NEW YORK – Ryan Mountcastle is on the Orioles roster but out of tonight’s lineup.
Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Heston Kjerstad is the designated hitter.
Jordan Westburg is batting fifth. Ramón Urías is eighth.
For the Orioles
Gunnar Henderson SS
Adley Rutschman C
Anthony Santander RF
Colton Cowser LF
Jordan Westburg 2B
Ryan O’Hearn 1B
Heston Kjerstad DH
Ramón Urías 3B
Cedric Mullins CF
NEW YORK – First baseman Ryan Mountcastle is back with the Orioles.
Mountcastle was reinstated from his injury rehab assignment for tonight’s series opener against the Yankees in the Bronx. The Orioles optioned Eloy Jiménez to Triple-A Norfolk to create space on the active roster.
Closer Craig Kimbrel cleared waivers and was released.
Mountcastle went 1-for-11 with six strikeouts in three games with Norfolk. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since spraining his left wrist on Aug. 22.
Ryan O’Hearn and Emmanuel Rivera have gotten most of the starts at first base.
The Orioles have six games left on their regular season schedule. The Yankees lead the division by six games.
Even the people who choke when trying to crunch numbers can digest this one.
I’m saying there’s a chance, but the Orioles are more likely to earn the top wild card and host a best-of-three series with no travel in the first round.
The clinching formula, boiled down to its rawest form, says the Orioles are in if they win tonight and the Twins lose to the Marlins or the Royals lose to the Nationals. You’ll need to do more scoreboard watching.
We can stop tracking the Mariners. The Twins are the “first team out” – currently seventh in a six-club field – and suddenly deserving of our attention.
Jordan Westburg’s return from the injured list yesterday pushed Jackson Holliday to the bench. Westburg wasn’t playing third base due to Ramón Urías’ simultaneous return. The setup was cemented.
The times are changing, and back to the norm.
Holliday won’t be buried but his opportunities to start could be impacted, and especially against left-handed opposing pitchers. Urías was the club’s hottest hitter at the time that his right ankle rolled on Aug. 31 in Colorado while he covered the bag on a stolen base. Sending him back to his previous utility role might have to wait until 2025 if he’s back with the club as expected.
Asked yesterday whether he’d stay with Westburg at second and Urías at third, with maybe the occasional starts for Holliday, manager Brandon Hyde said it depends how the Orioles are hitting.
“Ramón was swinging the bat great until he got hurt, swung the bat great today, and Westy will be in there,” he said. “So it’ll be day-to-day.”
Players arrived at Camden Yards this morning unsure whether they’d celebrate a playoff berth later in the afternoon. Some wondered where they’d do it. Whether they’d hang around the clubhouse and wait for the result of the Mariners game or board a train to New York. Is there time to cover lockers, furniture and the floor in plastic or just toast the achievement?
They had to beat the Tigers, of course, or it didn’t matter.
The magic number also can make plans disappear.
Albert Suárez matched his season and career highs with three home runs allowed. The Orioles battled back to tie the score in the fifth before Kerry Carpenter burned Súarez again leading off the sixth, and the Tigers held on for a 4-3 victory before an announced sellout crowd of 44,040 that kept pumping electricity through every section of Camden Yards.
Hopes of winning the last regular season home game were short-circuited.
The Orioles will try again today to clinch a playoff berth, needing a win over the Tigers and Mariners loss in Texas. That’s all it takes.
Seattle’s game starts an hour later, so the Orioles might have to linger at the ballpark.
Infielders Ramón Urías and Jordan Westburg were reinstated from the injured list today after completing their rehab assignments at Triple-A Norfolk. They were removed from the Tides' game last night in the fifth inning.
Outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Livan Soto were optioned to Norfolk.
Urías and Westburg were injured exactly a month apart. Westburg fractured his right hand on July 31 and Urías sprained his right ankle on Aug. 31.
The unpredictability of baseball, and so often the Orioles organization, were on full display again yesterday. Trying to guess along is a dangerous game, bound to burn its participants.
News leaked that the Orioles were optioning corner infielder Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk, and the immediate assumption had utility infielder Ramón Urías rejoining the club from the 10-day injured list. Two rehab games at Triple-A Norfolk, where Urías homered Friday night, seemed sufficient.
I jumped to that conclusion so hard that I may have qualified for the next Olympics.
Instead, the Orioles selected outfielder Daniel Johnson’s contract from Norfolk because Cedric Mullins’ status was uncertain due to the neck soreness that kept him on the bench Friday night. Mullins and right fielder Austin Slater attempted diving catches simultaneously the previous night and collided.
Johnson made sense based on the circumstances, but Urías’ return is imminent, perhaps by this morning. Urías and Jordan Westburg were removed from last night’s game by design in the fifth inning. It’s just a matter of which players are bumped from the roster.
The baseball math can’t be manipulated tonight to give the Orioles a playoff-clinching scenario. It only worked if they won.
Cade Povich held the Tigers to two runs for the second time in less than a week and the Orioles rallied for two in the ninth to send the game into extras, but the Tigers scored twice against Yennier Cano in the 10th and won 6-4 before an announced crowd of 39,647 at Camden Yards.
