The Orioles reinstated John Means from the 60-day injured list today and optioned reliever Joey Krehbiel to Triple-A Norfolk. The 40-man roster is full.

Krehbiel has made six appearances with the Orioles and allowed one run and two hits with five strikeouts in five innings.

Means makes his first start tonight since April 13, 2022. He’s never faced the Cardinals, but the opponent doesn’t matter.

Means is back on the mound and that’s the story.

The magic number is four to clinch a playoff berth. The Orioles are on pace to win 103 games.

Nineteen games remain for the Orioles, but it feels like the first time for John Means.

The left-hander gets back on the mound tonight, finally past his Tommy John surgery and pulled muscle in his upper back and the litany of questions about his recoveries and status. He doesn’t need to say that he’s fine starting or relieving or attempt a guess at his return date.

Means wants to start. He’s a team player and will go along with the program, but yes, he definitely wants to be in the rotation. And the return date is Sept 12, 2023.

The ovation for Means could bring down the center field roof deck bar. Windows could shatter in the warehouse. Jack Flaherty could smile.

(I kid. He’s a serious guy. It’s OK.)

BOSTON – Ryan O’Hearn wouldn’t get lured out of his baseball comfort zone. The dangling carrot was swatted like a pesky fly. Or a grooved fastball that wraps around the Pesky Pole.

Asked about the significance of the Orioles winning the division and leaving wild card aspirations in the dust, O’Hearn was willing to confirm that the American League East title is “very important.” But don’t press it.

“To me, the No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs, but you’re not going to get me to predict the future or get too far ahead of ourselves,” he said, smiling.

“We focus on every day, same thing we’ve been saying. One game at a time, trying to win a ballgame, and that’s it. If we do that, that’ll take us where we want to go.”

Trust the process, a slogan the Orioles can carry from rebuild to contender. It doesn’t get stale.

BOSTON – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stood on the soaked infield grass earlier today with a member of the Red Sox’s grounds crew who held a tablet, presumably immune to water damage, and tracked the latest storm in the Boston area. The tarp was rolled up and rain kept falling with an uncomfortable intensity while workers filled shovels with a drying compound. Some players jogged and stretched in the outfield. Fans were invited onto the warning track for a pregame ceremony.

Hyde came out of the dugout again following the anthem. Game status hadn’t changed. The ceremonial first pitch was done with the mound and plate covered. A minor inconvenience.

Adley Rutschman stepped into the batter’s box after a 42-minute delay. The teams were playing, with the smart money on the mudders.

The Orioles usually shine in any weather, but they couldn’t hold an early three-run lead and Grayson Rodriguez lasted only 4 1/3 innings in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 31,295 at Fenway Park.

The game was halted with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and Joey Krehbiel pitching after another downpour. This delay lasted one hour and 28 minutes, and it took nine minutes to finish. The tarp and patience were stretched. Only one returned to its normal position.

BOSTON – John Means smiled and confirmed to the local media this morning that, yes, he was available to talk. He moved back toward his locker and waited. Recorders and a television camera were pointed at him. And then, he confirmed how he’s feeling and left the rest of the updates to the club.

Means stayed in his lane while standing inside the clubhouse.

“All I know is I threw a bullpen yesterday, felt really good,” he said. “Other than that, I’m not really sure what the next step is.”

The expectation is for Means to return from the 60-day injured list and make a start in the Cardinals series at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer is listed for Monday night, with Means likely to follow Tuesday. But the Orioles aren’t listing their starters beyond Kremer.

Means threw a bullpen session on Saturday and apparently has passed the tests that determine whether he’s ready to join the active roster for the first time since April 2022. He’s happy with his stuff, how his ball is moving and the reactions to it.

BOSTON – The Orioles have reached the end of their three-city road trip with a chance today to register their 10^th sweep.

The club has won seven games in a row and 16 of 20. The magic number for clinching a postseason berth is down to five. The lead over the second-place Rays is four.

Jordan Westburg is out of the lineup today after leaving last night’s game in the seventh inning. Manager Brandon Hyde hinted that Westburg is dealing with some soreness but didn’t specify.

Aaron Hicks is in right field. Adam Frazier is the second baseman. Ramón Urías is at third base.

His brother, Luis, is playing second base for the Red Sox.

BOSTON - Kyle Bradish must want to keep his ERA at 3.03. Must like the whiff of a palindrome.

Bradish allowed two runs in six innings last night for the third start in a row and fourth out of five. He registered his 16^th quality start of the season and raised the Orioles’ total to 61. They lead the majors with 44 since June 1.

