ARLINGTON, Texas - The grind of the first half finally caught up to the mailbag. It lacked energy. It stranded questions.

The break came at the ideal time.

Let's get to the latest edition of the beloved 2008 original while the Orioles are enjoying an off-day - after playing only three games to begin the second half.

There are worse places to be than Miami. I had my fun during those South Florida spring trainings. Let someone else have a turn.

The post-break doesn’t bring serious changes to the mailbag. Same rules as the first. I don’t need to improve the clarity, shorten the length or adjust the style.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles won’t begin the second half with a sweep.

Former Orioles minor league catcher Jonah Heim hit a three-run homer off Dean Kremer today in the fourth inning and the Rangers avoided an early crash to post a 3-2 victory before an announced crowd of 31,808 at Globe Life Field.

The Yankees lost again today to remain two games behind the Orioles in the American League East.

An offense that built 4-0 leads in the first and second innings the past two nights couldn’t hurt left-hander Andrew Heaney, who entered with 10 losses but also a 3.79 ERA. They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five during his five scoreless innings.

Anthony Santander hit a two-run homer off David Robertson in the eighth after Adley Rutschman walked to reduce the lead to 3-2. Santander’s 27^th left him one behind team-leader Gunnar Henderson, and he totaled eight RBIs in the series.

After mashing four more home runs, to lead the majors with 153, the Orioles opened the second-half with a 9-1 romp over Texas last night. They improved to 59-38 and could open a two-game lead atop the American East with another win tonight.

Lefty Nestor Cortes allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings this afternoon as the New York Yankees (59-41) lost 9-1 to Tampa Bay. The Yankees are now 17-20 in AL East games. They have lost 9 of 14 games and are 9-19 since June 15.

The Orioles ended the first half going 1-5 on a homestand and had lost five of six, six of eight and seven of 10 heading into the Texas series. Now they are 10-13 since June 21 with Friday's win.

Anthony Santander hit two of their four homers, driving in five runs. With his first home run last night, Santander reached 25 home runs and he's the ninth player in O's history to do so in at least three straight seasons. He matches Frank Robinson (1969-71), Lee May (1976-78), and Manny Machado (2015-17), and trails Eddie Murray (1982-85) and Rafael Palmeiro (1995-98), who did so in four consecutive years, Chris Davis (2012-17) and Cal Ripken, Jr. (1982-87), who had six, and Adam Jones (2011-17), who hit at least 25 homers in seven straight years. He now has 15 multi-homer games, eighth-most in club history.

Since the start of June, Santander is slashing .280/.322/.640 (45-for-161) with five doubles, one triple, 17 home runs, 24 runs, 34 RBIs, and 11 walks across 41 games. His 17 homers and 103 total bases are the most in MLB during that span, while his 23 extra-base hits are tied with teammate Gunnar Henderson for the most in the AL in that time.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles reinstated outfielder Heston Kjerstad from the seven-day concussion list today and optioned outfielder Kyle Stowers to Triple-A Norfolk.

Kjerstad had a full workout yesterday and was cleared to play. He’s in right field tonight.

Stowers is 11-for-36 with four doubles and a home run in 19 games with the Orioles. He had one at-bat after replacing Kjerstad on the roster, and his single off Clay Holmes ignited Sunday’s ninth-inning rally against the Yankees that produced a walk-off win.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter tonight. Ryan O’Hearn is playing first base and Ryan Mountcastle is on the bench.

Colton Cowser is in left field and Cedric Mullins is in center. Ramón Urías is playing third base, with Jordan Westburg at second.

For the first time since they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2022, you hear fans open to trading one of baseball’s best prospects in Jackson Holliday.

I don’t have a vote or say here in anything and neither do fans, but I do have an opinion. And I still see Holliday as an untouchable.

While he may have lost his No. 1 prospect status with some outlets, that is fine. He did go 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts for the Orioles in April.

Once it started going south for him with the O's, it stayed that way.

