The Orioles will attempt tonight to move a season-high 27 games above .500 and perhaps expand on their two-game lead over the second-place Rays.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field again tonight and batting cleanup. Colton Cowser is in left field. Austin Hays is on the bench.

Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop again. Jordan Westburg is playing second base.

Ryan Mountcastle is 14-for-28 in his last seven games. He’s batting fifth and playing first base.

Kyle Gibson has posted three quality starts in a row to raise his season total to 12. He’s made eight career starts against the Mets and registered a 3.98 ERA and 1.721 WHIP in 40 2/3 innings.

The 1983 Orioles had three future Hall of Famers on their roster but also reserves who stepped up in pressure situations, contributions made from top to bottom that led to the organization’s last World Series championship.

This year’s club is reliant on 26 players, too early to know who might be ticketed for Cooperstown. And they keep finding new and creative ways to win.

It could be a starter or reliever, a regular or a backup. Many times, it’s a group effort.

In his first game against the Mets since they traded him in December, catcher James McCann had a two-run single in the fourth inning, a two-run double in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh to tie his career high. Rookie Jordan Westburg reached base four times, scoring from first base in the sixth on Ryan O’Hearn’s tie-breaking fly ball that fell in right-center field, and hammering a 424-foot, three-run homer in the seventh.

Mike Baumann got a big double play to end the top half of the inning and retired all four batters that he faced.

More than 20 members of the Orioles 1983 World Series championship team are in Baltimore for the 40^th anniversary celebration. A few players didn’t expect to be invited back, saying their group won’t be the most recent to win a title.

They think this Orioles team is destined to make its own history.

A three-games series against the Mets begins with the Orioles holding the best record in the American League and second-best in baseball.

“Well, it’s really nice of them to say that, but we have a long way to go and big shoes to fill,” manager Brandon Hyde said today.

“That was a great team, so I’m excited to see some of these guys, meet some of them. I haven’t met very many of them, but fortunate to get to rub shoulders with Jim Palmer on most days and hear about ’83 stories and other Orioles past stories. It’s fun to have them here. It’s nice for them to be recognized in the ballpark, and they should be. It’s an awesome feat to win a World Series and they should be celebrated throughout the city.”

The Orioles are back home for a weekend series against the Mets, followed by three games against the Astros.

Ryan Mountcastle, who went 11-for-13 with four doubles and six RBIs in Toronto, is batting second and playing first base. He tied the club record for hits in a series of four games or fewer. Merv Rettenmund went 11-for-18 when the Orioles swept Cleveland in a four-game series in September 1971.

In 18 games since returning from vertigo, Mountcastle has gone 23-for-50 (.460) with a 1.220 OPS, seven doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Adley Rutschman is leading off and serving as designated hitter. Gunnar Henderson is batting third and playing shortstop.

Ryan O’Hearn stays in right field. Jordan Westburg is the second baseman. Ryan McKenna starts in center field.

The Orioles’ posted lineup yesterday had Ryan McKenna in center field instead of Colton Cowser for the third game in a row. Three out of the four played at Rogers Centre.

Facing left-handers Hyun Jin Ryu and Yusei Kikuchi provided a built-in explanation. Sitting Cowser yesterday against right-hander Kevin Gausman required one.

Manager Brandon Hyde cited Gausman’s career reverse splits during his pregame session with the assembled media. But he also explained how a few days of extra work and batting practice could benefit Cowser, along with a chance to “relax.”

This is one way for a contender to handle a rookie’s struggles. The other, of course, would be to option him.

If wins weren’t as important in the grand scheme, like over the past four years, the Orioles could keep starting Cowser and view it as part of his development. But that won’t work in 2023.

Jack Flaherty makes his Orioles debut this afternoon in Toronto, as the Orioles try to rebound from last night’s 4-1 loss and claim their 21^st series.

Flaherty went 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in five July starts with the Cardinals before Tuesday’s trade. His only career start against the Blue Jays was April 1 in St. Louis, and he tossed five scoreless and hitless innings with seven walks, four strikeouts and a hit batter.

Ryan O’Hearn is in right field today and batting cleanup, with Anthony Santander serving as the designated hitter. Gunnar Henderson is the shortstop, moving up to second in the order behind catcher Adley Rutschman.

Ryan McKenna stays in center field against a right-hander, leaving Colton Cowser on the bench. Jordan Westburg also sits, with Adam Frazier at second base and Ramón Urías at third.

