The start of the 2023 postseason for the Orioles included the shocking news that John Means wouldn’t make the Division Series roster due to elbow soreness that followed his appearance in an intrasquad game at Camden Yards. The club didn’t share anything of that magnitude this morning, but the inclusion of Colin Selby in the bullpen came as a surprise.

Selby was chosen over Matt Bowman. Albert Suárez wasn’t going to make it after working six innings Sunday in Minnesota.

Explaining the Selby move, manager Brandon Hyde said, “We just felt Selby in a couple games he’s thrown for us showed really, really good stuff. And just from a matchup standpoint, wanted an extra right-hander in the bullpen. He’s got a 97 mph fastball and a really good slider, so we’re excited to add him.”

The Game 2 starter remains a mystery, and it appears that what happens later today might dictate the choice.

Where is Hyde on the Game 2 starter?

As the phrase goes the Orioles have been “getting the band back together” getting some of their injured list players back recently as Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe, Ryan Mountcastle, Ramón Urías, Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad have all made it back to the active roster.

It is a big boost to a team that recently had 12 players on the injured list.

And while the O’s pitching staff took a big injury hit even before the All-Star break, some MLB stats indicate that the Orioles have not been hurt as badly on the injury front as other clubs. At least when looking at player games missed.

This is total games that players on the injured list have missed this year for each club and each missed game counts the same whether it is an All-Star that is out or the last guy on the roster. So we need to keep that in mind.

But here are the top clubs in most player games missed to this point, according to Stats Perform:

NEW YORK – The mailbag boarded an Acela early Tuesday morning to Moynihan Train Hall, free from the usual inspections that come at airports. You could carry a human head and no one would notice. But if you see something, say something.

Among the mailbag’s many wonderful qualities is a water-proof exterior, which also protects it from champagne, beer and close talkers. Ideal for clubhouse celebrations.

Unfortunately, it didn’t get past Yankee Stadium security. Gotta have a credential.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. Any thoughts of editing questions have been eliminated like the White Sox in June.

Also, my mailbag clinches and yours flinches.

NEW YORK – The reaction to the last out was subdued out of necessity.

A fly ball sealed the Orioles' 5-3 win over the Yankees and players lined up for the traditional congratulatory handshake line. They didn't know whether they made the postseason for a second year in a row. The out-of-town scores posted on a video board in right-center field didn't show a final between the Marlins and Twins.

Manager Brandon Hyde stepped out of the clubhouse for his usual post-game media scrum, and a club official called him back inside. It was done. The Twins lost and the Orioles would get to keep playing in October.

Outfielder Colton Cowser purchased a mini water-proof video camera, dropped it and said, "It broke already." He spoke too soon, using it to take selfies with teammates and media. Heston Kjerstad doused 20-year-old Jackson Holliday with champagne and beer, the kid being too young to drink it but not to wear it. They all hugged, laughed, danced, smoked cigars and let off steam.

The visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium was covered in plastic. The Orioles couldn't clinch at home but they didn't let it ruin their party. They busted loose in the Bronx.

The Kansas City Royals lost again, so the Orioles' four-game lead for the first American League wild card berth is still intact. But they had a chance to build some real momentum and get their mojo back.

It sure looked like they were doing exactly that, until they were not.

Most Valuable Oriole Gunnar Henderson doubled in two runs in the last of the ninth and the Orioles and Tigers were tied at four. More than 39,000 fans were roaring. Another walk-off seemed moments away.

Second and third, no outs. But no more runs. A 6-4 loss to Detroit in 10 innings was a gut punch.

A few random thoughts:

If you didn't think a team could erase a magic number of three in one day, you are wrong. The Orioles begin today with a magic number of three to wrap up a 2024 MLB playoff spot. They can get there with a win over Detroit this afternoon and a loss by Seattle tonight at 7:05 p.m.

A potential Clinchmas is here for an Orioles team that heading into Thursday's game having lost five of six, eight of 10 and nine of the last 12 games and was 26-30 in the second half.

The Orioles (86-68) take the field today with eight games remaining. They are four games behind New York for the American League East lead and four ahead of Kansas City for the No. 1 AL wild-card spot. If the O's wrap up the No. 1 wild-card berth, should they not win the AL East, they will host all games in the best two-of-three wild-card playoff round beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The Orioles hit a season-best five home runs last night in beating a hot Detroit team 7-1. The Tigers (80-74) entered the night having won four in a row, nine of 11 and 18 of 25. And since Aug. 11 Detroit was 25-10, best in the majors in that span.

