PHILADELPHIA – Adley Rutschman is out of tonight’s lineup to open the series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. However, the All-Star catcher’s health is fine.

Manager Brandon Hyde is giving Rutschman a rest day, whether it lasts the full nine innings or until he’s needed off the bench.

“He played all four games in Tampa on the turf, caught three of them,” Hyde said this afternoon, “so just give him a day off today.”

Closer Félix Bautista won’t be used tonight after pitching four of the last five days, recording three saves and a two-inning win.

Bautista leads the American League and is third in the majors with 28 saves. He’s gotten a save or win in 33 of 45 appearances for a 73.3 percentage that would be the fourth-highest in club history behind Jim Johnson’s 74.6 in 2012, Randy Myers’ 77 in 1997 and Lee Smith’s 82.9 in 1994, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles have faced Baltimore native Shane McClanahan nine times in his career. Or “too much,” according to manager Brandon Hyde.

McClanahan led the majors in ERA as he warmed for today’s start, preparing for a team that scored one run in its last 15 innings. A team that never beat him and was shut out in six innings in an earlier matchup this year.

The challenge for the Orioles was bereft of subtleties. It was a hammer to the head.

They pounded McClanahan in the fourth, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs. They got an impressive performance from rookie Grayson Rodriguez. And they recovered from a late blown lead to move ahead in an important series with a 6-5 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 25,025 at Tropicana Field.

Key hits off the bench were the final nails.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Félix Bautista sat in the visiting bullpen last night, knowing the phone wasn’t ringing for him.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde needed Bautista to close out Wednesday afternoon’s game at Camden Yards. He needed Bautista Thursday night to cover the ninth and 10^th innings in a 4-3 win over the Rays that catapulted his club into sole possession of first place.

A save situation last night was going to be someone else’s responsibility.

Let the Mountain rest.

The Orioles were shut out 3-0. The entire offense went into a slumber.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Adam Frazier squared to bunt twice last night against Tampa Bay reliever Robert Stephenson and didn’t make contact, both cutters missing outside the strike zone. His next attempt produced a foul ball, and finally, the sacrifice that moved automatic runner Aaron Hicks to third base.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was playing for one run. Get a sacrifice fly from rookie Colton Cowser to take the lead and send closer Félix Bautista back out for the bottom of the 10^th inning.

Hyde might not try it with any other reliever, but Bautista isn’t any other reliever.

Call him “Mountain,” and watch his ERA shrink to a mole hill.

Bautista got six outs in the Orioles’ 4-3 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. They won’t be swept in 71 consecutive series. They’ll try to win their 19^th this season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gunnar Henderson thought he drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first inning tonight, chucking his bat and taking a couple steps toward first base. Plate umpire Junior Valentine called him out on strikes, and Henderson reluctantly made the walk of shame to retrieve it.

This isn’t how the Orioles wanted to begin an important four-game series. Unable to trust their eyes or get a baserunner for three innings. An early deficit challenging them to post a 35^th comeback win.

Inside a ballpark with fake grass and real advantages for the Rays.

A three-run fourth inning, which began with Henderson’s leadoff triple, had the Orioles poised to get it done again, but Yandy Díaz tied the game in the seventh with a two-run double off Yennier Cano. Too much intensity for either team to go quietly.

The 35th happened anyway. With a veteran laying down a sacrifice bunt and a rookie playing in his 11th major league game driving in the go-ahead run.

Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde will get some help tonight through the Make-A-Wish foundation. The Orioles have invited Luke Brockway, 17, from Catonsville to be Orioles manager for a day.

Brockway was presented with a No. 7 jersey before the game and sat next to Hyde in the pregame interview room to answer some questions about himself. He explained that a serious heart condition took him away from the field. But he wants to stay around baseball, a game he loves very much.

So today he is here with his family and ready to help Hyde any way he can.

“It’s your show, you get to answer all the tough questions,” Hyde told him earlier amid a group of reporters before the game in the club's interview room. 

"We’re happy to have him here today," Hyde said. "Hope he has a wonderful experience and it’s been great showing him around a little bit.”

The media scrums at designated tables and the red carpet fashion show were over. The four Orioles All-Stars could just play baseball tonight. Hoping to do it in the same way that got them to Seattle.

Some succeeded, but it wasn’t a clean sweep.

Austin Hays went 1-for-2 as the starting center fielder for the American League, making him a career .500 hitter in the Midsummer Classic.

The top of the sixth belonged to Yennier Cano, who struck out two batters and stranded two. Adley Rutschman entered at the same time, caught the last four innings and went 0-for-1.

Félix Bautista worked the eighth, a familiar masked face setting the target, and he surrendered a go-ahead, two-run homer to Rockies catcher Elias Díaz.

Orioles director of draft operations Brad Ciolek was excited to nab each of the 12 picks the club has made during the first two days of the MLB Draft. The Orioles selected seven pitchers and five outfielders through 10 rounds.