Are they getting close to the club’s single-season record?

Not at all.

Starters don’t work as deep into games and must complete at least six innings with three runs or fewer allowed to meet the criteria.

BOSTON – Kyle Bradish wouldn’t set the bullpen into motion tonight until two outs in the sixth inning. Ryan O’Hearn had to do it.

Orioles relievers raised their arms and jumped in the air as O’Hearn’s fly ball sailed into the right field seats leading off the top of the fourth. They couldn’t catch it. May as well celebrate it.

O’Hearn’s 12^th homer of the season, Gunnar Henderson's latest Rookie of the Year push and Bradish’s latest quality start propelled the Orioles past the Red Sox 11-2 before an announced crowd of 33,852 at Fenway Park.

The Rays defeated the Mariners 7-4 to leave the Orioles with a four-game division lead.

Adley Rutschman curled a fly ball around the right field foul pole in the eighth for his 18^th home run, and the Orioles won their sixth game in a row and improved to 89-51 overall, 47-25 on the road and 31-15 in series openers. They will go 85 series of multiple games in a row without being swept.

BOSTON – Orioles closer Félix Bautista played catch again today, increasing the distance on flat ground during his second session after a brief pause.

The club is downplaying the significance of it.

Bautista also threw in Anaheim while on the injured list with discomfort in his right elbow, described only as a “right UCL injury.”

“We’re going to see how he feels,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re just kind of monitoring it day-to-day. It was just kind of a see how he feels, play a little catch today.”

Asked if Bautista throwing is a good sign, Hyde said, “I wouldn’t put any emphasis positive or negative about it. He was playing a little bit of catch, kind of seeing how he feels today.

BOSTON – The Orioles are a season-high 37 games above .500 and four games ahead of the Rays in the American League East as they reach the final stage of their road trip at Fenway Park.

They’ve won five in a row, seven of nine, 11 of 14, 14 of 18 and 25 of 35. On the line this weekend is a streak of 84 consecutive multi-game series without being swept.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop tonight against the Red Sox. Ryan O’Hearn is batting cleanup as the designated hitter, followed by first baseman Ryan Mountcastle.

Austin Hays is in left field. In 18 games since Aug. 15, Hays is batting .338/.413/.646/1.059 with eight doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs.

Adam Frazier is playing second base and Ramón Urías is at third.

The Orioles are in Boston for the final series of their penultimate road trip in 2023. Three games at Fenway Park, seven at Camden Yards – including four against the Rays that could influence the division race – followed by visits to Houston and Cleveland.

The latest quirk to the schedule has the Orioles engaged in a trio of four-game series this month, versus the Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. They’ve won six consecutive series while building an 88-51 record, including 34-16 in the second half, that’s the second best in baseball.

The organization’s hesitancy to look too far ahead is softening. Adjustments are being made to the rotation as if prepping it for the postseason. Back down to five starters, with the possibility of weaving in a sixth here and there. A clearer read on innings totals and how to proceed.

Making the playoffs is a formality. The goal now is winning the American League East, with a first-round bye and home field advantage.

They haven’t won 100 games since 1980 and are on pace to blow past it. Also blowing the minds of the oddsmakers who put them below .500.

The comeback that unfolded for the Orioles in the ninth inning Tuesday night, before the Angels rallied to tie and lost in the 10^th, began with Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn producing clutch hits in reserve. Frazier doubles with one out and scores on O’Hearn’s line drive single. Depth again playing its role in defining the 2023 club.

The Orioles keep finding ways. Many times, they only have to look as far as their bench.

Manager Brandon Hyde has done a nice job rotating players to multiple positions and out of the lineup. Frazier made 90 starts at second base and seven in the outfield. O’Hearn made 44 starts at first base, 16 in the outfield and 10 as the designated hitter.

“We’ve got really talented hitters up and down the lineup, and depth like that helps,” O’Hearn told reporters.

“We care a lot. We want to win. We want to win the division. We love each other. We play for each other. We trust each other. It’s not just me down there practicing and trying to get ready for every inning. It’s every guy on the bench, all (five) guys on the bench down there are getting ready to hit to potentially impact the game.”

The Orioles are down to their last 24 regular season games. The final West Coast trip wraps up tonight, followed by an off-day and weekend series in Boston.

An actual finish line is out of sight. The Orioles can’t break through the tape and veer toward the airport. That’s for non-playoff teams.

Where they stop, nobody knows.