Former Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman is 8-5 with 3.10 ERA and 1.128 WHIP in 21 starts, with 171 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings. Gausman has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his last 14 games.

The trade deadline shined a brighter light on the Orioles’ rotation. Jack Flaherty is in it. Very illuminating.

The five starters are confirmed: Flaherty, Kyle Gibson, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer and rookie Grayson Rodriguez. All of them right-handed with Cole Irvin staying in the bullpen.

But how long does the unit remain intact?

While addressing the buildup of bullpen innings that could empty the tanks of relievers like Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias talked about injured guys getting healthy and how the rotation could factor into it.

“Bringing in an extra starter, you can always spill over into the bullpen to help with those innings, and I think we have several legitimate, accomplished major league starting pitchers, all of whom are having good years right now,” Elias said in his video call.

Jack Flaherty has joined the Orioles after yesterday’s trade with the Cardinals, and reliever Bryan Baker is optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.

Flaherty is wearing No. 15.

Baker has registered a 3.64 ERA and 1.310 WHIP in 45 appearances, and he’s averaging 5.1 walks per nine innings. He spent the entire 2022 season with the Orioles and remained one of their high-leverage relievers this year, but he’s allowed 51.5 percent of inherited runners to score, the second-most among qualified relievers.

The Orioles are a season-high 25 games above .500 and trying tonight to secure their 21^st series.

Last night’s 13-3 blowout win made them 7-1 against the Blue Jays season, assuring that they’d claim the season series, and 5-0 at Rogers Centre. Their division lead remains 1 ½ games over the Rays.

The conversations were ongoing yesterday until the final seconds of the trade deadline. The Orioles got their starter in Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty. They kept pushing to find another reliever.

They ran out of time but celebrated their modest haul.

Small in numbers, large in potential impact.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias could have reeled in a bigger fish if he were more generous with the bait, but he wasn’t going to plop prospects on the table who shouldn’t be touched.

Teams can keep asking. He can keep saying “no” and move onto the next one.

The Orioles found their starting pitcher less than 10 minutes before the trade deadline.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals in exchange for Triple-A left-hander Drew Rom and infielder César Prieto, and Single-A Delmarva pitcher Zack Showalter.

Flaherty, 27, is a pending free agent who’s 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.550 WHIP in 20 starts, with only 10 home runs surrendered in 109 2/3 innings. He registered a 3.30 ERA in five starts last month.

Elias made it a stated goal to find more pitching to strengthen the club’s bid for a deep run in the playoffs. Starters beyond Kyle Gibson are approaching or have bypassed their career highs in innings.

The decision to option Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie, where he reported earlier today, increased the urgency.

Less than three hours before the trade deadline arrives, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has posted a lineup that includes Adley Rutschman in the leadoff spot again and Gunnar Henderson moving down to fifth against Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu.

Henderson is the designated hitter. Jordan Westburg is playing second base, Ramón Urías is the third baseman, and Jorge Mateo is the shortstop.

Ryan Mountcastle is batting second for only the second time this season.

Ryan McKenna is the center fielder tonight.

The Orioles are 65-41, including 17-9 in July, and 1 ½ games ahead of the Rays. They’ve won 16 of their last 22.

The idea intrigued Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. He just needed to find the exact time to launch it.

Writing catcher Adley Rutschman’s name second in the lineup was steeped in logic. It made total sense. A hitter with tremendous bat control and skills, able to work a count and use every inch of the field, hitting behind the table setter.

The results were magnificent and predictable. Rutschman performed like a first-overall draft pick. The tools that drew the Orioles to him shined in the majors.

So, why mess with it?

Cedric Mullins is on the injured list again, leaving a hole atop the order. Gunnar Henderson was filling it against right-handed starters. Austin Hays was the choice against left-handers.

The Orioles begin a four-game series in Toronto tonight with Adley Rutschman settled in as the leadoff hitter and Gunnar Henderson behind him.

Rutschman has reached base six times in two games, including three singles and a walk last night.

Colton Cowser is in center field, flanked by Austin hays in left and Anthony Santander in right.

Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. He’s a career .306/.368/.613 hitter with 15 home runs in 45 games against the Blue Jays.

Kyle Gibson is 9-6 with a 4.68 ERA and 1.323 WHIP in 22 games, and the one starter who isn’t an innings concern to the Orioles. He’s totaled 127 this season, with his career high 196 2/3 in 2018.