But one player that showed the club especially loud tools and did so in a pre-draft workout at Camden Yards was round five selection, UNC-Charlotte outfielder Jake Cunningham. The right-handed batter and thrower hit .267/.359/.519 this past season with 14 doubles, 11 homers and 41 RBIs. Ranked as the No. 140 draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 147 by MLBPipeline.com, he has hit 29 homers in 146 career college games.

"I think the one name that we were excited about getting him where we did - we're actually ecstatic about all these guys - is Jake Cunningham," said Ciolek. "He was on our radar last year at UNC-Charlotte. He is a tool shed. He has double plus raw power in BP. He is a plus runner and one of those guys that has instincts for center field.

"In a workout at Camden Yards leading up to the draft, he was up to 111 (exit velocity mph) with wood. So, we are very excited to get all these guys, but to get Jake where we got him, coming into the year he did battle some injuries, but we were excited to get Jake where we did."

You can take a look at this story posted yesterday for write ups on all the draft picks from Day 2 with a few more Ciolek quotes there as well.

Orioles closer Zack Britton earned the save in the American League’s 4-2 win in the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego, with teammate Matt Wieters catching him in the ninth inning.

Could Félix Bautista be next tonight, with Adley Rutschman setting the target for him?

Bautista became the full-time closer last summer after Jorge López was traded to the Twins, but he already had two saves in a May series in St. Louis. López was on the bereavement list.

The series is referenced a lot when the subject turns to the moment that the Orioles knew they could be a winning team, though they went to Detroit and were swept. The May 12 game was special because the bench was depleted due to injuries, Bryan Baker started in a bullpen game, and the conditions were miserable.

Bautista got the four-out save in a 3-2 win. Jorge Mateo ran down a popup with his back to the infield, spun and doubled off Tyler O’Neill at first base to end the game. Anthony Bemboom received a rare start against a left-hander, Steven Matz – the Cardinals were slow to reveal their starter - and he hit a rare home run in the seventh inning.

MINNEAPOLIS - Colton Cowser has been with the Orioles for four days now and today the rookie will make his fourth start, batting seventh in right field. He has made a strong early impression on manager Brandon Hyde.

"I think he's been amazing," Hyde said pregame today. "Love his at-bats. Looks like he's been doing that for a while up here. Even that at-bat against (Jhoan) Duran last night, you know the call at first base. Just, he hadn't seen 103 mph sinkers before. Spit on some stuff down. Just relaxed throughout that big spot. Been really, really impressed with the way he's handled himself in the dugout. Defense has been really, really solid. I like his energy and he's fun to be around."

Cowser is 2-for-10 to start his big league career with three walks and no strikeouts.

Hyde said the team is discussing now how to set up its rotation out of the All-Star break, but added "we are not going to announce anything any time soon."

Ryan Mountcastle is batting .222 with an OPS of .572 on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. The assignment will end during the All-Star break. Is there a chance the O's add Mountcastle to start the second half?

The Orioles certainly seemed to have several players worthy of All-Star consideration. It had to be a bit disappointing in Birdland when catcher Adley Rutschman did not win the fan vote to start for the American League on July 11 in Seattle.

But now it has to be some validation for the Orioles’ strong first half play and recognition that those around the league have noticed when the Orioles got four players on the All-Star team last night.

Rutschman will be joined by outfielder Austin Hays and relief pitchers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano.

This is quite the haul for the Orioles, who had just one selection every year since 2017 (there was no game in 2020). In 2016 the O’s had five selections.

“So cool. We had a team meeting this morning and it was my pleasure to let those guys know. All four great stories and super proud of all those guys,” manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday.

For the first time since 2016, the Orioles will have more than one representative at the All-Star Game.

Try four.

Signs of improvement on the field and in the perceptions of fans and the industry are everywhere.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was chosen as an American League reserve behind starter Jonah Heim, who beat him in phase 2 of voting. Austin Hays will be a spare outfielder, and relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano will be in the bullpen.

“How about that? So cool,” said manager Brandon Hyde.

The sweep streak was almost destroyed by bats that couldn’t make solid contact.

The Orioles found other ways to avoid a loss. Some small ball, a slump reprieve and a painful plate appearance.

Twins reliever Jhoan Duran hit Jordan Westburg with two outs in the eighth inning after loading the bases, breaking a tie but no bones. The bullpen tossed four scoreless and the Orioles rallied for a 2-1 win before an announced crowd of 16,299 at Camden Yards.

Sonny Gray held the Orioles to two hits in six scoreless innings and the Twins led 1-0 going into the eighth.

Adley Rutschman reached on a tapper near the mound with one out, and Anthony Santander won a nine-pitch battle with a single into center field. Aaron Hicks tied the game with a single into center on a 102.6 mph fastball, becoming a hero in a game he was watching from the bench.

The same whistle played and the same video appeared with the flashing ballpark lights. The crowd roared as usual, quick to forgive the previous day’s blown save.

Félix Bautista wanted the ball again Sunday afternoon. He understands the life of a reliever, and how failings are magnified in the ninth.

