Bryan Baker turned to watch the flight of another baseball heading for the center field fence. He stood with his hand on his hip, certain of the outcome. Pete Alonso knew it, too, carrying his bat most of the way to first base before flipping it in celebration.

A pair of two-run homers off Baker in the eighth inning made a 6-2 lead disappear, and the Orioles would be tested to get back up again, knowing how every loss rips into their hopes for a playoff push and increases the likelihood that the front office sells at the trade deadline.

They couldn't get back on their feet. 

The Mets scored a run against Yennier Cano in the top of the 10th inning and defeated the Orioles 7-6 before an announced Hawaiian shirt crowd of 35,200 at Camden Yards.

Juan Soto had an RBI single off Cano. The Mets loaded the bases with one out and couldn't pad their lead, but it didn't matter. Huascar Brazobán kept the automatic runner, Jackson Holliday, at second base.

Cade Povich has received a second opinion on his left hip and he threw in the bullpen a few days ago. He’s scheduled for two ups in another session this afternoon.

The resumption of an injury rehab assignment is getting close. The Orioles happily will take positive news.

Povich was pulled from his first assignment at Triple-A Norfolk in late June due to recurring soreness in his hip. He hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since tossing 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings on June 15.

“Everything’s feeling good,” he said today. “I think we kind of had the idea that when I went to Norfolk everything was pretty good. In the first inning, just tried to make a play. It was kind of a freak thing. My foot kind of caught and twisted in a way that I think put a little pressure on the hip. So it could have been the same thing, it could be something a little different, but we’re just trying to work back and everything’s feeling good right now.”

Povich saw a hip specialist in Nashville to get his second opinion.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said initial projections have catcher Gary Sánchez missing eight to 10 weeks with a right knee sprain.

Sánchez, who’s on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday, met with doctors earlier today.

“There’s always a scenario where it could go really good for Gary and it can be a little earlier,” Mansolino said, “but I think initial estimates are probably that.”

Sánchez missed more than six weeks with right wrist inflammation. He was 18-for-61 (.295) with five home runs since returning to the active roster.

“It is gonna be tough,” Mansolino said. “He’s been swinging the bat so good. He’s carried us. He hit a lot of big homers, carried us in a lot of ways."

With the All-Star break nearly here, the Orioles are hoping to get healthy as they battle to keep up in the race for an American League wildcard playoff berth. Although the O’s are behind last year’s home run pace, every crack of the bat lifts the hearts of everyone in Birdland. 

And that unmistakable crack of the bat also lifts the spirits of the Maryland Lottery’s Contestants of the Game. The Home Run Riches Contestant of the Game promotion, a perennial favorite for baseball and Lottery fans alike, is in full swing. 

While each home run pushes the team closer to success, each dinger also puts cash into the pockets of Contestants of the Game, who are selected in monthly drawings through August. Each winner receives $500 for being selected, and is designated as the Contestant of the Game for an upcoming Orioles matchup. They’ll also win an additional $500 for each home run or $5,000 for each grand slam hit by the Orioles during their designated game. 

So far this year, the Orioles have hit 104 home runs and 3 grand slams awarding Contestants of the Game $111,500 in prizes. Raymond Mitchell from Germantown and Rich McFadden from Edgewood each won $6,500 this year, thanks to Orioles grand slams.

Last season, the Orioles hit a total of 228 home runs and seven grand slams leading to $229,500 in prizes for the Contestants of the Game. 

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• RHP Luis F. Castillo has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Ryan O’Hearn will have to make new friends at the All-Star Game.

The reserves and pitchers were announced today and none of the other Orioles are joining O’Hearn at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Second baseman Jackson Holliday, who went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer today in a 2-1 win over the Braves, advanced to Phase 2 of voting but didn’t have his name called.

Holliday is batting .260 with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .724 OPS in 82 games and has emerged as the everyday leadoff hitter. He’s only the fourth Oriole with multiple four-hit games before turning 22, joining Manny Machado and Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray.

Closer Félix Bautista, outfielder Ramón Laureano and shortstop Gunnar Henderson also appeared to have a chance at an All-Star selection.

ATLANTA – The last time the Orioles swept an opponent, Trevor Rogers was still pitching for Triple-A Norfolk. 

At the time, Rogers had just one big league start in 2025. It came against the Red Sox in late May, with 6 ⅓ innings of shutout baseball. 

Who knew if the lefty could make that dominant start a habit? 

He’s done just that, and today, he led the Orioles to a sweep of the Atlanta Braves. Today, the O’s came out on top 2-1.  

Rogers was dominant throughout the contest, with the Braves’ first runner in scoring position coming in the bottom of the fifth inning. He struck out six and induced weak contact, of both the ground ball and fly out varieties. 

ATLANTA – The Orioles’ catching situation didn’t seem like it could go from bad to worse. 

Famous last words. 

On June 21, Adley Rutschman hit the injured list with a left oblique strain, with an expected return after the All-Star break. Just two days later, Maverick Handley collided with Jazz Chisholm and went on the concussion injured list. He has yet to resume baseball activities. Same with Chadwick Tromp, who hit the IL on July 1 with lower back tightness. 

Now, it’s Gary Sánchez who heads to the IL, with a moderate right PCL strain. There’s no timeline for his return just yet. 

Sánchez had previously missed a significant amount of time with a wrist injury before returning on June 14. Since then, though, his offensive production has been a huge boost in the absence of Rutschman. 

The Orioles go for their fourth sweep this morning in an 11:35 a.m. Roku game against the Braves.

Their record against the National League improved to 7-13, and they’re 1-6 in interleague series.

A win today would bring them to nine games below .500 for the first time since June 20 in New York.

