WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The result of this afternoon’s game had a heftier weight on the pendulum. 

If victorious, the Orioles would head back to the East Coast winners of two straight series out west and five of six games overall. Couple that with a sweep of the White Sox, and that’s eight of nine. With Jordan Westburg and Cedric Mullins potentially joining a team on a scorching hot streak next week, everything would be coming up Birds.

An impressive sweep of the Mariners bookended by taking care of business against the White Sox and Athletics. That's closing in on "we're so back" territory.  

A 5-1 loss, however, felt monumentally different. 

Entering a fresh series against the Orioles, the Athletics had lost 20 of their previous 22 games. Their rough stretch indicated the possibility that Baltimore could continue to gain some ground in the standings. 

SEATTLE – Major League Baseball launched its annual All-Star Game voting yesterday and the Orioles pretty much had the expected representation on the ballot.

Pretty much.

Preseason predictions likely would have put Jordan Westburg at third base, but he’s appeared in 23 games due to a hamstring injury and is batting .217/.265/.391 in 98 plate appearances. The Orioles could reinstate him today.

Ramón Urías is on the American League ballot at third. He played in his 40^th game last night and is hitting .269 with a .680 OPS.

The bigger surprise is that Colton Cowser went from outfield lock to exclusion after fracturing his left thumb on March 30 and staying on the 60-day injured list until Monday. Ramón Laureano broke camp as a reserve and is the third Orioles outfielder on the ballot with Cedric Mullins and Tyler O’Neill.

SEATTLE – The starts keep coming to Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad, with injuries presenting more opportunities than otherwise would be available to a struggling hitter.

Kjerstad appeared in his 51^st game last night, making his 18th start in right. He’s made 25 in left and served as designated hitter in one game.

Opportunities aren’t the issue here. It’s the results, which lowered his average to .185 with a .231 on-base percentage and .308 slugging percentage heading into last night.

Kjerstad tripled on Sunday, the first of his career, but was picked off third base. He broke an 0-for-20 streak and was 3-for-38 in his past 10 games.

Batting eighth last night against Mariners right-hander George Kirby, Kjerstad lined a 96.5 mph fastball up the middle for a one-out single in the second inning and lined out to left field to end the fourth. He lined to center on Sunday, and to third and left field on Saturday.

SEATTLE – The Orioles kept jabbing at Mariners starter George Kirby tonight, with all eight of their hits against him singles. Ramón Urías clipped the right side of Kirby’s jaw with a 102.7 mph line drive that resulted in the final out of the fifth inning – the ball rolling to first baseman Rowdy Tellez - and left a thin stream of blood running past his mouth.

Kirby was coming out anyway after 95 pitches, but it still resembled a knockout blow.

Tomoyuki Sugano and Colton Cowser wouldn’t let the Mariners get up. Sugano held them to one run in seven innings and Cowser marked his return with an opposite-field homer off former teammate Eduardo Bazardo in a 5-1 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Heston Kjerstad drove in Coby Mayo with a double in the ninth, pinch-runner Jordyn Adams scored on Jackson Holliday’s single, and the Orioles improved to 23-36 with their first four-game winning streak since June 26-29, 2024. They’ve won seven of their last nine games and are 8-8 under interim manager Tony Mansolino.

Sugano delivered the rotation’s fourth quality start in a row and lowered his ERA to 3.04. He allowed five hits, walked one batter and struck out five.

SEATTLE – Colton Cowser was reinstated from the injured list yesterday and he’s playing center field tonight and batting sixth for the series opener in Seattle.

Jackson Holliday remains the leadoff hitter.

Coby Mayo is the designated hitter, Heston Kjerstad is in right field and Dylan Carlson is in left.

Ryan O’Hearn, the cleanup hitter and first baseman, is batting .329 against right-handers and the Mariners are starting three in the series. O’Hearn’s average is tied for fourth-highest among left-handed hitters versus right-handers in a minimum 100 plate appearances.

Tomoyuki Sugano has posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.063 WHIP in 11 starts. He’s got a 3.67 ERA and 1.223 WHIP in six home games and a 2.73 ERA and 0.876 WHIP in five road games.

The managerial wheels were spinning inside Tony Mansolino’s head tonight in the first inning. The migraine didn’t set in until much later.

Tomoyuki Sugano escaped with only one run allowed against the Cardinals despite singles from four of the first five batters, but his opponent squeezed 32 pitches out of him. The count grew to 51 after the second, with Lars Nootbaar creeping halfway to the cycle with his two-run homer. Mansolino had to consider how the rest of the game would be covered if Sugano blew a chance to get deep into it.

Sugano gave up another single in the third as rain continued to fall, but he needed only six pitches to get back to the bench, and he retired the side in order on 11 in the fourth. Those early concerns were put to bed. The bigger worry was whether the Orioles could overcome the deficit.

They did after Ryan O’Hearn swatted a three-run homer in the fifth, but the Cardinals tied the game against Keegan Akin in the seventh and Nolan Arenado homered off Bryan Baker an inning later in a 7-4 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 13,779 at Camden Yards.

Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker had back-to-back triples off Baker in the eighth on fly balls that the Orioles couldn’t track cleanly in wet conditions and with Cedric Mullins on the bench for the third time in four games. Heston Kjerstad failed to make a sliding grab on the track in right-center as Jorge Mateo approached the ball -  Statcast gave it a 95 percent catch probability - and Mateo stopped short of the center field fence and jumped too soon on Walker’s drive.

Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman remain out of the Orioles’ lineup tonight against the Cardinals.

Mullins hasn’t started in three of the last four games. Jorge Mateo is in center field.

Chadwick Tromp makes his first start behind the plate.

Dylan Carlson is in left field after homering yesterday for the second time in two games. His 107.6 mph exit velocity was the hardest-hit home run of his career.

Carlson is 5-for-12 over his last three games after going 1-for-22.

MILWAUKEE – Baltimore was right there. The losing streak was over. 

The Tony Mansolino era had its first victory in the palm of its hand. 

For the first time this season, Baltimore could come back to win a game after trailing entering the seventh inning. They found clutch situational hits when they needed to. Their former All-Star closer was on the mound with a chance to seal things in the ninth. 

Baltimore was one strike away. 

In a 2-2 count, American Family Field erupted at the sight of a Caleb Durbin RBI single to tie the game at three runs apiece. 

Reliever Andrew Kittredge is on the verge of finally making his Orioles debut.

The Orioles reinstated Kittredge from the 15-day injured list this morning and optioned Chayce McDermott to Triple-A Norfolk.

Kittredge made only one appearance in spring training before undergoing surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee. He signed for $10 million over the winter.

McDermott allowed three runs and walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings in his third career major league appearance and was optioned after the game.

The bullpen has an extra reliever today as the Orioles try to snap an eight-game losing streak and avoid a third consecutive sweep. They’ve fallen 17 games below .500.

Jackson Holliday is batting leadoff again today, as the Orioles try to avoid another sweep against the Twins.

Holliday hit first in both games of yesterday’s doubleheader and went 1-for-10.

Ryan Mountcastle stays in the second spot in the order. Adley Rutschman is batting cleanup.

Emmanuel Rivera gets the start at third base after collecting two more hits yesterday in Game 2. Heston Kjerstad, who homered is in left field and batting ninth.

Ramón Laureano is on the bench. He’s struggled against secondary pitches this season, posting a .190 average against breaking balls and a .095 average against off-speed, but he’s hitting .265 with a .559 slugging percentage against fastballs.

While other players string together hits or prevent runs from scoring in consecutive games, Orioles infielder Emmanuel Rivera might become known more for his stubborn streak.

Rivera is a waiver claim in August, dumped by the lowly Marlins, and bats .313 with a .948 OPS in 27 games with the Orioles. Eight of his 20 hits went for extra bases, including four home runs.

The Orioles avoid a possible arbitration hearing by signing Rivera to a $1 million contract on Nov. 22 and designate him for assignment on Jan. 31. He clears waivers, accepts an outright assignment on Feb. 10 and injures his left shoulder in camp.

Any chance to make the team, however slim, is ruined. But Rivera can’t be deterred and the Orioles are rewarded again for having him in the organization. His contract is selected on April 28 with Jordan Westburg going on the injured list, and he just keeps on hitting.

Rivera went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in Friday night’s series opener in Anaheim to make him 8-for-19 in six games, and he started again last night, going 1-for-4. The Orioles also like his play at third base. “The Octopus” brings a lot to the table.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Entering tonight’s game against the Angels, the Orioles had gone 16 consecutive games without scoring a first-inning run. 

That changed on a 1-0 count to Gunnar Henderson. 

Kyle Hendricks, better known for his days with the Cubs, threw a changeup that caught too much of the plate, and Henderson drove it 400 feet to right field. An early lead became a 4-1 victory, and behind a stellar start from Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles got back in the win column.

“He’s got the art of pitching down,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “The way he changes speeds and moves the ball around, super unpredictable, keeps hitters off balance. And we played really good defense behind him tonight. When we needed it, Tomo stepped up for us.”

Thanks to Henderson, Sugano entered the bottom of the first frame with a lead, a luxury they haven’t had often in 2025. The MLB newcomer went 1-2-3, and the O’s were off and running. 

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill has returned to the Orioles after two games with Triple-A Norfolk on his injury rehab assignment.

O’Neill was reinstated from the IL this afternoon, but the corresponding move didn’t involve another outfielder. The Orioles optioned corner infielder Coby Mayo to Norfolk after yesterday’s game in Minnesota.

The transactions was made official today after O’Neill went 2-for-6 with the Tides. He hasn’t played for the Orioles since April 23 in D.C. because of neck inflammation and is batting .215/.284/.385 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs in 18 games.

Mayo was recalled on May 3 with infielder Ramón Urías going on the IL due to a right hamstring strain. He singled yesterday but went 1-for-12 with six strikeouts during his most recent stretch with the Orioles, and he’s 5-for-53 with five walks and 28 strikeouts in the majors.

