Friday but it didn't carry into Saturday when Boston's Michael Wacha held the Orioles scoreless over 5 2/3 and the Red Sox evened this series with a 4-3 win.

"We had a tough time getting a rally going against (Wacha)," said manager Brandon Hyde after the game. "Good to see us make a run late like usual but just came up a run short today."

The Orioles have scored just 13 runs in their past seven losses, scoring one, three, two, one, one, two and three runs. 

They have lost three of four games, going without a homer in the three losses but hitting five in the one win.

If you’re inclined to read a little or a lot into a player’s position change, Gunnar Henderson starting at second base last night at Triple-A Norfolk is a real page turner.

Henderson made his first career starts at first base in the past two games and moved to second last night, where his only experience was one game with high Single-A Aberdeen in 2021. He played five innings but didn’t start.

What’s going on with Henderson?

The same thing that put him at first base.

The Orioles want Henderson to get comfortable on the right side of the infield and increase their options if his contract is selected, which seems like a lock. They can use his left-handed bat in multiple ways, and the roster gains more flexibility.

Unlike airline points, runs don’t carry over.

If they did, the Orioles could’ve used a few Saturday. After exploding for 15 runs in a series opening win Friday, the O’s bats went quiet in a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox in front of 34,939 on Saturday.

As has too often been the case recently, the offense waited too long to get going, failing to score off of Michael Wacha in the starter’s 5 ⅔ innings of work for Boston. A seventh-inning rally netted the Orioles just two runs, not enough to overcome what was then a 3-0 deficit.

"We had a tough time getting a rally going against (Wacha)," said manager Brandon Hyde after the game. "Good to see us make a run late like usual but just came up a run short today."

Baserunners were hard to come by for the Orioles, who collected just one walk and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

After their biggest offensive night of the season, scoring their most runs since they got 18 on June 6, 2021 versus Cleveland, the Orioles look for a second win over Boston today at Camden Yards. 

If they get it, they will be 3-1 this year in series against the Red Sox. The O's took two of three at home in late April, went 3-2 at Boston in late May and were 0-1 Aug. 11 at Boston (that one game does count as a series).

The Orioles (62-57) begin play today 1.5 games back of Tampa Bay for the third AL wild card spot with Minnesota just 1/2 behind the Rays. 

The Orioles are now 34-22 at home and have won 16 of their last 21 games at Oriole Park. 

On the mound today for the Orioles will be right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6.38 ERA), who gave up six hits and three runs over 4 2/3 innings on Monday versus Toronto. In four starts since coming off the injured list, he has an ERA of 4.05, allowing nine earned runs over 20 innings. In that span, he has given up a .253 batting average and .741 OPS.

Leaning against the dugout wall, Brandon Hyde chomped his pink bubblegum, one hand on his hip, his eyes filled with the kind of dissatisfaction Orioles fans were used to seeing from their manager in each of his previous three seasons.

Hyde’s bullpen was floundering. His defense was breaking down. A six-run lead was slipping away like air from a balloon.

But this wasn’t like old times.

After a nightmarish top of the fifth inning for the Orioles, in which two errors were committed and five runs were scored, the team settled down, refocused and followed up with five runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. 

There would be no collapse. The O’s would cruise through the final four innings of Friday’s 15-10 win over the Red Sox.

The Orioles will try to clinch their series against the Red Sox today after moving within 1 ½ games of the last wild card spot.

They improved last night to 6-4 against the Red Sox after going 6-13 in 2021.

Michael Wacha’s reverse splits have produced a right-handed heavy lineup for the Orioles.

Austin Hays is leading off and playing left field, and Ryan McKenna is in center. Cedric Mullins is on the bench.

Also missing from the lineup are Rougned Odor and rookie Kyle Stowers. Tyler Nevin is playing third base, with Ramón Urías moving to second.  

If there were any reasons for concern about the Orioles offense - and surely there were throughout Birdland after Thursday's loss - they were washed away for at least one night amid an avalanche of offense.

The O's kept scoring and kept hitting home runs in a 15-10 win over Boston Friday night in front of 33,136 at Oriole Park. The O's set a season high for runs and missed a season high for hits by one, producing 18. 