Catcher Gary Sánchez left yesterday’s game with right knee discomfort and is out of today’s lineup. He underwent an MRI and the Orioles summoned David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk for their medical taxi squad.

Running thin again at the position, the Orioles acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Yankees today in exchange for international bonus pool space and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of C Alex Jackson from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 70.
• Placed C Gary Sánchez (right knee sprain) on the 10-day Injured List.
• Transferred INF/OF Jorge Mateo (left hamstring strain) to the 60-day Injured List.

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

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league catcher ALEX JACKSON from the New York Yankees in exchange for international bonus pool space and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Jackson, 29, is batting .226/.308/.463 (37-for-164) with seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 31 runs scored, and 34 RBI in 44 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. He’s thrown out 26.3 percent (10-of-38) of stolen base attempts for the RailRiders.

The former No. 6 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft has appeared in 124 major league games between the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays while slashing .132/.224/.232 (40-for-302) with 12 doubles, six home runs, 30 runs scored, and 24 RBI. Jackson has caught 29.1 percent (16-of-55) of would-be base stealers in his MLB career.

After signing a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on November 8, 2024, he was acquired by the Yankees along with right-handed pitcher Fernando Cruz in exchange for catcher Jose Trevino on December 20, 2024. Jackson has been part of five trades in his career, including to the Marlins from the Braves in exchange for outfielder Adam Duvall on July 30, 2021.

The All-Star reserves and pitchers will be announced at 5 p.m. on ESPN, and the Orioles find out whether Ryan O’Hearn has company on his return trip to Atlanta, where they conclude a three-game series against the Braves with an 11:35 a.m. Roku start.

Most of the All-Star attention seems to be focused on second baseman Jackson Holliday, who advanced to Phase 2 in his bid to start for the American League but lost to the Tigers’ Gleyber Torres. Holliday stroked a game-tying, run-scoring single yesterday against the Braves but was in a 2-for-24 slump before the hit.

Holliday is deserving of a selection and would be a fun story as the 21-year-old former first-overall draft pick whose father, Matt, was a seven-time All-Star.

Ramón Laureano has entered the chat. He began yesterday batting .273/.341/.508 with 14 doubles and 10 home runs in 60 games, and he delivered a tie-breaking double yesterday in the 10^th inning.

He also has those seven outfield assists.

ATLANTA – Last night’s Fourth of July contest between the O’s and Braves didn’t provide many fireworks. This afternoon, though, the clubs certainly made up for it, combining for five home runs in an extra-innings thriller. 

The Orioles came out on top, 9-6. 

After facing three elite starting pitchers in Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Spencer Strider, it was just the performance the bats needed to get back on track. 

"I feel like our guys have swung the bat good here for the last month, and I thought today was a pretty good indication of it," Tony Mansolino said after the game. "We faced a really good Major League bullpen, a lot of left-handed pitching, that thing that’s been tough on us here over the last year-and-a-half. And after 10 innings to walk out with nine runs, you have to be pleased."

Dean Kremer was on the mound for Baltimore, looking to continue his great stretch of starts since May 1. A big key was that he needed to avoid the big inning. 

Orioles catcher Gary Sánchez avoided a second trip to the injured list after a Gregory Soto pitch in the dirt nailed him on the finger Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.  

Can he do it again?

Sánchez exited today’s game against the Braves in the bottom of the fifth inning with right knee soreness after making a tag at the plate to end the fourth. He was in obvious pain, as shown on the MASN broadcast.

Austin Riley doubled to left field with two outs to score Ronald Acuña Jr. with the tying run. Colton Cowser retrieved the ball and fired to Gunnar Henderson, whose relay nabbed Matt Olson.

Sánchez made the sweeping tag and got his left arm tangled with Olson, which appeared to be the source of the injury. But the team identified it as his knee.

Coby Mayo is out of the lineup today for the fourth game in a row, as the Orioles continue their series against the Braves in Atlanta.

Mayo came off the bench for one at-bat Tuesday night in Texas. He has 11 hits and eight RBIs in his last 37.

Tyler O’Neill is in right field for the first time since going on the injured list and missing almost two months. He was the designated hitter last night.

Ramón Laureano is the DH and cleanup hitter. Gary Sánchez is catching.

Dean Kremer has lowered his ERA to 4.27 in 17 games (16 starts). He tossed seven scoreless innings against the Rays in his last outing, and opponents have managed only two runs in 17 2/3 in his last three starts. He hasn’t surrendered a home run in his last seven starts.

The mailbag didn’t make it any further than the first leg of the road trip. Given the rash of injuries, just be glad that it didn’t strain a muscle. Or get a rash.

The Orioles are playing the Braves in Atlanta and I’m sorting through the latest round of questions. You ask, I try to answer, and we have another sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

I don’t care about clarity, length, style or brevity, but I do care about Beavers, and young Dylan gets some attention today.

Also, my mailbag is an All-Star and your mailbag has its insurance coverage dropped by Allstate.  

What happened to Emmanuel Rivera?
Rivera cleared outright waivers again and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Again. Wash, rinse ... you know the drill.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• RHP Matt Bowman has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
• INF Emmanuel Rivera has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Reinstated OF Tyler O’Neill (left shoulder impingement) from the 10-day Injured List.

Tyler O’Neill was reinstated from the injured list earlier today, giving the Orioles their projected starting outfield with Cedric Mullins and Colton Cowser.

O’Neill has appeared in only 24 games this season due to neck inflammation and a left shoulder impingement. His last at-bat in the majors was May 15.

During his absence, O’Neill remained stuck in 1-for-23 and 2-for-38 slumps. His last home run was hit April 13.

The Orioles optioned Dylan Carlson after Wednesday's game in Texas in anticipation of O'Neill's return.

O’Neill is expected to be in the lineup tonight, as the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Braves in Atlanta.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Optioned OF Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.