At least one more roster move is pending, with John Means scheduled to make his last rehab start tonight at Triple-A Norfolk. Tyler Wells is expected to be recalled but first had to resume pitching. He was shut down with arm fatigue until last night.

Means is on the 60-day injured list, but there’s an opening on the 40-man roster. He can slide into it.

Ryan McKenna is playing center field tonight in the latest Orioles right-handed heavy lineup in Anaheim.

Austin Hays is the cleanup hitter and left fielder. Jordan Westburg is starting at second base. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.

Aaron Hicks is in right field, with Anthony Santander serving as designated hitter.

Adley Rutchman is back in the leadoff spot and catching.

Gunnar Henderson is too good to sit in any lineup. He’s the third baseman.

Outfielder Anthony Santander began last night’s series in Anaheim leading the Orioles with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs. He’s trying to finish first in both categories for the second year in a row, becoming the first Oriole since Chris Davis in 2012-13.

He’s doing a lot of other things, like how he’s pushing harder through the crowd for Most Valuable Oriole.

Don’t be too quick to concede the award to catcher Adley Rutschman, rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson, starter Kyle Bradish, closer Félix Bautista – whose value becomes more evident if the Orioles collapse from his elbow injury – or anybody else in contention.

Santander’s 33 doubles also ranked first on the club before Austin Hays tied him last night with an RBI double. And Santander was first with 60 extra-base hits, 239 total bases, a .489 slugging percentage and .818 OPS.

In case you missed it earlier, Santander is the first Orioles switch-hitter with at least 25 home runs in consecutive seasons since Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in 1987-88.

The Orioles begin their series in Anaheim tonight with Adley Rutschman out of the lineup for the second time in six games.

The Angels are starting three left-handers, and Austin Hays moves into the leadoff spot tonight. Gunnar Henderson is playing third base and batting cleanup.

Jordan Westburg is playing second base and batting fifth. Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.

Aaron Hicks is in right field, and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Rookie Grayson Rodriguez has allowed 11 runs in his last seven starts over 42 2/3 innings. He faced the Angels on May 15, before his reset, and allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. Shohei Ohtani and Chad Wallach homered in the fourth.

After the final out is recorded in the World Series, and before the start of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, important business is conducted that can be downplayed or ignored in some circles.

The four Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards in November. A much bigger deal for the Orioles after they regained their contender status and inflated the level of talent on the roster.

I remember when I could skip the MLB Network programs, which run longer than the Oscars, because the Orioles didn’t have anyone in the discussion. My work was done. Let the other beat writers craft their stories while I tuned into "Jeopardy" or whatever was streaming on Netflix. Those poor fools.

Those days are over.

Gunnar Henderson has become the leading contender for Rookie of the Year in the American League. I won’t say he’s a runaway winner, but the kid sits in the driver’s seat - looking young enough to carry a learner’s permit.

The Orioles are trying today to claim their 28^th series as they conclude their visit to Arizona.

Ryan Mountcastle has returned to the lineup after missing the past few games due to an illness. He’s batting cleanup and playing first base.

Anthony Santander was hit on the right hand last night in the ninth inning, left the game and underwent testing, and is serving today as designated hitter.

Two positive developments before the first pitch is thrown.

Aaron Hicks, reinstated from the injured list today, is in left field. Ryan O’Hearn is the right fielder. Austin Hays is on the bench.

The Orioles’ roster has changed again.

Get used to it.

Jorge López was activated this morning after the Orioles claimed him on waivers yesterday from the Marlins. Aaron Hicks was reinstated from the injured list.

To make room, outfielder Colton Cowser was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and reliever Austin Voth was designated for assignment.

López enters a bullpen that includes Yennier Cano. They were involved in the 2022 deadline trade with the Twins.

On the same day that the Orioles claimed their former closer, Jorge López, on waivers from the Marlins, manager Brandon Hyde told the assembled media at Chase Field that former Rule 5 closer Tyler Wells has arm fatigue.

I’m tired from trying to project this month’s bullpen. I’m not getting any closer.

My take from the East Coast is that López is insurance, a depth move with Félix Bautista on the 15-day injured list and Wells perhaps delayed in his return to the Orioles. The timing might be coincidental, but we honestly don’t know if that’s the case.

The trade deadline passed and the only way to acquire players is via claims and minor league deals. López isn’t eligible to make the postseason roster because he arrived in the organization after Aug. 31, but he can assist in the quest to win the division title.

Then again, is he equipped to do so?