Mayo did some early infield drills yesterday at third base, fielding ground balls and working on the accuracy of his throws to first. He will keep getting starts at the corners with Norfolk, where he slashed .255/.353/.539 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 21 RBIs in 28 games.

The Orioles’ best starter warmed in the bullpen, retired the side in order in the first inning on only nine pitches and sat, waited and wondered if he’d get back on the mound.

Long rain delays are the enemy of every manager who detests an unplanned bullpen game.

Tomoyuki Sugano wasn’t done, warming again and returning after a 57-minute stoppage. Large puddles had formed in front of the home dugout area. Sugano looked for a while like he’d make the night’s biggest splash.

Sugano’s scoreless streak reached 14 innings before the Royals pushed across a run in the fourth. Cavan Biggio hit his first home run in the fifth, and the Orioles still couldn’t solve Royals left-hander Kris Bubic in a 4-0 loss before an announced crowd of 19,348 at soggy Camden Yards.

The Orioles were trying to win three in a row for the first time since the three-game series in Minnesota that ended the 2024 regular season. Instead, they were shut out for the fifth time.

The Orioles have moved past a hard April, when they went 9-16 after a 3-2 March. Taking two of three games from the first-place Yankees had to feel good. Some of the heat lifted. However, there’s a long way to go. The temperature can fluctuate.

The homestand continues tonight with a series against the Royals, who beat them twice last month in Kansas City. The Orioles have won back-to-back games once.

“It hasn’t been smooth in any way,” manager Brandon Hyde told the media Wednesday night. “To win a series at home, to get an off-day, hopefully this is how we’re going to play going forward.”

You know what would help?

* Score more runs.

Through the Orioles’ first 30 games of the season, there have been plenty of “moments.”

14 games into the year, it felt as if an Adley Rutschman bat flip after a huge home run and a Cedric Mullins RBI triple could be a turning point. The energy had returned to Camden Yards, and the Birds were seemingly back on track. 

The next day, the O’s allowed three runs in the eighth inning against the Blue Jays and fell in extras. 

One week later, a Ramón Laureano two-home run game helped propel Baltimore to a 9-run outburst, with five runs coming against one of the best young arms in the game, Hunter Greene. 

The next day, the Orioles fell 24-2.

All of the same questions came at the Orioles earlier today as local media detached from the team during the road trip got to take turns. Any player approaching his locker was fair game.

What’s wrong and can it be fixed? What’s the mood in the clubhouse? What’s the level of frustration? Is anyone panicked? Should everyone be panicked?

The Orioles insist that they can get on a roll. Seasons aren’t lost in April. Players aren’t melting down over the defeats. Does no good to lose composure and faith.

As if trying to quiet the noise, the Orioles took the field tonight against the first-place Yankees and didn’t lose a game.

Tomoyuki Sugano tossed five scoreless innings with a career-high eight strikeouts, Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run homer and the Orioles hung on for a 4-3 win before an announced crowd of 22,775 at Camden Yards. The victory is their second in the last eight tries and third in 10. They didn’t forget how to form the congratulatory handshake line.

Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins return to the Orioles’ lineup tonight in the series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards.

Jordan Westburg remains out with a sore hamstring.

Heston Kjerstad is in right field and Ramón Laureano is in left. Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.

Ramón Urías gets another start at third base, with Jackson Holliday playing second.

Rutschman owns a .416 on-base percentage against the Yankees, third-highest among catchers with a minimum 150 plate appearances, per STATS. Johnny Bassler is first at .433 from 1914-27. Rutschman’s mark is second-highest among active players behind Mike Trout’s .419.

WASHINGTON – The Orioles' offense had plenty of opportunities to cash in for a breakout inning in tonight’s 4-3 loss to the Nationals. Instead, they made smaller deposits. 

For the most part, pitching held up its end of the bargain. Sometimes, you can still win baseball games like that, even when you go 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. In this case, the offense came up just short. 

“I’m really happy with how we played,” said Brandon Hyde after the game. “We play baseball like that, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The Orioles' offense started the contest with three straight batted balls hit over 100 mph off the bats of Cedric Mullins, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Only one, a single from Rutschman, resulted in a hit. Despite the loud contact, Baltimore left the top of the first without a run. That would be a theme. 

“We hit a lot of balls hard that we weren’t rewarded for,” Hyde noted. “I thought we took really good at-bats for the most part.”

Left-hander Trevor Rogers made his first injury rehab start today at Double-A Chesapeake and gave up a two-run homer to Altoona’s Kervin Pichardo two batters into the game. Rogers worked three innings and allowed two runs and four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 44 pitches, 29 for strikes.

Rogers is on the injured list after dislocating his right knee in January.

Braxton Bragg made his Double-A debut and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

Silas Ardoin hit his second home run.

Heston Kjerstad stays in left field tonight for the Orioles, who continue their series against the Nationals in D.C., and Jackson Holliday remains at second base.