But Anthony Santander hit his 43rd home run while Colton Cowser and James McCann hit two homers each. It was Cowser's second career multi-homer game and McCann's third.

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.

With one swing, the Orioles ended a losing streak and maybe relieved some pressure on their clubhouse. They have scored five or more runs just twice in the last 13 games.

The second time was Thursday afternoon when Anthony Santander hit a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth to beat the Giants 5-3.

Did that swing relieve some pressure on the clubhouse?

“Yean, I mean, whether you are winning or losing, there is always pressure. It’s the big leagues,” said catcher James McCann. “We are coming down to the wire here. It’s a matter of being able to handle that pressure. You know, things haven’t been going our way right now, so to finally break through after what seems like an extremely long stretch, this is big. Big for the guys and hopefully this is something we can build on.”

Santander hit No. 42 and produced his third career walk-off homer and the O’s first walk-off win since July 14, the final day of the first half.

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.

BOSTON – After spending 27 years with the Orioles in various capacities, Dave Schmidt isn’t returning to the organization in 2025.

Schmidt was told Monday that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, according to sources.

The most recent title bestowed upon Schmidt was “complex pitching and rehab coordinator,” which allowed him to be based near his home in Sarasota. He set up or followed the schedules depending on the player and worked with the physical therapist, “making sure our guys are heading in the right direction, getting better,” Schmidt said in a 2022 interview with MASNsports.com.

Among the pitchers under his supervision in 2022 was Grayson Rodriguez, who rehabbed a Grade 2 right lat strain sustained over the summer with Triple-A Norfolk. Rodriguez was out for three months.

Schmidt, 67, goes back to the 1998 season with Syd Thrift as farm director. He’s served as pitching ach at pretty much every level, had two stints as pitching coordinator and two as rehab coordinator. He also was tasked with overseeing the Dominican program for a couple of years.

BOSTON – Jordan Westburg did some throwing in the outfield this afternoon, moved to the dirt and began taking ground balls at third base and at second. He made throws across the infield and flipped the ball as if starting a double play.

The Orioles can’t wait to get the real thing from Westburg, who’s on the injured list since fracturing his right hand on July 31.

“I’m happy with how it’s progressing,” he said later while standing at his locker. “Past couple days I feel like I’ve turned a little bit of a corner strength-wise. I’m able to grip some weights more and like really grasp down. It’s something I was having a problem with just putting pressure on that pinky side. But past couple days it’s felt good so I’m encouraged by that.”

And somehow not overly discouraged by the interruption to his season.

“It’s frustrating that I have a broken hand and I’m missing time, but it’s also an occupational hazard,” he said. “It’s been the way that I’ve described it. We know what we signed up for playing baseball. We know the dangers and the possibilities of injury involved with this game. It’s certainly not a contact sport like football, but when somebody’s throwing really hard and you’re in the box and you don’t have a lot of time to get out of the way, that stuff can happen.

BOSTON – Suggesting ways that Brandon Hyde might attempt to revive a lagging offense, the baseball equivalent of using jumper cables on a stalled car, won’t come across as fresh ideas to the manager. Move guys up or down. Sit some and start others.

“I’ve tried all those things,” he said after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Rays.

Hyde had a few more tricks up his sleeve yesterday. Or combinations on his lineup card.

The 127^th different order in 145 games had Cedric Mullins hitting second for only the second time in his career, Liván Soto at second base instead of Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo at third base instead of collecting splinters on the bench.

Anthony Santander hit his 40^th homer and drove in all three runs in a 12-3 loss to the Red Sox. They’re now below .500 since the break.

BOSTON – Cedric Mullins broke hard on Jarren Duran’s line drive to right-center field, went into full extension on his dive and made a remarkable catch. Anthony Santander raised his fist after Mullins crashed to the ground. Cade Povich raised his cap in appreciation.

Three pitches later, Mullins raced back to the center field warning track, slowed and watched Rob Refsnyder’s ball land in the seats for a two-run homer after Rafael Devers singled.

The third pitch thrown to Tyler O’Neill was 110.1 mph off the bat and launched at 41 degrees to clear the left field wall. The Red Sox went back-to-back against Povich in his 13^th major league start and first at Fenway Park, which can be downright cruel to left-handed pitchers. A higher level of experience isn’t always a shield.