Trade deadlines in the Orioles’ rebuild kept players on edge, wondering if they were headed out the door or which teammates and friends might beat them to it. They checked social media posts and read the transaction scrolls on television, which alerted a few, like second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who hadn’t heard from the team or an agent after arriving in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

The teardown in 2018 wiped out the best players. Trey Mancini and Jorge López were dealt last summer with the Orioles in contention, the postseason odds much lower than in 2023.

Life on the buyer side isn’t as anxious.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias spoke last week of the balance between aggression and caution. Of the willingness to reach in the right trade, but the refusal to torch a farm system that is fueling the resurgence.

Elias didn’t dismiss the possibility of trading from the 26-man roster but wasn’t enthused about it. He doesn’t want to mess with a good thing – a group that’s responsible for the best record in the American League and wants to stay together.

Three forearm smashes and a hand slap. That’s what awaited Adam Frazier tonight after he crossed home plate in the first inning. Before he reached the top step of the dugout.

In the middle of the latest beating administered to Yankees starter Luis Severino.

The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate, scored seven runs and turned ESPN’s first Camden Yards broadcast in five years into a challenge to avoid using every note and anecdote before the top of the second.

Frazier drove a fastball onto the flag court in right field for a three-run homer, the sixth consecutive Oriole to reach base in a 9-3 rout of the Yankees before an announced crowd of 37,429.

The three-game series drew 114,816.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready to name a starter for Thursday afternoon’s series finale in Toronto.

“This is an unusual week,” he said, smiling, “so we’ll see what happens.”

The trade deadline could influence the choice after the Orioles optioned Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie.

Jordan Montgomery is the latest starter to tumble off the board. He was dealt earlier today to the Rangers.

The urgency to address the rotation via trade seems to have increased after Wells’ demotion. His ERA has grown from 3.18 in the first half to 3.80, and his 1.021 WHIP removes him from the top spot in the majors.

The Orioles are hosting an ESPN game tonight for the first time in five years and trying to win their 20^th series following last night’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees before the second sellout crowd of the season.

Adley Rutschman is leading off again after going 0-for-2 last night with a walk and hit-by-pitch. His on-base streak has reached a career-high 14 games.

James McCann is catching, with Rutschman serving as designated hitter.

Adam Frazier is in left field and Jordan Westburg is the second baseman.

Gunnar Henderson is batting second and playing shortstop. His double last night snapped an 0-for-15 streak.

Unable to exhibit the same patience displayed during their rebuild period, the Orioles optioned struggling starter Tyler Wells to Double-A Bowie after last night’s game. They made the announcement this afternoon.

Reliever Joey Krehbiel had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and reliever Eduard Bazardo was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Wells produced a first half worthy of All-Star consideration, with a 3.18 ERA in 18 games and a 0.927 WHIP that led the majors. He’s made three starts after the break and allowed 11 runs and 10 hits with nine walks and three hit batters in only nine innings.

The final straw came last night, with Wells working only 2 2/3 innings and leaving after 63 pitches in an 8-3 loss to the Yankees. He was charged with three runs and three hits, walked three batters and hit another.

Manager Brandon Hyde said afterward that trust remained in Wells based on the first half, “but I’m also trying to win the game.”

We’re down to two days before the trade deadline and the Orioles have made one deal, with the Athletics for reliever Shintaro Fujinami on July 19. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is in contact with everyone, whether due diligence or doing it with legitimate hopes of reaching an agreement.

Elias’ 26-minute media session Friday afternoon, in the auxiliary clubhouse rather than the stifling dugout heat, provided confirmation on his plans.

Find pitching.

Elias mentioned middle relief, which also came as no surprise. Fortify the bullpen, shorten games, and ease some of the strain on other relievers and the rotation.

The club also has engaged in talks for starting pitchers, though it isn’t clear how a newcomer would fit. A six-man rotation? A current starter sent to the ‘pen?

The Orioles remain 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay as their series continues tonight against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Anthony Santander hit a walk-off home run last night in a 1-0 win, improving the Orioles’ record to 20-10 in one-run games. Santander stays in right field tonight.

Manager Brandon Hyde is putting another unique spin on his lineup, batting Adley Rutschman first for the first time in the catcher’s major league career.

Rutschman extended his on-base streak to 13 games last night, tying his career high. He leads the club and American League catchers with a .368 OBP.

Gunnar Henderson moves down to second. He’s starting at shortstop, with Ramón Urías at third base.