An Orioles win coupled with a Mariners loss tonight would have delivered back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 1996-97. Now, we wait a little longer.
A possible alternative is clinching in their final home game of the regular season. Otherwise, they must do it on a trip that takes them to New York and Minnesota.
The Orioles are 86-69 and in danger of losing their fifth series in a row.
Major League Baseball has adjusted its playoff math and the Orioles actually could clinch a berth tonight rather than Sunday.
The magic number remains at three, but the Orioles will reach the postseason again with a win this afternoon against the Tigers and a Mariners loss tonight in Texas. They’d claim the tie-breaker over Detroit in a complicated scenario.
The Mariners’ game begins at 7:05 p.m., setting up the possibility that the Orioles won't celebrate in the clubhouse. It’s happened in the past, with the team's playoff berth confirmed in 2012 while on a flight to Tampa.
Adding to the unusual circumstances that day was how the charter made an emergency landing in Jacksonville after smoke began pouring out of an oven in the kitchen area. Players reboarded and toasted their first postseason berth since 1997. Seats and windows weren't covered in plastic.
The Orioles haven’t made the playoffs in consecutive years since 1996-97. They qualified in 2012, ’14 and ’16 under former manager Buck Showalter and won the division last season.
Cedric Mullins is back in the Orioles’ lineup today, playing center field and batting second.
Mullins took early batting practice on the field this afternoon with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel watching and also ran the bases. Mullins wasn’t available last night due to neck soreness caused by his collision Thursday with right fielder Austin Slater.
The Orioles selected outfielder Daniel Johnson’s contract to provide a left-handed bat for the outfield in case Mullins couldn’t play. Terrin Vavra is on the 24-hour taxi squad.
Ramón Urías wasn’t reinstated today from the 15-day injured list.
Heston Kjerstad is the designated hitter. Jackson Holliday is playing second base. Colton Cowser is the cleanup hitter.
The return of another injured player to the Orioles’ roster is costing Coby Mayo his spot.
The organization’s No. 1 prospect and Minor League Player of the Year will be optioned later today, according to an industry source. The Orioles haven’t announced the move.
Infielder Ramón Urías appeared in his second rehab game last night with Triple-A Norfolk and could be rejoining the club.
Mayo has played in 17 games with the Orioles and gone 4-for-41 with four walks and 22 strikeouts. He started at first base last night and lined a single into center field in the fourth inning before James McCann homered in a 7-1 win over the Tigers. He shattered his bat earlier on a ground ball to short.
Steady starts have eluded Mayo at the major league level despite injuries to Urías, Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle. He cracked the lineup only six times this month.
The 2024 Most Valuable Oriole will be announced this morning and we’ll find out whether shortstop Gunnar Henderson is a repeat winner.
No player has received the honor in back-to-back seasons since center fielder Adam Jones in 2011-12. Jones also won in 2018.
Shortstop Miguel Tejada came close by winning it in 2004 and 2006. Second baseman Brian Roberts prevented three in a row.
First baseman Rafael Palmeiro finished first in 1995, 1996 and 1998, with closer Randy Myers winning in ’97.
Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had a tremendous run, winning it in 1978, ’81, ’82, ’83 (with Cal Ripken Jr.), ’84, ’85 and ’88 (also with Ripken). Outfielder Ken Singleton earned the award three times in a six-year period beginning in 1975, and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson did the same beginning in 1960.
Anthony Santander is predictable but never boring. He also knows how to shake an offense out of its slumber. Make loud noises and see who follows.
A line formed behind him.
In his next at-bat after setting off a wild celebration Thursday afternoon with a walk-off homer to beat the Giants, Santander muscled a cutter from Detroit’s Tyler Holton into Section 86 in left-center field in the first inning.
Santander approached second base and motioned to the bullpen, bumped fists with third base coach Tony Mansolino, crossed home plate, looked up to the sky and slapped his hands together. He pointed at his parents in the stands and jogged to the dugout.
The scene is replayed over and over in 2024. He’s on a tear and on a loop.
Two events today made it clear that the Orioles were preparing for a roster move.
Reliever Burch Smith walked to the bullpen this afternoon with pitching coach Drew French, assistant Mitch Plassmeyer and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel. He completed a session and returned to the clubhouse, exiting it after the media arrived at 3:30 p.m.
Left-hander Danny Coulombe returned to the club after three rehab appearances with Triple-A Norfolk, stopping by his locker multiple times and offering a smile to reporters as he passed. He wasn't able to speak about his status until it became official.
Manager Brandon Hyde offered confirmation during his session, saying that Coulombe was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and that Smith would go on the 15-day IL with a right adductor/groin strain.
Coulombe hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since June 8. He underwent surgery later that month to remove bone chips from his left elbow, robbing them of a high-leverage reliever with a 2.42 ERA and 0.615 WHIP in 29 appearances.
Orioles left-hander Danny Coulombe is reinstated from the injured list and available to pitch tonight. Burch Smith goes on the IL with a right adductor/groin strain.