The Orioles grabbed a quick lead, let go almost as fast and began an important series in Boston with a 12-3 loss before an announced crowd of 30,600.

Santander drove in all three runs, the last on his 40^th home run, launched against Josh Winckowski leading off the seventh inning. He’s the eighth Orioles player to reach that mark, the first since Mark Trumbo in 2016, and it’s the ninth occurrence. Chris Davis did it twice. Santander also is the first switch-hitter in the majors with 40 since Carlos Beltran and Lance Berkman in 2006.

The outs were coming more easily to Corbin Burnes. Early traffic on the bases had thinned. He was back on his familiar roll.

And then it stopped.

Even a brief pause can be costly for a team that can't offer much support.

Burnes hung a slider to Jonny DeLuca in the sixth inning, and the resulting two-run homer broke a scoreless tie. One pitch would decide the outcome because another day passed with the Orioles left searching for their offense and in recovery mode following a 2-0 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 29,519 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 82-62 overall, 24-24 since the break and 4-3 this month. They went 3-3 on a homestand that began with three games against the Rockies, owners of the second-worst record in the majors.

The Orioles' six-game homestand ends today. They won two of three from the White Sox and have split two games with the Rays heading into the series finale. The Orioles won 2-0 with their ninth shutout Friday night and lost 7-1 Saturday.

The Orioles (82-61) have fallen back into second-place by a 1/2 game behind the Yankees (82-60) with 19 games remaining.

The Orioles have won four of six and eight of 14 and are 42-32 at home and 24-23 since the All-Star break.

Tampa Bay, wrapping up the first series of a 10-game road trip today, has lost six of 10, eight of 13 and 10 of 16 games. The Rays are winless in their past five series, going 0-3-2 and are 22-24 since the break.

O's center fielder Cedric Mullins launched his 15th home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning Saturday and has homered twice in his last five games. He has reached safely in his last nine games since Aug. 29, batting .385/.529/.654 (10-for-26) in that span.

The Orioles go for the series win this afternoon, the last game on the homestand, with Nick Maton at third base and Austin Slater in right field.

Anthony Santander is the designated hitter.

Corbin Burnes has posted a 4.97 ERA and 1.342 WHIP in nine starts in the second half. He had a 7.36 ERA and 1.597 WHIP in five starts last month.

Burnes went five innings against the White Sox in his last outing and allowed one earned run and two total for his career-high 13^th win.

Burnes has faced the Rays twice this season at Tropicana Field and allowed three earned runs and five total in 13 innings.

Coby Mayo started at third base Sunday afternoon in Denver after rejoining the Orioles on their expanded roster and he lined a single the opposite way for his second major league hit. He also scored his third run. He seemed comfortable in the box and in the field.

The Rockies started left-hander Ty Blach. The Orioles placed Ramón Urías on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle. Mayo was pretty much a lock to be in the lineup.

Yesterday’s series opener against the White Sox offered a different story. Mayo sat while right-handed hitter Emmanuel Rivera played third base against right-hander Chris Flexen. Mayo didn't make an appearance in the blowout win.

I saw theories floated that Mayo could work in a platoon with left-handed hitting Nick Maton, who had his contract selected yesterday from Triple-A Norfolk, but they shared bench space yesterday. First base presents an option for Mayo with Ryan Mountcastle on the injured list due to a sprained left wrist, and he’s made 21 starts with the Tides.

The Orioles might be hesitant to transfer that experiment to the majors, but it isn’t clear what they plan to do with him.

The start to the Orioles' latest homestand, which began with them playing easily the worst team in the majors, could have gone better.

Right-hander Corbin Burnes, who began today with an 8.59 ERA over his last three starts and 7.36 over his past five, gave up a couple of soft hits and both runners scored in the top of the first to give the Chicago White Sox a 2-0 lead.

One of those two runs was unearned, thanks to an error by first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, and the O’s gave up 90 feet on the bases overthrowing the cutoff man. Not a sharp start to the series.

They were playing a White Sox team that fell to 31-107 with Sunday's defeat to set a franchise record for losses. They had lost 10 in a row and 14 of 15, and were 4-40 the last 44 games.

They came to Baltimore with the second-worst major league record after 138 games since the Philadelphia A’s (30-107-1) of 1916.