The memory of the two-out, game-tying home run that he surrendered to Mike Ford disappeared like his first-pitch four-seamer. Bautista recorded back-to-back strikeouts, allowed a single and blew away another hitter to preserve a 3-2 lead.

The tying run stood on second base after a steal. Bautista’s first pitch to Teoscar Hernández was clocked at 103.4 mph, the fastest by an Oriole in the Statcast era that began in 2015.

How did we live without it?

Flush it.

The best advice that the Orioles could give themselves last night after a 12-run loss. Don’t dwell on the mistakes and the embarrassment. Move on as quickly as possible. Nothing good comes from wallowing in it.

"That's definitely one you need to let go right away and come back tomorrow,” manager Brandon Hyde said after Friday's game.

“It's one of those weird ones where a couple big innings kind of did us in,” said starter Kyle Gibson, “and you've got to be able to flush it and not let one loss turn into two.”

Or a deuce, as it were.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Orioles couldn’t walk inside the dome today until they let the dust settle from the latest roster shakeup.

Make another change in the bullpen. Fiddle again with the backup catcher and 40-man roster.

Listen as the club creates beautiful music. Cover ears when it gets bad. Hold breath until it’s over.

The bats made loud sounds in the first two innings, with home runs by Aaron Hicks and Anthony Santander pushing the Orioles to a big early lead. It almost disappeared while the bullpen was rocked in the sixth, but Yennier Cano got three outs and Félix Bautista the last four for his 20^th save in an 8-6 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 20,906 at Tropicana Field that included sections of orange behind the visiting dugout.

They, too, were loud.

CHICAGO – It might feel like the Orioles have been struggling lately. They have, after all, lost back-to-back road series for the first time all year and they are 3-4 in their last seven series.

But by winning 6-3 Sunday at Wrigley Field over the Chicago Cubs, the Orioles avoided getting swept and have now won seven of their past 10 games. Yes, over that longer seven-series stretch they are 11-10. But even at a time when they are not winning at the same percentage as earlier and at a time when they are playing without Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle and yesterday Gunnar Henderson, they have won seven of 10 and have a better than .500 record while losing four of seven series.

Their offense was AWOL for most of Friday and Saturday, scoring five total runs. But a three-run sixth inning Sunday produced enough offense for a win. They did not get swept again – third time this season they lost the first two but won the third game of a series.

“Just keep going,” new outfielder Aaron Hicks said about avoiding the sweep. “Day-after-day, it’s a different day. To be able to turn the page and understand it’s a long season. In this game it’s all about winning series. If you lose the first two, make sure you get one out of there. That is kind of how you need to be, especially if you want to be a winning team and a team that goes far into the playoffs.”

Yep, keep grinding and get one win and they did.

My mailbag wouldn’t travel to Chicago this weekend for one simple reason: It refuses to put a pickle and sliced tomato on a hot dog.

Hey, I don’t make the rules.

The Orioles finish their series against the Cubs this afternoon and are off again Monday, one of the six open dates in June’s schedule. They begin a two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, with only one night of hotel living for the media due to the 12:10 p.m. start on Wednesday.

I’m not lugging the mailbag to Florida. I dumped its contents on my living room floor, mostly to cover the stain but also to answer some questions.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original. It hasn’t been modified and formatted to fit your screen.

If you think O’s closer Felix Bautista is having a better season than even last year, when he closed games well for the club late in 2022, you would be right.

His ERA is lower and his strikeout rate is much higher, and he is a pitcher on a tremendous roll right now.

For the year, over 30 games and 31 innings, he is 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA and 17 saves, to rank tied for second in the major leagues. His 18.6 strikeouts per nine innings, up from 12.1 last year, ranks first in the majors among all pitchers throwing at least 20 innings.

Bautista, who has saved each of his last six chances, has fanned 64 of 126 batters he has faced this year. That K percentage of 50.8 ranks in the 100^th percentile, meaning it’s the absolute best in the majors right now. He also ranks in the 100^th percentile in whiff percentage. Hitters that swing at his splitter miss the pitch 59.3 percent of the time. He only throws his slider four percent of the time, but when hitters offer at that pitch they miss 80.0 percent.

He is averaging 99.2 mph on his fastball, up a bit from last year, and he touched 101.1 mph when he got the save Friday in an overpowering performance against Kansas City.

The Orioles scored twice in the first inning yesterday and Gunnar Henderson homered into the bullpen in the second. A three-run lead before some fans had found their seats.

Félix Bautista had pitched on back-to-back days and in three of the last four, refusing to allow a run or issue a walk, limiting opponents to one measly hit and striking out seven batters.

Manager Brandon Hyde had no desire to use Bautista again, but it was nice to find out early that a closer might not be necessary.

It wasn’t official until Adam Frazier’s two-run homer in the eighth expanded the lead to 6-1, which became the final score over the Royals.

Mike Baumann worked a low-leverage ninth and the bullpen whittled its ERA to 3.34, fifth in the majors. Bautista and Yennier Cano could prop up their feet and watch.