He looked overmatched for whatever reason. This will sound like an excuse but some players coming up from Triple-A Norfolk agreed with an opinion that while Holliday was getting every pitch out of the zone called a ball against him in Triple-A with the ABS system, that changed in the majors. He seemed to be down 0-2 every at-bat. He took some pitches that may have been called balls by the computer but were strikes in the bigs. 

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles already confronted the team that swept them in the Division Series, winning three of four games in Baltimore. However, tonight’s matchup brought them back to the scene of the final crime.

The visiting clubhouse at Globe Life Field was a bit livelier this afternoon than on Oct. 10, when a 7-1 loss to the Rangers put the finishing torch to their championship aspirations.

“You had to bring that up?” manager Brandon Hyde joked earlier today.

“That was not a fun series in any way. We played good here besides that, though. So regular season, good memories, postseason, bad memory.”

Nathan Eovaldi won the decisive Game 3, but the Orioles jumped him early tonight. Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser hit two-run homers in the first inning, Anthony Santander homered twice and Corbin Burnes registered his 16^th quality start in a 9-1 victory before an announced crowd of 36,336.

With a one-game lead atop the American League East, the Orioles have played 96 games with 66 to go. They begin play after the All-Star break tonight at Texas to start a three-game series on the same field that hosted the All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

Last season at the break, the Orioles were 54-35 (.607) and two games out of first. Now they are 58-38 (.604) and leading the division by a game.

When last seen the O’s pulled out that crazy 6-5 win in the last of the ninth Sunday versus the Yankees. Had they not won that game they would have gone 0-6 on their homestand.

So even with that victory, one that gave them sole possession of first place in the American League East, they have lost five of six, six of eight and seven of the last 10 games.

Since June 21, the Orioles are 9-13 with a minus-45 run differential. In that span they have scored 3.8 runs per game with a team ERA of 5.69.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Corbin Burnes is having an All-Star experience that’s more like a flyby.

Burnes arrived in Dallas around 11 a.m. this morning and he’s boarding a flight back to Phoenix as soon as his start is over and he can shower and change clothes. The entire experience will last fewer than 12 hours if the plan is executed.

Get three outs and get back to his wife Brooke and twin daughters Charlotte and Harper.

Burnes is making his first career start among four consecutive selections to the All-Star Game. He’s the first Orioles pitcher to receive the honor since Steve Stone in 1980.

“It’s awesome to find out I was going to get the opportunity to start the game,” Burnes said. “There’s very few people that have gotten to start All-Star Games for the length that the All-Star Game’s been around. The join that group is special, and obviously there’s some pretty cool names that have been able to do it. Getting that opportunity to do that was awesome, and excited to get out there.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Orioles haven’t hosted baseball’s All-Star Game since 1993, the second year of Camden Yards' existence. Back when they wanted to show it off to the world.

They’re on the radar again, which promises nothing but keeps them in the conversation.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said this morning that the club has “definitely” expressed an interest in the Midsummer Classic. The next available date is 2027, after Atlanta next year and Philadelphia in 2026.

A new ownership group headed by David Rubenstein has made securing the event a priority.

“We hope by that time the stadium will be rehabilitated a bit, and therefore, we’d like to show it off,” Rubenstein said on March 28. “Once we have the rehabilitated Camden Yards, I think it would be a great time to then show it off. We’ll make sure we have it completed, though, but we are interested in it and I am familiar with the situation.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The smile came before the response.

Anthony Santander gave it away, failing to offer a spoiler alert, during today’s on-field media session at the All-Star Game.

Where are his father, Roger, and mother, Yoleida? Are they back in Venezuela or maybe at his Miami home?

Santander lit up, the way he’d react to a fastball down the middle of the plate. But he didn’t swing. He spoke.

“They’re here in Texas,” he said. “I can’t be here without them, you know?”

ARLINGTON, Texas - The decision was made. Corbin Burnes would accept his fourth consecutive invitation to the All-Star Game. Hug his wife Brooke, hold his newborn twin daughters one more time and board a flight. A piece of him left behind.