Coulombe is returning from June surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow.
Smith threw in the bullpen earlier today with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel watching him.
The Orioles lost two of three games to the Tigers last weekend at Comerica Park. They meet again beginning tonight at Camden Yards, but there’s more at stake than revenge.
Yesterday’s 5-3 win over the Giants brought the Orioles within four games of the first-place Yankees with nine more to play. They lead the Royals by three for the home wild card.
Craig Kimbrel sat in front of his locker after the best and especially the worst of his outings. The clubhouse doors opened to the media and he’d be waiting for it. That’s a professional. He didn’t duck reporters and avoid uncomfortable questions about his demise as closer in the second half, how he tried to fix it and why he failed.
The stats will be regurgitated and rightfully so. This is a results-driven business and Kimbrel didn’t produce or provide a sufficient return on the largest contract awarded under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.
Kimbrel wasn’t supposed to be Félix Bautista, but he also wasn’t supposed to be Jorge Julio.
It’s worth a reminder, however, that there’s a person behind the inflated ERA, WHIP and blown saves. The Hall of Fame candidate who provided leadership for a bullpen still short on experience. He set an example, and that included how to handle adversity and not redirect it to innocent parties. Place it where it belonged, on his shoulders.
The last time we saw Kimbrel was after manager Brandon Hyde’s media session that followed Tuesday’s 10-0 loss and the career-high six runs that had many fans booing him. Kimbrel sat on a bench outside the clubhouse with wife Ashely and young children Lydia and Joseph, in full dad mode, as if everything was right in his world.
Manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready or willing to contribute to the publication of his team’s obit. Not with more games to play, possession of the first wild card and champagne to chill. He’ll keep trying to clear the air of any negativity.
Hyde isn’t blind to the season’s downward turn, but he retains full confidence in the Orioles' ability to get hot again.
Beyond the usual injury and rehab updates, Hyde spent most of his nine-minute pregame media session rehashing what’s gone wrong during a sub-.500 second half and slippage in the division race. Exactly when he began to worry. Why slumps are lasting for long periods.
Hyde finished with a quip about his players occupying the top of Triple-A Norfolk’s lineup, rose from his chair and returned to his office. And the Orioles backed his trust.
A blown save in the top of the ninth inning was followed by Anthony Santander's two-run walk-off homer and a much-needed 5-3 win over the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,181 at Camden Yards. Bedlam ensued. The Orioles were eager to release their frustration and it spilled all over the dugout, track and home plate.
The Orioles’ penultimate home series concludes this afternoon with Heston Kjerstad in right field and Jackson Holliday getting back-to-back starts at second base.
Coby Mayo is on the bench.
Zach Eflin is making his eighth start with the Orioles. He’s posted a 2.22 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 44 2/3 innings.
Eflin has faced the Giants eight times (six starts) and registered a 4.79 ERA and 1.402 WHIP in 35 2/3 innings.
The Orioles trail the Yankees by five games in the division and still lead the Royals by 2 1/2 for the first wild card.
Blame the injuries, inexperience and faulty execution. Blame the weather, traffic, sound system, advertising signs or astrological signs. Whatever suits the narrative. Whatever the imagination allows.
Just be sure to include how the Orioles raised the bar too high and too quickly.
They went from 83 wins in 2022 to 101 and a division title. They set themselves up for regression and criticism. Fans are demanding that heads roll because their favorite team can’t get on one.
No one in their right mind projected 102 or more wins this season, but playing sub-.500 ball since the All-Star break wasn’t in the brochure. Rock bottom keeps moving, too. An 8-1 loss to the historically putrid White Sox was supposed to be it, until the Tigers no-hit them for 8 2/3 innings after using an opener. Until the Orioles responded to Mike Elias’ words of encouragement and optimistic tone Tuesday afternoon by managing only one hit in six innings against the Giants’ Blake Snell, allowing six runs in the top of the ninth and losing 10-0.
The Yankees, meanwhile, were beating the Mariners in Seattle to open a four-game lead in the division race. Now it's five. The Orioles are choking on the fumes, but they can get healthier this month and still make some noise in the postseason.
Dean Kremer’s first pitch of tonight’s game sailed 397 feet to right field for a leadoff home run. Gunnar Henderson began the bottom of the first inning by flying out and slamming his bat to the ground in anger.
Immediate signs of an Orioles’ turnaround weren’t detected. They’d flicker over the course of the night and burn out.
A lead in the third inning and subsequent rallies provided false hope. Walk-up music reverted back to the original playlist, but the Orioles maintained their post-break ways with a 5-3 loss to the Giants before an announced crowd of 23,856 at Camden Yards.
Kremer allowed four earned runs and five total in six innings, the victim of some tough luck, and the Orioles fell to 84-68 with their fifth loss in six games, eighth in 10 and ninth in 12. They’ve gone 26-30 in the second half but maintain a 2 1/2 game lead for the first wild card.
The Orioles are only 16 games above .500 for the first time since May 31. They're 19-26 against the National League.