They tied a season high with five homers as Jorge Mateo, Anthony Santander, Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías all connected. The last three hit by Rutschman, Mountcastle and Urías went 422, 428 and 432 feet, respectively. 

Boston pulled within 10-9 during an ugly-for-the-Orioles five-run top of the fifth. But the O's washed away that bad taste by scoring five runs in their home half.

They moved to within 1.5 games of the third American League wild card spot and won for the 16th time in their last 21 home games.

With Ryan Ripken no longer playing baseball and venturing into the sports media world, he’s finding platforms to pass along his knowledge of the game and opinions on prospects who were teammates or simply caught his eye from the sidelines.

Ripken created a Twitter account this year and used it to announce his retirement, though he hasn’t ruled out a return to the field if the right opportunity becomes available. Cal’s son will always be an Orioles fan, and he’s enjoying their resurgence this year and presence in the wild card race.

“Let’s be honest, no one expected it this year,” he said. “It’s been cool. Happy for a lot of the guys, especially that I know.”

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson could debut this summer. He turned 21 on June 29 and is battering older Triple-A pitching.

“He was one of the guys that, when you met him, you knew he was special,” Ripken said. “Obviously, his success has been tremendous. He’s so young and he’s adjusting so quickly is what I think has been so impressive.”

The Orioles begin an important three-game weekend series with the Boston Red Sox tonight at Oriole Park. The Birds (61-57) lost 3-2 on Thursday to the Chicago Cubs and they begin play tonight 2.5 games behind Toronto and Tampa Bay for the third American League wild card spot.

The Orioles have lost the past two games, scoring just three runs, and they have scored just 10 runs in their past six losses. But they have scored 41 runs in the last six wins as their offense has been hot and cold lately.

The Orioles were held to six hits yesterday and didn't score until the eighth inning, when they got a Ryan Mountcastle RBI single and a sac fly from Anthony Santander.

After this series the O's end a stretch when they will have played 12 of the last 13 games versus AL East opponents. They are 5-4 in this span heading into the Boston series. 

The Orioles are 25-28 for the year against division opponents and are 15-10 at home versus AL East foes. The Orioles are 8-8-1 in series against the division after going just 3-19-2 last year.

For Orioles outfielder Kyle Stowers this almost feels more official this time. He’s been in the big leagues earlier, but this time is added to the 40-man roster and not as a replacement player, his title for the games where he was with the team in Toronto in mid-June.

Stowers, who shared O’s Minor League Player of the Year honors with Adley Rutschman in 2021, may now be in the big leagues for good. He’s batting fifth and starting in right field tonight, and manager Brandon Hyde said he expects to play Stowers a lot.

“I’d say the little stretch was like my debut and this feels more like the call-up. So I’m excited,” Stowers said this afternoon in the Baltimore clubhouse.

“Super excited. I think it’s a really cool place this team is at, pushing for the playoffs. To get the opportunity to be a part of it and chase after something as special as that, I’m stoked for.

“Yeah, special to play at the home field of the team that drafted you. Although it’s not my debut, it’s my debut here and I’m excited.”

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of OF Kyle Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Recalled INF Richie Martin from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Recalled LHP Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Optioned RHP Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Placed INF Terrin Vavra on the Paternity List.
• Designated OF Brett Phillips for assignment.

At a time when the Orioles offense has come up a short a few times in recent days, perhaps one slumping Bird took a step in a better direction during Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Outfielder Austin Hays talked before the game about adjustments he was making to help his offense, and then a couple of swings he took during the game provided some encouragement.

Hays was 0-for-16 over his most recent five games heading into Thursday’s game at the Yard. He was batting .158 with an OPS of .459 his last 16 games.

Then he struck out in the second inning against the Cubs, but then ripped a double into left-center with 104 mph exit velocity in the fifth-inning. He lined to left in the seventh and hit that one 101 mph off the bat. He reached on an error in the ninth. 

“Physically I feel really good. My body’s healthy,” Hays said in the clubhouse Thursday afternoon. “It’s just a matter of trying to get the ball in the air a little more. All the balls I’m hitting hard right now are on the ground. Hard to find holes on the ground. Need to hit more balls on a line. So, I’m working with our hitting guys every day to hit the ball in the air a little more and be on time with the fastball and stay in the middle of the field.”