With that honor, however, came his first start.

American League manager Bruce Bochy is handing the ball to Burnes Tuesday night at Globe Life Park.

Bochy considered what Burnes has done in his career, including the previous selections and a Cy Young Award with the Brewers in 2021, and the veteran's impact on the 2024 Orioles.

"I think you have to look at his résumé, what he's done in baseball," Bochy said. "He's had an incredible career. This is his fourth consecutive All-Star Game. What he's done this year in Baltimore, you know, they're leading their division. He's a big reason for that.

Asked this morning what the Orioles must do after the break to recapture the success that defined previous months, third base coach Tony Mansolino replied, “I think just get back to being who we are.”

That would be a team producing quality at-bats, hitting in the clutch and scoring runs in bunches. That gets more out of the rotation than reasonably expected with so many injuries, as well as important outs from the bullpen.

Be the team that swept the Rays in four games and won consecutive series against the Braves, Phillies and Yankees. Be those 2024 Orioles.

They sort of got there today. They weren't going to quibble.

After imploding in gut-wrenching fashion in the ninth, the Orioles watched the Yankees misplay two balls with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Charity began at home.

Ryan Mountcastle’s fly ball with two outs in the fourth inning fell in front of charging Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki for a soft double. The Orioles had their first baserunner. They got a body in scoring position.

Newly appointed All-Star Anthony Santander swung at the next pitch and grounded out to extend the club’s scoreless streak to 19 innings and its struggles with RISP to whatever level is beyond frustrating.

Albert Suárez tried to keep the game close, but a four-run deficit in the fifth felt insurmountable with the offense stuck in neutral.

Cubs left-hander Justin Steele tossed seven scoreless innings on only 70 pitches and the Orioles lost 8-0 before an announced crowd of 22,685 at Camden Yards, the first time they were swept at home since Aug. 27-29, 2021 against the Rays.

The Orioles were outscored 21-2 in the series and haven’t plated a run in their last 24 innings. They were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time in three years. And they’ve got the Yankees this weekend.

Make that five All-Star representatives for the Orioles.

Outfielder Anthony Santander has made the American League club as an injury replacement for Houston’s Kyle Tucker. He'll also head out early to Arlington, Texas.

Santander joins starters Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, pitcher Corbin Burnes and infielder Jordan Westburg. This is the highest total for the Orioles since 2016 with Manny Machado, Matt Wieters, Mark Trumbo, Zack Britton and Brad Brach. They had four representatives last year in Seattle.

The honor for Santander comes in his free agency year and seven seasons after his major league debut as a Rule 5 pick from Single-A Lynchburg in Cleveland’s organization.

Santander goes into tonight’s game batting .233/.298/.492 with 15 doubles, a triple, 23 home runs and 57 RBIs in 366 plate appearances, and he’s playing an exceptional right field. He was a finalist on the ballot but finished one spot behind the starters.

Jordan Westburg knew that the local media was hovering around his locker after last night’s game. Notepads, recorders, cameras, microphones. All of them waiting for the player who found out about his All-Star selection earlier in the day and homered in his first at-bat. He was an obvious interview.

The scrum moved on from starting pitcher Dean Kremer, but Westburg first had to attend an All-Star meeting with teammates joining him in Arlington, Texas. It couldn’t be avoided.

All part of a whirlwind day that included phone calls to wife Anna Claire and his parents.

Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the first two draft picks under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, are starting at catcher and shortstop, respectively, for the American League. Corbin Burnes could be the starting pitcher working on an extra day of rest. That announcement is pending.

Rutschman was the backup catcher in last year’s Midsummer Classic in Seattle and participated in the Home Run Derby. He’s the veteran among the position players.

Refresh my memory, please. Is the All-Star break the official or unofficial halfway point of the season? Because you also have the 81-game mark, which is mathematically halfway. It’s so confusing.

But not as much as Craig Kimbrel’s exclusion from the Midsummer Classic.

Yeah, we’re going back to that topic before tonight’s series opener against the Cubs at Camden Yards.

The commissioner’s office and player balloting are responsible for selecting pitchers and reserves for the American League and National League.

If we’re ranking snubs, Kimbrel is No. 1. No one else in the home clubhouse tonight has a bigger beef. Maybe he’s OK with it after nine previous selections. More time at home with the family, a chance to rest up before resuming the season July 19 in the same location as the All-Star Game.

OAKLAND – The Orioles’ two All-Star starters made the first two outs today, with Gunnar Henderson grounding out and Adley Rutschman flying out. Anthony Santander followed with a home run. Ryan O’Hearn and Jordan Westburg singled, and they scored on Heston Kjerstad’s three-run shot.

A day after surrendering 19 runs in a blowout loss, the Orioles pounced and vented early, leading from the beginning in a 6-3 win over the Athletics in their final game at Oakland Coliseum. And a few All-Star omissions – some might say snubs - couldn’t be silenced.

Santander’s homer off Mitch Spence raised his total to 23, tied for fourth in the majors as the ball landed in the right field seats. He was a finalist in voting for American League outfielders, missed by one spot and didn’t get selected as a reserve.

O’Hearn was a finalist at designated hitter, missing election by four percent of the votes. Jordan Westburg was a finalist at third base. They’re also staying home barring a late substitution.

Corbin Burnes brought the total number of Orioles to three with his fourth selection in a row. That was the cutoff.

SEATTLE – Craig Kimbrel wasn’t available to pitch yesterday in Seattle after making back-to-back appearances. He walked a tightrope the first night and tied the Mariners in knots the next.

The results remain positive.

Kimbrel has surrendered only one earned run in his last 19 innings, a stretch that began after his horrendous outing in D.C. that cost him the closer’s job for a brief spell. He had eight saves at that point and earned his 21^st Wednesday after retiring the side in order with two strikeouts and a popup in foul territory.

The only blown save came in New York on June 19, but he struck out Gleyber Torres to carry the game into the 10^th inning and got the win.

What is behind the turnaround?

SEATTLE - For the first time in 10 years, the Orioles will have multiple players starting in the All-Star Game.

The 2014 club won the division. The 2024 Orioles are in first place and eyeing a World Series title.

Gunnar Henderson won the American League shortstop balloting over the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. by receiving 65 percent of the votes. Catcher Adley Rutschman finished ahead of Kansas City’s Salvador Perez with 70 percent.

Henderson’s 26 home runs and 6.2 WAR rank second in the majors and he’s first in runs scored with 74. He’s batting .288/.383/.600 with 17 doubles, four triples, 58 RBIs and 46 walks in 84 games. He’s also stolen 13 bases in 14 attempts.

"I'm very humbled and blessed to be the starter. It's awesome being able to be do this my second full year," Henderson said.

SEATTLE – The news yesterday that Double-A Bowie catcher Samuel Basallo was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game stirred up further discussion about his standing in the Orioles organization. Specifically, how long he’ll be in it. How long he should be in it.

We should pause that topic and mention how he’s a deserving choice as the No. 2 prospect in a stacked farm system and 12^th in baseball, per MLB Pipeline’s newest rankings. He’s batting .279 with a .798 OPS, 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in 69 games, and he had a double and run scored last night in Bowie’s 3-0 win over Richmond.

He’s a real weapon behind the plate, too.

Basallo has endured some health setbacks along the way, the most serious a stress fracture in his right elbow that limited his work in spring training and confined him to serving as designated hitter until April 30. The Futures Game assignment is a nice reward for his talent and perseverance.

Can he co-exist with Adley Rutschman on an Orioles roster, perhaps by 2025? Yes he can. James McCann gets plenty of work behind the plate with Rutschman’s rest consisting of DH duty. Basallo can do that and also play first base. It’s feasible. Why fight it?